Rising Above Fear

For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee,
 Fear not; I will help thee.

Isaiah 41:13

We just got back from a family trip to the beach. The first day we arrived, we hurried to change into swimsuits and dashed for the beach.  Within minutes, we were all in the water: all except one.
Our youngest granddaughter, who is timid in nature, was afraid of the waves.  She didn't know what might happen to her if she went in the water. We didn't push, but let her skip around on the edge of the waves, watching the other kids frolicking in the water.  Finally, she decided to try getting in, but only if Daddy held her hand.

Within a few minutes, she was jumping and splashing in the water along with the others. Her father's big, strong hand had helped her to find the courage to overcome her fear.  By the end of the week, she was laughing at the idea that she had ever been afraid of the water.

Did you know that the phrase "fear not" is found 62 times in the Bible? It's not surprising that God spent so much time on this topic.  Most Christian women will admit that they struggle with fear on a regular basis. However, for many of us, fear can take root in our hearts and grow; throwing a giant shadow across our lives until it almost paralyzes us.

What we sometimes forget is that fear is not something that Satan throws at us; it is something that we create from our own imaginations.  After all, if you think about it you will realize that we aren't fearful about what is actually happening, we are afraid of what might happen in the future. For example, you may hear on the news that unemployment is again on the rise and that makes you fearful.  However, what you are fearing is not the unemployment rate but the possibility that you or your husband might lose your job.  It isn't the present problem that produces fear, but the potential for future suffering.

God doesn't want us to live in fear because fear robs us of our joy.  This week, I learned an important lesson from my granddaughter.  We don't know what might happen to us when we walk out that front door.  The world is a scary place and bad things do happen.  However, I can choose to focus on what is going on in my life today, knowing that God is right there, holding my hand; or I can dwell on the bad things that could happen to me or my loved ones someday, and live in fear.  Ultimately, like any sin, it is a choice that I make every day.

Today, I choose to take God's hand.

Fearless Faith

And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?

Mark 4:40

Just prior to going overseas to serve as missionaries with the International Mission Board, Alan and I  spoke at numerous churches across the southeast. Our five children, ranging in age from 5 to 12, went with us. At every church that we visited, I had the same conversation after the service.

"So, you are going to be a missionary in Southeast Asia?"

"That's right," I'd say with a smile.

"Are you taking your children?"

"Yes, we are."

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them." (Did they really think I would only take some of my children with me?)

"I could never take my children to some foreign country! Aren't you afraid that something might happen to them?"

"God has called us to the mission field," I would explain. "If I've learned anything, it is that my family is safer in a foreign country if we are following God's Will, than we could ever be in America if we are outside of His Will."

Fear is a terrible thing.  It robs us of joy, corrupts our thinking, and paralyzes our ability to do what is right.  We cannot fight it with words because fear is irrational.  In Romans 8:15, Paul calls fear "a spirit of bondage."  It is a very appropriate term because fear truly makes us a prisoner. And like other sins (Yes, fear IS A SIN), it damages our spiritual growth and our willingness to serve the Lord.

For a woman, fear is the greatest weapon that Satan can use against us. I know, because there was a time when I allowed fear to get a stronghold in my life. But, praise the Lord, God has empowered us through the Holy Spirit to be able to break the chains of fear. We know this to be true, but sometimes it can be a little tricky to actually apply.

Let me share a few tips that helped me to overcome fear in my own life.  The first thing that I had to do was to stop watching the news on TV.  I sometimes think that the main purpose of the evening news is to instill as much fear into Americans as possible.  Just look at the headline news: murders, tragic fires, deadly crashes.  Why do we need to see those things? Is there anything that we can do about them? NO! Then why subject ourselves to them?  God gives us sufficient grace to handle the tragedies that happen in our own lives and the lives of those around us, but not to deal with the suffering of the whole world. So turn the television off and read your news (if you absolutely have to have it) from the internet.

The next time you are facing a fearful situation, ask yourself this: What is the worst thing that could happen?  For example, layoffs at work may be making you fearful about your own job.  So the worst thing that could happen is that you would lose your job.  So if you lost your job, what is the worst thing that could happen? You could lose your home and be forced to live in a homeless shelter.  If that happened, could any good come from it?  Well, yes, you could start a ministry to the homeless; without a job, you'd have more time with your children; and you wouldn't have to do housework. It all boils down to this: If the worse did happen, do you believe that God would be with you through it all?

It is not a coincidence that Jesus equates fear with a lack of faith.  If we truly believe that God can walk us through the valley of the shadow of death and bring us out into the sunshine on the other side, then fear cannot take root in our heart. We cannot argue ourselves out of being fearful. We have to build the kind of faith that can defeat it. That kind of faith requires stepping out and putting our lives on the line when He asks us to.  Running from God and His Will only produces unbelief.

So next time that Satan tries to enslave you with the chains of fear, trust that God can see you through the worst of storms. Take it from someone who has gone through some of those "worst things", GOD WILL BE THERE FOR YOU!