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“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in [God]”    Ps. 56:3

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control”    2 Timothy

In light of the current world panic concerning the virus’s, climate, wars, and crime, I thought it might be a good time to revisit what the Word says about fear…

Fear can be a debilitating emotion. It can paralyze us and keep us from doing anything about the fear.  Fear can be a disease that prevents us from seeking a cure.  If I am afraid of heights, one ways conquer that fear is to go someplace that is high, but the fear keeps us from taking advantage of that cure. There was a  man who was so fearful of the Nazi concentration camps that he did not come out of his sister’s farmhouse for 32 years after the war. His sister could not convince him that the “coast was clear,” and he remained there until outsiders got wind of his situation and virtually made him come out into the world. “I would have remained there until my death, had they not intervened.  In my fear of concentration camps, I had created my own.”  We sometimes are not dissimilar to this man.  Our fear of one thing puts us in a place that is worse than what we fear.  we saw that a few years back when The world was caught up in the fear of the coronavirus.  We need to be cautious that our fear of something does not lead to more damage than the “something “ itself.  One of the years I coached the players wore t-shirts that read, “Respect All, Fear None.”  That might be a good thing to keep in mind now.  We must respect the power of insidious diseases, but not fear them to the point of panic.

I have never counted all the “fear nots” in the Bible, but I read once that there are 365 (a year’s worth) of them in the Bible. I would think if that if phrase is there that many times, God might be trying to tell us something.  Fear is not bad in itself, but fear that controls us is.  Any man who enters battle will have fear, but when fear controls the person, that is something to be worried about.  When I was a kid, there was a very popular movie called “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid.”  In one famous scene the two main characters were trapped on a cliff with a river flowing far below.  Butch wanted to jump because the alternative was to stay and die.  Sundance wanted to fight it out.  Butch could not understand why Sundance was so intent in dying on that cliff.  Exasperated he said, “What’s your problem?” and Sundance answered, “I can’t swim.”  Butch laughed and said, “Well, the fall will probably kill you anyway,” and they jumped.  Fear becomes a problem when it keeps us from moving forward to a place we need to go.

Some fear is perpetuated by the “author of fear” Satan himself.  God asks us to have faith and Satan hands us fear.  Some people fear Hell so much that their fear leads them to a belief that it does not exist.  There are two choices that they have, believe and avoid it through a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, or deny its existence.  Unfortunately, many choose the latter.  Faith opens the door to God and fear can open the door for Satan.  That is why God instructs so often to “fear not.”  God tells us, “Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)  It is clear.  He is with us and wants to help us. Trusting God’s faithfulness dispels our fearfulness.

A couple of years ago a co-worker Jodi Hutchins shared a cute story with me. Jodi gave a little second grader and her kindergarten brother a ride to school every day.  She heard a conversation taking place in the back seat. The little girl said to her brother, “Did you know that Jesus is right here with us?  Did you know that He is sitting right here between us?  We can’t see him but he is here.  Mrs. Hutchins did you know that Jesus is right here with us,”  and Jodi told her that she did.  The little girl went on, “Do you know how I know He is here?  Well, sometimes late at night, I will say, ‘Jesus come cuddle with me’ and He does.  That’s how I know.”  We can’t forget in this story’s cutefulness, its truthfulness. Jesus really is with us.  

President Benjamin Harrison and his wife were so afraid of electricity because of its newness that they would not touch the switches.  If there was no servant around to switch off the lights, they would just leave the lights on all night trying to sleep by putting their heads under the blanket. Their fear of switches made sleep almost impossible. What a difference between them and the little girl who cuddles with Jesus when feeling alone!

Another reason for us to overcome fear is that we have a testimony to those around us.  If we are the first to “man the lifeboats” in any crisis situation, people wonder how big this God of ours is.  As we all know, God has the power to calm the seas, but much more often He wants to calm us instead.   I heard once that we should share our courage with others and keep our fears to ourselves.  I don’t know that that is always true, but I do think that if we say we walk hand in hand with the mighty warrior who created all we see and then act like Barney Fife most of the time, people will not question us as much as they will question God.

Again, fear in itself is not bad. When it becomes bad is when action is needed and fear negates that action.  Our first response to fear should be to pray.  We should come clean to God and rely on His verses of courage. In Psalms it says: “I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4) This is a great verse to quote when we are controlled by fear.  I like to quote it out loud so the devil and his evil cohorts know that I’m taking my stand and they can take their fear someplace else.  Jesus used the Word to combat Satan when he was tempted in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11), and we should follow His example.

