The Wrong Kind of Fear

2 Kings 17:33-34 They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. 34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the Lord had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel, 

"These two verses caught me. The people here are those brought in from Assyria after the captivity of Israel. The Lord sent lions among them and they feared The Lord because of it yet served their own gods. How foolish! They even sent a priest to teach the people how to serve The Lord and they still made their high places, carved images and their own way of worship. That is why they feared the Lord, being afraid of him sending lions, in verse 33 but did not fear the Lord in verse 34. How many are come into the church that want to dwell as a Christian in title and by proximity? When the devil, that roaring lion, comes seeking whom he may devour they fear the Lord, they listen to the teaching, and yet still serve their own gods, money, sex, self, and do not fear the Lord"

These thoughts speak of our present day condition don't they? I am reminded that in the New Testament it says that people have a form of godliness and yet deny it's power. We know who Jesus is and yet don't serve Him and operate in the power that we should. 

It comes down to having the right kind of fear. 

The wrong fear is being afraid without knowledge. It is a fear that will drive you away from God. Without knowing the loving and powerful nature of God you will see the pressures of life as cruelty and end up distanced from God. 

The right kind of fear is one that is based on the knowledge of who God is. When you know His power and love you will be in awe of Him to a place of respect. You still won't mess with God but you will not be driven from Him. Instead His power and love will draw you to Him. 

Spend time with God in prayer, worship and in His word. As you do you will get the knowledge and will fear no evil. It will produce in you the right kind of fear that is expressed in your service to Him. 

What are your thoughts? Feel free to leave some comments below. 

Day 363 - Counting Your Blessings

"We awoke to children as we do most days. What a blessing they all are."

Today I watched the classic movie White Christmas with my family. It is no contest the most entertaining Christmas variety show/tear jerker and feel good movie. Who doesn't tear up when the general inspects the troops? Between the smooth voices of Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, the humor of Danny Kaye, the dance moves of Vera Ellen you can't go wrong. 

In the movie they have a song about counting your blessings. The first verse goes as follows:

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
i count my blessings instead of sheep 
and i fall asleep counting my blessingswhen my bankroll is getting small 
i think of when i had none at alland i fall asleep counting my blessings


It is interesting how some retrospect can change our perspective. Think back to when you had nothing. Think about what life was like before you had children. Sure they can drive you nuts sometimes but I bet you couldn't imagine life without them. Think about the blessing of your spouse or your friends. If you say you have nothing but Jesus remember the equations; 

Everything - Jesus = Nothing. Jesus + Nothing = Everything. 

There has been a saying going around on social media and I'm not sure who said it first. I guess when it is something as good as this is it doesn't matter who but really it must be a Holy Spirit inspiration. "Rather than look at what you don't have why not start looking at what you do have?" I call that wisdom. 

At a recent church service we decided to do something a little different and have a panel of people instead of a formal sermon. The wisdom that came forth was excellent. One of the statements that came from a wonderful woman in our ministry named Theresa Aguilar who is a reverend and instructor in our Bible College was to "Look for what God has placed in your life and connect with that." How awesome is that? 

If worry, fear, anxiety, depression or discouragement has hit you over this holiday season I would encourage you to count your blessings. You can start with Jesus as the biggest blessing of all. Don't focus on what you are lacking but look at what you do have. Finally, see who or what God has place in your life and try to connect. You can put all those fears to rest counting your blessings. 

What are the blessings you cherish? Are there any overlooked blessings people don't often see?

Day 352 - Fix It

"Jess is currently replacing her broken phone glass."

My wife is not only pretty but she is a go getter. She just gets in and makes things happen. When her phone glass was broken she decided to fix it herself. She did it too. 

I have benefitted from being her husband because I don't always have the same drive that she does. In fact I often would rather avoid certain issues and see how they play out on their own. 

As a leader and someone who is responsible I can't always do that. More often than not the right answer is to confront an issue and hit it head on rather than bury my head in the sand. 

Laziness and apathy will hinder this drive and halt progress. If left unchecked it will morph into fear and will drive us even further away from courage and doing what is right. Eventually we will find ourselves frozen without the capacity to make changes or do anything productive. The issues will rule us. 

Rather than be ruled by issues we will rule them when we confront and deal with issues as they occur. It is hard work tackling tough issues. In the end it is worth it. I find that afterward when the dust has settled I feel better and the outcome is right. There is nothing unresolved and the issue is settled. 

If you have left something unresolved and your issues are ruling you it is time to fix it. Let me be to you like my wife is to me. Get after it. Don't be afraid. You can do it!

