Jesus takes away our fear
Don’t get me wrong, some fear is healthy and good for us. The fear of getting burnt if we touch a hot stove is a healthy fear. But some fears are totally irrational. I took my wife to Paris when were students to ask her to marry me. My plan was to go on one knee on first stage the Eiffel Tower, but my irrational fear of heights prevented me going up the steps (we were too poor for the lift!) It had to be on the Arc D’Triomphe, which is ironically only 7m less high!
I tried my hand at abseiling once – poised on the edge knees knocking with fear, the instructor told me FEAR stands for False Expectations Appearing Real. It was safe, the two ropes were capable of holding a car, so my expectation they would snap was false. The answer to some irrational fears – the ones based on False expectations is a bit of thinking to realise they are not real.
The American Presidential campaign is being run on the politics of fear. Pandering to fear gets votes. I guess for most of us Brits, our main fear is Donald Trump getting in – what a buffoon!
The fear of stepping out can be debilitating. Are you held back by fear? As Joyce Meyer writes “Are there any areas in your life that are being stifled because of fear? Satan is always going to bring fear against us at various times. It’s one of his major weapons—not a cap gun, but a cannon.”
The answer to these fears is a relationship with God. “Do not be afraid” is one of the most common commands in the Bible. It’s a command backed up with a promise “Fear not, for I am with you.” Knowing God personally means we can face fears. The Message paraphrase of the Bible puts it like this “God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.”
If you want to get rid of fear in your life – why not pray to Jesus and ask Him to take it from you.
Andy Moyle
The Gateway Church