We need to fight fear with the power of Christ so we can teach others the same, especially young people.  When I was young, research out of Johns Hopkins University found out that the greatest fears of grade school children were: 1) Animals, 2) Being in a dark room, 3) High places, 4) Strangers, 5) Loud noises. Today, kids are afraid of the following: 1) Divorce, 2) Nuclear war, 3) Cancer, 4) Pollution, 5) Being stolen.  I guess it is time that we took hold of our fears so that we can assure others that fear need not be permanent.

Once we take a stand it gives our faith “legs.”  Our obedience strengthens us.  David said, “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:3)  Victory begats victory and defeat begats defeat.  Little victories lead to larger ones.  I used to tell my players that if they could not win battles in practice where the only enemy was themselves, how could they hope to win  when they were facing their opponents.”  In our lives we can start with the little battles by saying, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid!” (Hebrews 13:6)

I will end with a practical example.  Let’s take two facts that many of you probably know.  One, I have no desire to fly (not sure if it’s fear, but it is certainly not desire) and two, I am a bone marrow donor.  If I got word that someone in Chicago needed my bone marrow or would die, would it make sense to say, “That’s all well and good, but I don’t fly.  I don’t mind driving, however.”  I would probably just get there in time for the funeral!  That would be allowing my fears to stop me from helping someone who desperately needs help. We like to think our fears affect only us, but that is seldom the case.  Even Phobophobia which if the fear of being afraid is something that would not only change our lives, but those around us.  We too often fear things around us because we don’t fear God above us.  By fearing Him we draw courage from Him to face everything else. Be not afraid!

Into His hands I lay what haunts me,  the fear that stands, a massive wall

Into His hands I lay what taunts me,  and take his hand defeating all.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”  1 Corinthians 15:58

There are over 30 different references in the Bible to words like “stand fast” and “steadfast.”  In a day when wishy-washy seems the norm, the Bible sets forth a better way.  In our country we are blessed that our steadfastness does not necessitate facing death, torture, or even physical abuse.  We do not face what Christians have faced in history or even what many face now around much of the world.  In most cases, our endurance can be illustrated with fairly painless firmness- walking away from sinful situations, standing up for Christ when He is put down, not compromising on an issue of rightness and other daily stands that reflect the righteousness found in God’s Word.

Just a cursory look at the world around us gives a vivid picture of the schisms that exist in our world due to flimsy stands.  Even the body of Christ is fractured because people don’t plant themselves but choose to hop from one church to another looking for just the “right” one.  We live in an age where nothing moves us more quickly than discomfort.  If we don’t like our church, we leave; our wife, we leave; our job, we leave; our faith, we leave.  What constitutes “not liking?”  Discomfort.

It would be different if we were moving because we stand for great causes; but unfortunately, we usually move because we can’t stand small and meaningless issues. A congregation might split on the color of pews, but stay silent when a pastor says the Bible is a flawed document. We just don’t know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. Think of how different our world would be if more of us were “steadfast” on the right things and flexible on the small.  There would be more unity, cohesion, togetherness, and power in the body of Christ.

To be steadfast and unmovable we must be spiritually grounded. A steadfast person knows what he believes and cannot be “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching,”  (Ephesians 4:14)  An steadfast person can hear false teaching, engage doubters, and defend truth without it shaking his own faith.

Being steadfast is keeping our promises, staying true to our families, being faithful to our employers, standing for God and His Word and host of other right behaviors. Steadfastness is an anchor that keeps us in place. It keeps us from drifting from where we should be.  We are called to stand fast in faith, rejoicing in the liberty we find in Christ, united by one spirit, strong in the Lord, relying on the teachings of the Bible.  When we are steadfast in these things, the Bible tells us we will not be afraid and God will establish us. “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; (if) His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.”  Psalm 112:7  When we choose to be tossed around instead of being steadfast, we will not be faithful to God.  Look at what the Bible says in Psalm 78:37, “For their heart was not steadfast with Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

Having faith helps us stand strong in times of trial as the following story illustrates. One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”

 How about our relationships?  Are we steadfast in our promises?  We can choose to be anchored to the rock – to Christ the anchor of our souls. We need to jump into the arms of Christ and stay there.  If the distractions of the world grow so great that we cannot see Him clearly, stay strong, hear his Word,  trust in Him, rely on His strength, because He can see us and that’s all that matters.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”  (Romans 8:1)

In this verse, we find two descriptions of the same person — a person that is in Christ Jesus. Those of us who are in Christ Jesus are first described by our position and then by our practice. We have no condemnation against us, Paul says, and we walk after the Spirit instead of the flesh.  The position is up to Christ to fulfill, the practice is up to us by accessing the power He has placed in us.  Fortunately for us, God is much better at keeping His word than we are.