Do you see any examples of unresolved issues that damaged someone? What scriptures deal with this? 

Day 347 - Just Let It Happen

"We came home and the boys got baths. My son did a cannon ball into the center of the bath tub. It was like watching a train wreck. You can't stop it but you can't look away."

There are experiences we have in life that at the moment seem like they will be catastrophic. Looking back on them you smile and may even laugh when you recount the tale to others. Somehow you recovered and are able to tell the tale. 

You surely have had family over and someone breached a subject and you died a thousand deaths while they talked. Or maybe for you it when you saw your children climbing off of the kitchen counter with chocolate all over their face and the beautiful cake that was waiting to be enjoyed by everyone was left with hand prints and sections missing. (Both of these have happened in our family by the way.)

Whatever the scenario is be sure to laugh and take it all as it comes with grace. This Christmas season as parties are happening and people are over make what is important important. Those things that will happen, and they will, are not the end of the world. There is nothing that you cannot recover from. 

This is the most wonderful season of all. It is a time we celebrate that Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin, laid in a manger. He was announced by angels, adored by wise men, hated by the world, and died for our sins. Be prepared to forgive quickly, make room for error and delay and be lead by love. As you do it will make this season so much more memorable and stress free. And who knows, maybe you will have a story or two to tell when it is all over. 

Have you had any catastrophic Christmas stories that you laugh about now? How did you recover from them?

Day 302 - Every Step

"God knows our steps."

Every day of our lives is fully known by God. He is eternal and declares the end form the beginning. Nothing takes Him by surprise. God is not concerned over or afraid of our future.

It can be easy to worry when we forget that God is in control. We were at dinner with a missionary and right in the middle of our conversation he had a thought brought to his mind about where his passport was. He had left it at home and was supposed to leave in a few days. It ended up working out because he was able to go home with his wife and get his passport before flying out. If he had his passport his wife would have been driving home alone for hours across the desert to where they live. God knew and took care of them both.

Hindsight really is 20/20. Many times I have looked back over where God has taken me and have been amazed at how wise He is. He knew where I was headed because He wanted me there. He knew what it would take to grow me and make me more like His Son. When we trust the Lord and let Him be in control of our future we can lay down our fears and know our future is secure. It takes the pressure off.

How have you seen that God is in control of your future? What has he brought you through that you now see was His plan?

Day 186 - Kick Fear in the Face

"We prayed and quoted 2 Timothy 1:7"

The verse say that God has not given us a spirit of fear but power, love and a sound mind. This is the verse we have taught our children to say when they are afraid. Even at an early age they know this verse and it has helped them through bad dreams, going upstairs by themselves and thinking about E.T. (Don't ask, my children think he is freaky and get scared when we even mention his name) 

The verse isn't only for children. There are irrational fears we battle all the time. Fear of lack, fear of failure, fear of the future, fear of (insert yours here). 

I remember the first time I went snorkeling I had to stop and pray because of fear. It started to grip me. Maybe it stemmed from when I was a kid and we would play burrito and roll up in a blanket and get under the couch cushions. My brother would sit on the couch with me under it but when I was ready to get out he would stay sitting on me. I remember feeling claustrophobic. That same feeling came on me with the snorkel mask and the tube in my mouth and putting my face in the water. It is probably the closest thing I have encountered to a panic attack. I stopped and prayed and spoke 2 Timothy 1:7 and then had the time of my life looking at fish and coral. 

You don't have to stay afraid. Believe God's Word and confess it over your life. There are tons of verses about fear and how to overcome it. Get into your Bible and find the ones that help you and then declare them when you feel fear gripping you. You can be bold and courageous!

What fears try to stop you? What Bible verse deals with those fears? 

Day 170 - Money Is Annoying

"Money is an annoyance right now. Worry would try to creep in but I know better. To trust in The Lord is a safer and better option."

Have you ever felt like wherever you turn there is a problem that the only solution is money? I can tell you from my own experience that there are times when it is so consistent with money needs that I almost want to run out of my office and home screaming. 

I have also noticed that as time goes on and as I have been graciously allowed to prosper that what I was concerned about in the past financially is no big deal today. On the opposite side of that last sentence though is that what is a big deal today is a big deal today. The needs have only grown and the amounts that I have to believe God for have too. 

Even with all that I know better than to worry. If God can take care of the universe He can certainly take care of my financial needs. When worry, doubt or fear tries to come in I give myself a little pep talk and remind myself of two things: God's word and God's faithfulness. 

God's word is true and His faithfulness proves it. Money might be annoying, fear might be creeping, but God isn't moving on either of those. He is moving on our faith in Him to provide. 

