Greetings everyone,
Ladies and gentlemen, once again I failed in posting this in a timely manner. I allowed outside issues to cloud my duties of preparing and sharing the Word. On Sunday, I wanted to begin this with how last week went well. I am sure that I could have found something to complain about, but I realized, it could and can always been worse. Thankfully each day I am afforded the opportunity to pray and give thanks for what I have. During the last week my wife and I had several discussions on fear, regret, and placement. We spoke about how each of those topics played a role in either prohibiting our success or propelling our future. One of the big issues related to where we thought we would be by this stage in our lives. Obviously, we talked about our dreams of materialism and fantasy. However, reality set in and we grew in knowledge through faith in Jesus Christ and our successes and failures. We even discussed the barriers and people who we or what we believed hampered our success. We then transitioned and discussed heavily about fear and how it influences your life and how it may have affected your current place in life.
Before I get too deep, I figured I would start with the scriptures and then finish with my comments. In the interim, consider that although there is a Merriam Webster's dictionary definition for fear, we will focus on the the biblical doctrine surrounding fear.
According to Merriam Webster's dictionary online:
Fear -
transitive verb
1 archaic :frighten
2 archaic :to feel fear in (oneself)
3 :to have a reverential awe of <fear God>
4 :to be afraid of :expect with alarm <fear the worst>
intransitive verb :to be afraid or apprehensive <feared for their lives>
Noun
1 a :an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger
b (1) :an instance of this emotion (2) :a state marked by this emotion
2 :anxious concern :solicitude
3 :profound reverence and awe especially toward God
4 :reason for alarm :danger
Please notice that both the verb and noun cover the emotions and awe of God.
1 John 4:18 (KJV) states, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." According to GotQuestions.Org, "the Bible mentions two specific types of fear.The first type is beneficial and is to be encouraged. The second type is a detriment and is to be overcome. The first type of fear is fear of the Lord. This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of something. Rather, it is a reverential awe of God; a reverence for His power and glory. However, it is also a proper respect for His wrath and anger. In other words, the fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes.
Fear of the Lord brings with it many blessings and benefits. It is the beginning of wisdom and leads to good understanding (Psalm 111:10). Only fools despise wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7). Furthermore, fear of the Lord leads to life, rest, peace, and contentment (Proverbs 19:23). It is the fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27) and provides a security and a place of safety for us (Proverbs 14:26).
Thus, one can see how fearing God should be encouraged. However, the second type of fear mentioned in the Bible is not beneficial at all. This is the “spirit of fear” mentioned in2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). A spirit of fearfulness and timidity does not come from God."
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-fear.html#ixzz3W1pJNyRH
Here are several verses addressing the two types of fear.
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
Job 28:28 - And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.
Psalms 33:8 - Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
GotQuestions.Org, has a great article on what the Bible stated on faith versus fear. "http://www.gotquestions.org/faith-vs-fear.html"
Hebrews 13:5-6 (KJV) states, "5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."
Matthew Henry Commentary: Hebrews 13:1- 6. The design of Christ in giving himself for us, is, that he may purchase to himself a peculiar (MHC)people, zealous of good works; and true religion is the strongest bond of friendship. Here are earnest exhortations to several Christian duties, especially contentment. The sin opposed to this grace and duty is covetousness, an over- eager desire for the wealth of this world, with envy of those who have more than ourselves. Having treasures in heaven, we may be content with mean things here. Those who cannot be so, would not be content though God raised their condition. Adam was in paradise, yet not contented; some angels in heaven were not contented; but the apostle Paul, though abased and empty, had learned in every state, in any state, to be content. Christians have reason to be contented with their present lot. This promise contains the sum and substance of all the promises; "I will never, no, never leave thee, no, never forsake thee." In the original there are no less than five negatives put together, to confirm the promise:the true believer shall have the gracious presence of God with him, in life, at death, and for ever. Men can do nothing against God, and God can make all that men do against his people, to turn to their good.
If you notice the emphasis on the writings in the Old Testament , the scriptures were rooted in the writers telling the Jewish people to place the fear in God take the higher role in developing their relationship with God. Likewise, the New Testament, specifically the book of Hebrews, also addressed to the Jewish people that God has not changed. Fear/reverance in Christ are still the priority. No man can take away what God has given you or I. This goes back to our earlier discussion above. Where do you place your fear? Is your faith strengthened by your fear in God, or has His will for your life begun to unfold? The way one emphasizes thier fear has a role in their future.
In society we are each faced with generational and social changes which often affect our daily life choices and responses. This is not to neglect whatever cultural obstacles one may encounter along the way also. I believe that the difficulty today is surrounded by something many aren't willing to accept, sin. The events of the 21st Century, has given the opportunity for Satan to increase his membership, he has expanded his list of unbelievers and opened the door to fear and doubt. Obviously, when we consider types of fear, we should be realistic. I recognize that when you are in a violent or life altering event, immediately fear, flight, or fight sets in. These are instincts which often have differing effects. Prayerfully, you are given the ability to calm yourself and receive the appropriate response to react to the situation. However, depending on your training or experience from past issues, these stressorsstressor may not affect you as it would someone else. What I found over time, was that with increased faith in Christ, the situation won't be as bad, and your ability to respond, will be better.
I have said this before, I truly believe that God created or allowed other events in my life to occur because I needed to learn from disobedience or to build a closer relationship. In either case, I repented and became an intricate part of God's plan. Today, I can say that I kind of regret the things I did in the past, but I think without those experiences, I would not be where I am today.
God bless you and keep you. I pray that the words in this and all my messages find a way to your heart, and cause you want to seek Christ as your personal Savior. If you desire to chat with me about how to receive Christ, please don't hesitate to respond to this or other posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment