Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Facing Fear
Mark Daniels preached a sermon back in June of last year that is simply outstanding:
What are we afraid of? As Mark says:
And yet, all of us have had hard times of some sort. Maybe financial, maybe health, maybe the loss of a loved one, but here we are. We have all that we need and a God that loves us. God is and has been true to His word - all we have to do is know that. Again, Mark:
To yield to fear, to allow it to control our lives, is more than psychologically and physically destructive, though. Fear, quite simply, is the opposite of faith.Many speak of the "culture of death" we live in, but I worry more about the culture of fear. Children now ride bicycles with so much protection, it is surprising they can move. I have been involved in a couple of day care/nursery school situations where tens of thousands of dollars had to be raised to meet child protection standards for playgrounds that had served children for decades as they were. What were expected bangs, bruises, and broken bones of my childhood have become the great fears of parents today. Don't even get me started on "germs."
What are we afraid of? As Mark says:
When Paul speaks here about “flesh,” he’s talking about the world’s way of doing things. It describes all that we do in order to feel important or secure, gain acceptance from others, and even, to placate God. We can be enslaved to the fear that that system breeds, Paul warns us.We simply fail to believe that God will take care of us.
And yet, all of us have had hard times of some sort. Maybe financial, maybe health, maybe the loss of a loved one, but here we are. We have all that we need and a God that loves us. God is and has been true to His word - all we have to do is know that. Again, Mark:
Faith is the calm assurance that we are accepted by God as we are.Scripture says:
Faith is the certainty that God accepts and transforms sinners into His friends.
Faith is the belief that no matter what, God is bigger than our problems, bigger even than death, and that when we belong to God, all ultimately will be well.
Faith is the God-given certainty that the Lord we know in Jesus Christ, Who has conquered sin and death, will stand by our sides in all circumstances, granting us peace today and life forever with God tomorrow!
Isa 35:4 - Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come {with} vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you."Amen and Amen.
Isa 54:4 - "Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
Jer 30:10 - 'And fear not, O Jacob My servant,' declares the LORD, 'And do not be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. And Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and no one shall make him afraid.
John 12:15 - "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."
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