Has money ever been annoying to you? Do you ever give yourself a pep talk? Why or why not?

Day 53 - Drugs and Losses

"A man who used to be involved in our ministry met me after church. He has been on and off drugs for months. Mostly on. He was wearing a tattered shirt and he was very thin. He said hello and tried not to cuss. Eventually he did while he was talking about things he was seeing because of the drugs. I asked him if he was staying clean and he said no. He told me that God told him to smoke dope. I told him that God would never violate his Word and smoking dope was against the law and against the Word so God would not have told him to smoke dope. He kind of clammed up after that but he did ask why he was seeing things coming out of his hands and stuff written on them. I told him that the drugs had opened his eyes to the spirit realm and that he needed to get clean. He expressed his love and shook my hand. I saw him out by the burned down meth lab house by the entrance to the church sitting by the gutter drain. My heart broke for him. I recalled another drugged out guy who was standing in the lawn there staring off in to the distance. He probably had no idea I was driving by. I went into prayer and intercession for him."

I hate this post. I hate it because one of our people who had victory over drugs went back to it. I hate the devil and I hate evil. I hate the fact that this man's life and family and future have been ruined. 

This man isn't the only one. I know many who have went back to the things they left to follow Christ. We cannot afford to play with sin and evil. The old saying that he who plays near the mud hole will eventually fall in is true. If you play with fire you will get burned. 

We have to watch what we are watching, guard our hearts and make sure that we have godly relationships. Accountability, disciplines of church attendance, prayer and the Word of God are all so important. Not just going through the motions of dead religion but a personal and passionate relationship with the Living God. 

I am still praying for that man to return and the he be saved. I pray for you. I pray for myself.

How can we guard against slipping back into old ways? What has kept you strong in your relationship with the Lord?

Day 42 - Not so bad

"I don't think the actual event was as devastating as when the initial news was first announced. I think most of life is that way. We are more hurt by the news than the event because we fear, process, and then for the Christian we pray and get strengthened in faith."

I can remember times when news hurt. Once I even felt sick to my stomach when bad news came. Other times it felt like a slap in the face. No matter how bad the news though it seems that the anticipation of the events associated with the news is worse than the actual events. 

How many times have you been called to the office for a 'bad' meeting where the outcome was good? How many bad financial reports have come where you didn't know how you were going to make it and then another pay period rolled around and you were still standing? What about that devastating doctors report that you laugh at now because you are totally healed? 

Even if the event is as bad or worse than the news it still shouldn't bring you down. God is greater than our fears, our bills, the diagnosis and the events of life. Light will always overcome darkness. The smallest light in the blackest darkness still shines. 

Have you had news that took your breath away? How did God bring you through the events that followed? 

Day 37 - In a good bind

"From the Word today Abigail's words ring in my soul, “bound in the bundle of life with The Lord”. We had a fire drill today and it shook up a lot of us. I could tell that our staff was frustrated that they did not have the specific direct solution to what they were supposed to do with the drill. Can we predict the path of a fire or devastation from ground shaking? This would be unstable except for that we are bound in the bundle of life with The Lord. God is for us. He is our sun and our shield. He is the strong tower we run to and are safe."

It is good to be bound in certain circumstances. If I am bound may it be in a good way. May my boundaries be for my safety and blessing. May the fences set around keep my heart from wandering from my God. May the ties that bind me hold me near to the Lord. 

Since I am bound to Lord I am secure. It is the bundle of life and not death. I can be confident and cast of fear for I know Whom I am bound with. He never fails and I am bound to Him! 

Can you see a binding force that is for your safety or your good? What does the saying "Bound in the bundle of life with the Lord" speak to you?

Day 7 - Courage

"I find that many times the obvious answers are right in front of us but we don't want to face them because they will change what we are comfortable with. I spoke with someone who was having terrible difficulty with a person they had volunteered to work with because it was affecting their friendship. My immediate thought was "Why not stop working with them so that you can stay friends and not have to think about the work situation?" The problem was that they liked the work and it made them feel important so they won't change that situation for the relationship because they think they can do both effectively. Sometimes we have to give up our comforts for a better outcome where it matters."

As I was thinking about this journal entry I asked myself the question "What would it take to make the change?" The answer is 'courage'. Courage to face ourselves soberly. Courage to make that hard choices. Courage to do the things we don't want to do.

Without it we cower. We run and hide behind excuses. We shift blame or get angry. The fingers point and our progress is stopped. Worse still is the devil laughs because we have played into his trap. When we fear there is no faith and we end up in sin.

Courage changes the story from a tragedy to an epic. Which ending do you want?