Anne Marie Ezzo says, “After reading Pastor Joe’s article on ‘fear’, it made me think about how often we, especially as parents can operate out of fear. Fear that our children won’t love us if we have boundaries or need to correct them. Fear that ‘what if I’m not doing it right?’ Oh, the list of ‘what ifs’ can be so long, it can immobilize us from doing what is right before God.  2 Timothy 1:7 says , “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.” Some translations read: ’self-control’ … there is that word again! The very thing as parents we work so diligently at with our children, as a child of God, we need to exercise that as well. Plus as Pastor Joe shares … “there is no fear in love” … we want our children to love us, so we can demonstrate what perfect love is to them, by exercising that ‘love, power & self-control’ the Lord has given us. Be encouraged, keep pressing on and yes, in ‘due season you will reap a beautiful harvest’ … enjoy the following:”

Does fear keep you from being everything that God wants you to be?  If you are like most people, your answer would be yes.  The only difference between us would be the degree of fear that limits each of us.  The Encarta Dictionary uses four phrases to define fear:  feelings of anxiety; frightening thoughts; reverence and worry.  It is the fourth phrase that the Apostle John addresses in his letter.  John reminds us of our need to grow in our understanding of God’s love for us.

We need to begin by saying that not all fear is bad or even sinful.  The emotion of fear is a God given emotion that heightens our senses and awareness in situations of anticipated danger.  The attitude of fear, one of reverence, is also good as it is used in the Bible to describe our attitude toward God.  John is concerned with the fourth type of fear, that of worry. One of the biggest barriers in the Christian life is this last type of fear. This type of fear in many ways is the opposite of faith (trust).  While faith sees whatcan be done, fear focuses on what cannot!

The Bible warns the follower of Christ about this barrier.  The writer of Proverbs warns us against being controlled by what others think, rather than what God thinks.  This is called the fear of man.  “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:25 The apostle Paul warns us against the cousin of fear, worry, which encourages followers of Christ to pray.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 John warns the follower of Christ not to compromise their special relationship with Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately, too many followers of Christ allow fear to limit their relationship with God.  John writes, “There is no fear in love.” 1 John 4:18 The literal word order in this sentence is “fear there is not in love.” The beauty and power of what John is trying to get us to understand is that if you are a born again Christian you are loved by God and have nothing to fear!  John continues in verse 18, “But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

Fear manifests its control in our lives in a number of different ways.  The obvious is when it keeps us from living by faith.  The times that we are called to trust that God will go with us yet we refuse because we are not sure that we can trust God.  Fear can also cause us to overload our schedules because we are trying to make everyone happy, especially God.  Fear is also at work when there is no satisfaction in our service because we feel it is not good enough.  Fear can rob us of the joy of being ourselves because we are always restrained by what others might think.  Fear also keeps us from saying “No” because of how others will think of us.

The antidote is to immerse yourself in God’s love for you.  It is only through a proper understanding of your relationship with God that you can, as John writes, drive fear out of your life.  If you are struggling with fear, can I encourage you to take a moment and prayerfully read I John 4:9-19.  As you read these verses, notice how much God loves you!

-Pastor Joe Parkinson