January 30, 2015 (Friday)
What is “fear?” First, let’s ask a dictionary. Here is its answer: “Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Words that describe fear in various ways are, foreboding, apprehension, consternation, dismay, dread, terror, fright, panic, horror, trepidation, and qualm. Words that describe opposites of fear are, courage, security, calm, and intrepidity.” All this is from a dictionary.
Yesterday we reviewed a sermon which showed how to conquer fear. The previous day we looked at verses of Scripture that urged us to let love dispel fear from our hearts. Today we take one more look at Fear.
What do you fear? Whatever it is, have you considered that your fear may be an addiction? Perhaps you have grown so accustomed to it that you can’t bear to give it up. Remember the man at the Pool of Siloam who said he had been coming to those healing waters for a very long time, day after day. Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be healed?” A fair question, because the man did not seem to have the determination and feelings of desperation that would motivate him to get into the water.
Could it be that we are clinging to our fears because they have become a kind of security blanket that offers excuses to fail? Any way we look at it, fear is a negative feeling. The word, “conquest,” which we heard yesterday, is a wonderful and positive way to think when it comes to facing our fears. Remember, the Bible says, “We are more than conquerors through Christ” (Romans 8).
If fear keeps us from serving Christ and responding positively to His call, then it becomes sin. Many have gone before us, forsaking their sins and deepening their faith. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT).