Fearing the Future
Ebola, ISIS, UVA student abduction - everywhere we turn there are disturbing events unfolding. All of this can lead to a fear of the future. But Psalm 34:4 says, “I asked the Lord for help and he saved me from all my fears.” I believe that the number one issue people struggle with is fear in normal circumstances but it is especially important now. There needs to be a difference between those who claim to be followers of Christ and how we are dealing with all the things that are happening in our world. There should to be a clear distinction between Christ followers and those who don’t have faith.
In the Gospels, 125 times Jesus says something in terms of an imperative statement, like, “Love Others.” He says 125 of these statements and they are on a number of different topics or themes. Of those 125, the number one theme that he touches on, which is 21 times, is a variation of “Don’t be afraid,” “Fear not,” “Have courage”. The next closest is eight and that is the “love your neighbor” theme. What makes Christianity unique is that we are the Faith that teaches love. And yet, even though love is the central theme of Christianity, the number one statement that Jesus makes more than any other statement is, “Don’t be fearful. Don’t be afraid.”
Resist being fear filled. Resist it. Fear breeds fear. The more we focus on it, the more exaggerated and distorted the fear becomes. The worst thing you can do is to be fear focused. You cannot be filled with fear because fear will breed upon itself and it will simply expand and reproduce and there will be even more fear in your life. Fear creates spiritual amnesia we forget all the good things God has done. We seem to forget all the ways God has carried us through. We get so focused on the present issue that we forget we have amnesia about the fact that God has brought us through time and time again.
As fear begins to take hold of our lives security becomes our god. Our true god is security and safety. We seek out the safest thing, the safest place, the most secure feeling. But God never placed you on this earth to be safe. He placed you on this earth for a great adventure of how God is going to work in your life. And you will miss out on so much that God has for you if you try to build safety walls, if you try to hunker down into your bunker and try to make everything safe. You cannot create security and safety for yourself as hard as you may try.
And while you focus on security and safety, opportunities pass you by. Good things don’t even get noticed. This is what is so dangerous about this time we are in right now. If you give into fear, you will miss out! You will miss out on the good things that God has for you. You won’t even be able to see them because your sole focus will be safety and security. Don’t do it. Resist giving into fear.
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