What Are You Afraid Of?
Growing up we all had things we were afraid of. Things that cast a certain level of fear into us. The dark, being alone, that creepy house down the street, strangers, peas, clowns. We all had them.
As we get older and we learn that some of these fears are things we don’t need to be afraid of. Some of those things still cause us fear. Peas for example, nothing freaks me out more than a dish with peas. You see it isn’t actually the peas it’s the memory of sitting at the kitchen table till 1am while everyone else slept because I wouldn’t eat them.
Most fears, most things we are afraid of aren’t scary, they are misplaced memories or a lack of understanding.
We see this a lot during election seasons. We are just barely into a new term of the President of the United States. We don’t like change, and with political change comes a divisive uneasiness in all around the country. We have been trained to fear life long politicians who actually affect zero change. They just make sure they control us.
The fear of change most often is the most influential fear we will never admit. We like our lives. We like our bubble. We like our influences. We don’t want them to change. We want control, we want a say, we want things to stay status quo. Or at least what we believe to be the status quo.
When I was a kid I was scared of the dark, even up to a teenager I wouldn’t enter a room unless I turned on the light. I wouldn’t walk in my own house unless someone was with me, or the path was clearly lit. This isn’t uncommon for children to feel this way. In fact, I know a lot of people who went through the same thing. However, my fear was not rooted in the darkness of the room, it was rooted in the lack of understanding of what was happening unless I could see it. Almost a need for control. Control of my own environment.
We see these same parallels as adults. We want to control our relationships, our elections, how our church services go, how others react, etc. When things seem to get crazy around us we retreat. We do so out of fear.
Fear of being hurt, fear of failing, fear of loosing control, or the fear of what others may say or think of us.
So I ask you, why are we afraid? Afraid someone may do something we don’t like, take us out of our comfort zone, say something about us that casts a negative light? Are we afraid of our leaders, afraid of different races, afraid of different religious beliefs?
Everyone in this room has something that they are afraid of….. something they fear.
Have you every stopped and asked yourself why you feel that way?
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why you have given that fear control over you? We use our minds more often to analyze things than examining our hearts and that should be rectified.
Why have we let fear enter our hearts?
We know nothing happens in the physical that doesn’t have a tie to the spiritual, so let’s examine the spiritual side of fear for a minute.
Isaiah 35:4 -
John 14:27
Joshua 1:9
Matthew 6:34
Isaiah 43:1
Psalm 23:4
Psalm 34:4
Psalm 94:19
Romans 8:38-39
1 Peter 5:6-7
Psalm 118:6
2 Timothy 1:7
Deuteronomy 31:6
Psalm 56:3-4
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord. That is the only correct fear.
The Lord raises up leaders, yes that might be a Republican or Democrat, whoever. Why are we afraid?
The Lord gave us freewill. He told Adam and Eve about the tree, and gave them the ability to choose whether or not to eat. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 he gave us the ability to choose.
Individually we can choose to fear, or choose to obey. As a community we can choose to fear or choose to obey. As a nation we can choose to fear or obey. If we choose curses, we get what we deserve. If we choose to obey we get blessings.
As a child I was fearful of the dark. As an adult I no longer fear the dark because I know it has no power over me. Fear has no power over me.
As we walk out our faith, we can choose to allow fear to control you, to curse you, to have dominion over you, or we can choose to obey, to be set free, and realize that just like in John 18:36 Yeshua said. His kingdom is not of this world. If we are citizen’s of the kingdom of God, we realize we aren’t wrestling with things of this world. We are wrestling with things fighting against the kingdom of God. There will only be one fear in the kingdom of God. That will be the fear of the Lord. No matter what happens this week, no matter what fear you may have, you have the ability to be set free from it. But just like in the garden you have to choose to be set free. You have to choose life, you have to choose light, you have to choose Yeshua and His promises.
To close go with me to Revelation 21 let’s read one of the greatest stories of promise, a story of blessings for those who choose to cling to the Father, and fear him alone….
What are you afraid of? God’s got this! Let’s focus on him and his coming kingdom, cause whether we like it or not. He’s coming when he comes, let’s not fear the physical, let’s fear him for his righteous judgment must come to His bride first. Let’s conquer those fears of our flesh, and be found spotless before our bridegroom.