FREEDOM FROM FEAR (Part I)

FREEDOM FROM FEAR (Part I)

As we Christian disciples pursue the process of fully embracing the abundant life that Jesus so freely offers to us, we will begin to gain mastery over fear. (John 10:10)  The Word declares: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment.  He who fears is not made perfect in love.” (I John 4:18)  You see, fear is damaging, defeating and debilitating.  Fear not only limits believers; it is the first cousin and progenitor of doubt (which is the polar opposite of faith), and it is absolutely offensive and displeasing to our God. (Hebrews 11:6)  ONE SIMPLE DEFINITION FOR FEAR IS LACK OF TRUST.  Consider how the Creator of the universe must feel in the absence of trust, i.e. confidence in His ability to properly care for His children.

Allow me to share a few words of wisdom by a popular ‘Prophet’ named DR. SEUSS [smile], the prolific author of immensely popular children’s books.  Although what follows is a rather silly sounding poem, wisdom abounds.  Hear now the gospel according to Dr. Seuss:

Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad
Who came to a sign at the fork of the road?
He looked first one way, and the other way too,
Then Zoad had to make up his mind what to do.

The Zoad scratched his head, and his chin, and his pants;
And he said to himself, I’m not taking a chance.
If I go to Place One, that place may be hot,
So how will I know if I like it or not?

On the other hand, though, I’ll feel such a fool
If I go to Place Two and find out it’s too cool.
In that case, I may catch a chill and turn blue,
So Place One might be better somehow than Place Two.

Play safe, thought the Zoad, I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce,
I’ll simply start off to both places at once!
And that’s how the Zoad, who would not take a chance,
Went no-place-at-all…with a split in his pants!

My friend, is your life fundamentally ZOAD-ified?  That is, whenever new or unfamiliar circumstances arise, do you find yourself “halted between two opinions” and absolutely fearful about making a decision that will allow you to move forward in lockstep with God? (I Kings 18:21)  Fear causes us to live in a perpetual state of limbo, i.e. within a fog of paralyzing uncertainty and confusing instability.  Consider the following scripture:

James 1:6-8
But let him ASK IN FAITH, NOTHING WAVERING.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  A DOUBLE-MINDED MAN is unstable in all his ways.

God’s Word promotes singular and sound thinking.  As believers, our goal should be to experience LIFE WITHOUT FEAR, which is, in other words, LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS.  James 1:17 informs us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”  Since fear is neither good nor perfect, simple logic reveals its evil origins.  To wit, it is a destructive ‘gift’ from the bowels of hell, designed to become the ultimate blessing-blocker and relationship-disrupter between our loving Heavenly Father and His earthly children.  The Apostle Paul sums it up succinctly: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7)

All too often, we are trapped inside the peculiar and problematic power of fear, i.e. the mindset in which we seek constant affirmation and approval from those around us.  Sadly, some of those persons may harbor hidden agendas or mixed emotions about our future possibilities of success.  

Kingdom Principle Number One: GROW BEYOND THE INFANTILE APPROVAL STAGE.

In his book “Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back,” Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a farmer who was obsessed with the idea of impressing his hunting buddies.  Just to please his friends, he purchased the fastest, smartest and most capable hunting dog money could buy.  And to assure their applause and favor, he tirelessly trained his dog to do things no other hunting dog on earth could do – impossible feats that would surely amuse and amaze anyone.  Then, he invited a few neighbors to go duck hunting.  

After a long wait, a group of ducks flew overhead and the hunters made a few hits.  The owner commanded, “Go get ‘em!” and his dog leaped out of the boat, raced across the very top of the water, picked up a duck and returned to the boat.  He did so three times, and the owner beamed with pride as his miracle dog ran atop the lake waters and retrieved those ducks one-by-one.  Unable to resist the opportunity to brag a bit to his fellow hunters, the man asked, “Did you notice anything unusual about my dog?” One of the hunters rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  “Yes,” he finally said.  “Come to think of it, I did.  That silly old dog doesn’t know how to swim, does he?”

Wow!  If the dog owner’s singular motive was sheer affirmation, his huge investment of time, effort and money was all in vain.  Bottom-line: You will never attain family fulfillment, ministry mastery or significant success as long as your primary focus is the acceptance and approval of others. (II Timothy 2:5)  Lesson learned.

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