Because God is completely holy, there is nothing we can do that can impress God.  Even our greatest deeds and will fall well short of the perfection that God requires.   On our own, we stand guilty before a virtuous judge who must deliver judgement in a way that matches his total sinlessness.  It might seem by the verse above that we determine our condemnation (or lack of it) by not walking in the flesh.  In other words, it might look like we earn our “freedom” by being good people.

It is not that we are “good enough” to merit favor, but that those of us who are in Christ have had our punishment transferred to Jesus, so that we are without condemnation. Romans 8:9 says “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him.”  So we who believe on Jesus Christ have the assurance that Christ has taken our place and has placed us in Him through the indwelling Spirit. Christ is our substitute, so, in spite of our great shortcomings, we are without condemnation, not because of what we do, but because of what Christ has done.  Christ’s perfect sacrifice on our behalf has wiped our criminal record clean.

How then should we, the pardoned, live? We should follow the leadership of the Spirit of God. As Paul later explains in the same chapter, “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14)  We no longer need to follow the dictates of our corrupted nature or of the sinful world; we can march to the beat of a spiritual Drummer, following the footsteps of our perfect Savior.

What a privilege and joy it is to be in Christ!  Our desire, like Paul’s, should therefore be to “be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9).  Finally, we can walk free of the condemnation that is born into us and would remain in us if we did not accept Christ’s substitutional sacrifice on our behalf.

My favorite song for quite some time was “Who Am I” by Casting Crowns.  The chorus goes like this:

“Not because of who I am, But because of what You’ve done.

“Not because of what I’ve done, But because of who You are.”

It summarizes for me why we are so blessed in Christ.  If you listen to all the lyrics of that song it captures the unbelievable act of love that has led us out of bondage.

PS   you can find the song lyrics here-   

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/castingcrowns/whoami.html

and the song here:

If you get a chance to listen, I think you will love it.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27-28

I recently came across this interesting photo of a tree that was hollow on the inside and looked relatively healthy on the outside. This tree was cut down because a professional arborist thought it looked stressed and said it was probably not healthy. Not healthy! If you could look at the stump closely, you will see that 80% of its insides are missing completely. Incredibly, to the untrained eye, the outside of the tree looked just fine, and it took an expert to spot the problem. Had it not been cut down, it would have inevitably blown down sometime in the future.  The scary part was the tree was only 10’ from a house!

In today’s verse Jesus is speaking to the most outwardly righteous people in Israel. The Pharisees and Sadducees strode about striving to look righteous in all they did, but much of the sermon on the mount (found in Matthew and Luke) addressed the hypocrisy of these men. God is concerned with the health of our insides, not the looks of the outside.  Time and time again His Word reveals stories of people who looked “wrong” on the outside, but were “strong” on the inside. Stories like the poor widow, the repentant tax-collector, and the kind Samaritan, were contrasted with the “righteous” men of the temple who looked good but weren’t good.

If we are not healthy on the inside, pressures from the outside will take us down. It isn’t always the weakest-looking trees that blow down during a storm but the weakest trees. Some look good on the outside, but like our tree in today’s photo, might be dead on the inside. Remember that I said the expert arborist saw the tree and then cut down the tree to protect others. God is the expert that knows our health on the inside. Throughout the Bible there are examples of God removing those that were dangerous to those around them. If we lose our usefulness to the Kingdom of God and have, in fact, become detrimental to the kingdom, we may be cut down.

Famous actor Robert Redford was walking one day through a hotel lobby. A woman saw him and followed him to the elevator. “Are you the real Robert Redford?” she asked him with great excitement. As the doors of the elevator closed, he replied, “Only when I am alone!”  Isn’t Redford’s answer often our own.

