Continued Conversation
The senior pastor, Dr. Drew Shofner, at the Church at Severn Run where I attend, just completed a series on fear earlier this year. Yet, more than 2000 years after Jesus appeared to us and told us not to fear, we are still having the conversation.
I’ve had my share of experiences with fear during my life.
As a kid in high school in 1986 a classmate brought a gun to school and a bag of marijuana, which was far from being legal at the time and could have gotten him expelled. I was a young believer back then, but I was scared out of my mind. I didn’t tell the teacher, I didn’t bring it up to the principal, I didn’t even mention it to my parents, who I thought might have sought to pin the offense on me. Later on, in a separate incident my father took the word of the person over mine. They had a meeting with the young man and the principal at the school – without giving me a chance to tell my side of the story. I was judged guilty. Seems my fears were justified.
As a kid I was also fearful of telling the truth, because that got me punished at home, as a young believer that was hard to reconcile with my faith. I told everyone I could about what I was going through, including members of my church at the time. The one person I should have taken it up with, God the Father, I didn’t. God should have been the first call I made. My aunt Esther and a brother named Learie, to their credit, did try to counsel my father as a brother in Christ.
In 2007, I found myself turned around on I-85 in Charlotte facing southbound traffic in foggy weather after I was hit so hard by another vehicle that it turned my car around. That was pretty scary.
Later on, after I’d just moved to Maryland, I found myself facing a wrong-way driver coming at me at high speed on a local road in Lanham.
When Jesus’ disciples saw him walking on water, they cried out in fear, they thought He was a ghost. Jesus had to reassure them that He was their Master. (See Matthew 14:22-34, Mark 6:45-53, and John 6:15-21)
The woman with an issue of blood was fearful when Jesus called to ask “Who touched me?”. (See Luke 8:43-48) He already knew, but her courage gave Him an opportunity to show that a miracle had been done and to reassure her in love, I believe.
The Bible tells us perfect love casts out all fear. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” Perfect love is loving others the way God wants us to love. It is trusting Him, casting our cares on Him, believing He is able to protect, guide and save us.
As believers, we have the opportunity to live in fear every day – whether we will get the job, if our kid is safe at school, will we lose our job, will we crash, can we afford to pay our rent, our mortgage this month, and so many other things that cross our minds on a daily basis.
God in His word tells us that He has provided for us, that He will never leave or forsake us. He takes care of us everyday. He wants the best for us. He wants us to trust Him. He wants to know our needs. He sent Jesus so we could have a relationship with Him, much like Adam did in the garden. How special are we? Greater love hath no one.
Let us not continue to live in fear, but let us trust and believe that God will and is taking care of us.
Want to learn to live without fear? Text “Fear” to 410-936-4252.
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