Fear- by Josh

“Fear creates a form of spiritual amnesia. It dulls our miracle memory. It makes us forget what Jesus has done and how good God is.”

Taken from Fearless by Max Lucado

A couple of nights ago my daughter and I went outside to grill some dinner. I was busy getting the grill ready when I looked over and saw Drew picking up ants with her hands. I know ants are harmless little bugs and she is certainly intrigued by all little creatures at this age but I couldn’t help but immediately tell her to put the ants down and leave them alone. My mind knows ants are harmless, yet in just a few seconds I had rationalized the possibility of ants crawling on Drew, making it into the house, and before I knew it I was imagining how difficult and how costly it would be to get rid of an army of ants infiltrating our home.

The same is true for me in so many other areas of life. Fear and worry are best friends who make it a personal mission to torment my life. One thought can quickly leave me paralyzed by fear internally. I lock up and submit to the lies they whisper to me. My mind jumps from bad, to worse, to absolute worst-case scenario in a short time. It is easy for me to see the negative in my circumstances.

Neely and I moved into our house a little over a year ago. Our backyard is open to a large field that has a lot of wildlife and living creatures in it. Last summer we got the joy of killing snakes outside and dealing with several (LARGE) spiders in our house. My fear of the two became so bad in my mind that at times I actually feared we had made a mistake buying our house. Every day I would walk into our living room and scan the floor for spiders. I would hesitate to lay on the floor to play with Drew. The weight of fear in my life was unbearable at times. It was an all-consuming fear.

These fears are just a few of many. I struggle with fearing what other people think about me. When I drive I get paranoid about being in the far right lane and blocking someone who is waiting to turn behind me. At the drive-thru I order as quickly as possible because I worry about making the people behind me wait. I fear we don’t have enough money in savings because if _________ happened it would empty our savings. The list goes on and on for me.

I am still learning how to release my fears to the Lord. It is a daily struggle and sometimes an hourly one. I heard this verse in a message by Craig Groeschel several years ago and it has been a constant prayer for me.

2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

I have had to realize that anytime I feel fear it is not from the Lord. When I feel fear I have had to quickly recognize that the enemy is at work. In 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) it says,

⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

I know this is a verse we have all heard many times in our life but I love the way the New King James Version says it… be sober, be vigilant. Dictionary.com defines vigilant this way: keenly watchful to detect danger.

It’s interesting that the Lord gives us a spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind. This is exactly the opposite spirit I have when I am overtaken by fear and worry. I feel powerless and out of control. A sound mind is my hearts longing.

Honestly, I am far from having overcome my struggle with fear. I have lost many days to its subtle destructiveness. Neely and I have been married for almost 5 years and it is just as much an issue for me today as it was when we got married. I feel helpless to it. I read a devotional just this morning that really impacted me…

At His Feet- June 14

...Many Christians get caught in an inconsistency between their words and their lives. It’s quite common. We say we love God, but we fail repeatedly in our obedience, usually in one or two areas in particular. We have secret sins, nagging habits, persistent character flaws that we just do not want to let go of. We know this, and we know God’s desire for us to leave those things behind. But we don’t; it’s too hard. That’s when we need to ask ourselves a deep question: Do I really love Him? That’s the issue, isn’t it? If we loved Him more than that habit, sin, or character flaw, we would have victory. We pursue the things we love most. If we hang on to our hidden faults, don’t we love them more?

Jesus often used “love” and “obey” in the same sentence. It isn’t a coincidence. It’s a challenge. Search your soul. Decide whom you love, and obey Him with all your heart.

We pursue the things we love most…

For many years I have excused my issues. Today I’m going to decide whom I love and obey Him. Will you join me?

"The path to your greatest potential is often straight through your greatest fear."

-Craig Groeschel