I think the Word is clear that we are eternally secure once we have received the Holy Spirit. I also think the Bible clearly teaches that sin in our lives can lead to physical death. When Ananias and Sapphira tried to deceive the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, they lost their lives, but there is no indication that they lost their salvation. We are not “punished” for our sin in the sense of losing salvation or being eternally separated from God, yet we are disciplined, sometimes even unto death.  “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” (Hebrews 12:6).

First John 5:16 says there comes a point when God can no longer allow a believer to continue in unrepentant sin, that there is sin that leads unto death. When that point is reached, God may allow the stubbornly sinful believer to taste that death. If we look like the tree above and we are spiritually dead on the inside, we should be prepared.  If the strong winds of this world don’t take us down, the axe of the great Arborist just might.  Regardless, how we look to others is inconsequential.  It’s what’s inside that counts.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”  Ezekiel 36:26 

The other day I was reading something online and the discussion was about Christ the Peacemaker. Well, there was a misspelling and in one part it said Christ the Pacemaker. As is my habit, I was instantly looking for my red pen to make the correction when I realized that in reality Jesus is a Pacemaker of sorts.  A pacemaker is a small electrical device that helps a heart beat as it should. It helps it maintain a rhythm that is natural and healthy.  It is used for those folks whose hearts don’t beat correctly and need a little outside help (well, actually inside, but you know what I mean).

We are told to listen to our hearts when making decisions and it has become default advice line people use all the time when they are asked for help with a problem. “Just listen to your heart” is the same advice given for decisions as diverse as buying a home or deciding whether to marry an internet acquaintance. But is this advice the wisest advice?  I would say without Christ, the Pacemaker, our hearts are pretty unreliable and really not suited to make decisions much larger than choosing a coffee at Starbucks.

We would like to think that we can think with our hearts. But our hearts make a better pumps than brains.  When we use our heart for guidance, we are really relying on the part of us that is on the search for ultimate joy at any price. Unfortunately, our heart has a true nature that is not capable of being the brains of the outfit. It it born broken and needs to be fixed before it can be anything at all reliable for decision making.

When the Bible talks about the human heart, it’s referring to the center of people’s being. It involves their emotions, reason, and will. From the very earliest times, we find that the nature of our hearts is the source of many of the world’s heartbreaks: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

Sadly, from the beginning the result of following the heart was not comfort and guidance, but death and destruction. The myth that leads this false assumption that we can rely on the heart is that we, and of course our hearts, are basically good. If we base our thinking on this premise, we think- “since our hearts are good, they can be a guide for decisions that lead to good.”  But the Word paints a different picture, one that has been proven out through thousands of years: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10) Even Jesus tells us that sin, not goodness, originates in the heart.  “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.” (Mark 7:21-22) Wow, and we advise people to follow it!

In Kansas City, during the great Gipsy Smith revival years ago, an old preacher came into the room where the Gipsy was sitting after the service. Thousands were being blessed and hundreds saved. The older minister placed his hands upon the evangelist’s head and felt about it. ‘I am trying to find the secret of your success,’ he said.

`Too high! Too high! My friend, you are too high,’ Gipsy said. ‘The secret of whatever success God has given me is not up there but down here,’ and he placed his hand upon his heart.

Gipsy Smith could say that because the Great Pacemaker was controlling  the beats of his heart.   Gipsy had been born in a tent,  had little schooling, and rose up through poverty.   But even the poorest man can afford the heart surgery that God offers, because it has already been paid for by the Son.  For over sixty years Gipsy preached God’s gospel to men.  As he preached, again and again the tears would course down his cheeks, and his heart stirred the hearts of thousands.

What made the difference in his life and millions of others? It is Christ, the great Physician, who performed a miracle on the cross. Because of what He did we can become new. If Christ the Pacemaker is in our hearts then they become stronger and more reliable. They can beat the way they were meant to before the fall. Our hearts don’t have to be the out-of-control, emotion-driven part of us that beats wildly and cannot be relied on for good decisions. When Christ the Pacemaker indwells us through the Holy Spirit, we can begin to listen to our hearts more because they are controlled by God. Of course, when we disconnect our Pacemaker, let the battery go dead, or don’t maintain it like we should, we are right back to the evil heart-making decisions.

We must be careful not to direct people to listen to their hearts unless we know that they have a working Pacemaker beating in their chests. Caution: there will still be a battle between our old and new hearts. We should listen to the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, and spirit-filled Christians when making decisions. But if we are going to listen to our hearts, we better make sure our Pacemaker is kept tuned up.