FREEDOM FROM FEAR - Part III

FREEDOM FROM FEAR (Part III)

I grew up in Monessen, a small American town south of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania. Our school district had implemented a compulsory requirement that every junior high school student must take a swimming class. Long before reaching eighth grade, I looked over the academic horizon with great fear and trepidation at the prospect of this impending aquatic experience – because prior to that I never was a swimmer.  Mr. Romasco, our teacher, was a laid-back and congenial sort of fellow, but he seemed rather heartless when it came down to enforcing this swimming mandate. At a certain point in the class, whether or not students had acquired sufficient skills of floating, stroking, or treading water, we were compelled to jump into the deepest part of the pool, to touch the bottom with our feet and to spring off to the other side.

How vividly I remember my dreaded date with natatory destiny. Although it was quite warm in the enclosed pool area, it felt frighteningly frigid to me. My teeth were chattering, my hands were trembling and my knees were knocking. FEAR gripped me, body, mind and soul. My best friend, Wesley Miller (who could not swim very well either), was just ahead in line and I watched him leap stoically into the depths at our teacher’s command. Wesley sank to the bottom like a rock, and did not surface right away as planned. Mr. Romasco did something then that I shall never forget. He stood over the side of the pool, cupped his hands over his mouth to form an impromptu megaphone, and hollered out “Swim boy, swim!” WHAT?!? I was stricken with paralyzing fear and panic!

First of all, I was justifiably concerned for my best friend’s safety, and secondly I WAS NEXT UP ON DECK! My mind was reeling, rapidly coming to the conclusion that if Wesley could not do it…well, you fill in the rest. After several seconds had passed (it felt more like five minutes), Neal, a fellow student and accomplished swimmer, dove in and assisted Wesley from the pool. It turned out that Wesley only swallowed a little water and was perfectly fine, although in our 13 shared years on the planet I had never seen him looking as frightened.

Since I was up next, Mr. R would be closing in on me at any moment, so I paused, closed my eyes and SPOKE A SILENT WORD TO GOD…and to myself as well. “Help me Lord!” “PLEASE…help me Lord!!!” “Wayne, you can do this.” “You can DO this!!!” Mr. Romasco blew his whistle (how I hated that noisy whistle), and I summoned sufficient intestinal fortitude to launch my leap of faith into the aquatic deep. I was pleasantly surprised (actually shocked) when my toes touched the bottom and I pushed off toward the other side. Admittedly, it was a struggle reaching the other side since my breaststroke skills were fairly weak, but somehow I made it! THANK GOD…I made it!

Kingdom Principle Number Three: WHENEVER FEAR GRIPS YOU, SPEAK THE WORD!

Get it? Amen! Got it!

I had a wonderful English teacher in high school, Mrs. Judy Paglia. Each class was filled with a variety of rich learning experiences. She was a terrific mentor in developing my writing skills, but the academic activity that then seemed most beneficial was something she called “WORD POWER.” In each class, we were presented with a new and totally unfamiliar word. Our task: to read, to write, to define, to remember. My repertoire of words grew exponentially because this superb teacher knew THE POWER OF THE WRITTEN AND SPOKEN WORD. How applicable this principle is to our spiritual walk.

Whenever we WRITE THE WORD (Habakkuk 2:2)…and whenever we SPEAK THE WORD (Acts 4:29 – Acts 14:3 – Philippians 1:14)…we enter with power and authority into THE FAITH ZONE. Know this: It is impossible for FAITH and FEAR to co-exist! Fear seeks to erode the image of God in us, and to paralyze our confidence and progress. Sisters and brothers, we must NOT allow fear to cause us to lose our way as we traverse toward divine purpose and destiny. There is so much ‘distorted knowledge’ that Satan seeks to magnify via his attempts to move us into anxiety, i.e. fear of what others think, fear of the unknown, fear of our past, fear of the future, fear of our enemies, fear of loving (again), fear of loneliness, fear of death, fear of failure, and yes, even fear of success.

My personal panacea for fear is a continual remembrance of one powerful truth which I speak aloud every day. It is the blessed assurance of JESUS CHRIST: “I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Whenever we are tempted to embrace fear, we will refuse to focus on any satanic suggestions. Rather, we will magnify the WORDS OF OUR GOD! We will read them…write them…speak them…meditate on them…pray them…believe them…act on them…and give GOD praise and glory as He navigates us safely through every curve and pothole in the road.

God issued a marvelous opportunity mandate to Joshua as he led the Israelites into their Promised Land: “This BOOK OF THE LAW shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have GOOD SUCCESS.” (Joshua 1:8) Wow!

During every major manifestation of God’s glory, whenever Heaven uniquely intersected earth, every world-shaking revelation sent by God via angelic hosts was issued with two liberating and life-changing words: “FEAR NOT!” (Genesis 15:1 – Exodus 20:20 – Isaiah 41:10 – Matthew 1:20 – Luke 1:30 – Luke 2:10 – Luke 12:32 – Revelation 2:10)

Why not take this Heavenly Emancipation Proclamation with YOU into each and every life-situation? “FEAR NOT!” Winner-believer…THE SON has already set you FREE FROM FEAR, and you are free indeed! (John 8:36)

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!