Tag: fear

The Want For Escape

When we are confronted with a personal issue, more often than not its sin, there is this natural want to escape from it. 

To get away. Just not worry about it.

Cain ran from God because he did not want to be accounted for killing his brother. We have Jonah traveling entirely opposite from God’s sovereign direction for Jonah to preach to his enemies at Nineveh.

We cannot hide. Especially if it is sin. God clearly stated that will “bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14 NKJV). 

God found Cain as he ran from the scene of the crime. He exposed him, exclaiming to Cain, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10 NKJV). Then Cain faced his judgment.

God forced Jonah to go to Nineveh with a fierce storm and a whale.*

Truth is you can’t run from confrontation. All of us need to learn that we need to run through them.

Even Jesus sought an escape from His mission to suffer and die. This act was necessarily for all of us.

Jesus revealed his humanity when He wrestled with the thoughts of the immense suffering that waited for Him. He even pleaded with Father God asking, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42 NKJV). 

We are human. Confrontation honestly is uncomfortable. Here are some things to consider when faced with confrontation.

1. The Confrontation could possibly be God’s divine fingers, pointing out our sin or pointing us to do the right thing. 

We saw God confronted Cain with his sin in killing his brother. God also confronted Jonah to do the right thing which was to go to Nineveh.

When we are confronted with sin, we need to remember that He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV). 

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens…” (Hebrews 12:6 NKJV). We are God’s children, therefore he will confront us on our wrong and discipline us.

We need to always do the right thing because we have to as Christ’s followers. God says its sin to not do what you know you ought to do:

“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17 NKJV)

When confronted, we need to always do the right thing.  (Check out Doing Good Because You Have To)

2. Whenever confronted, see God’s desire in the matter. 

God has called us to “be imitators of God as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1 NKJV). He desires that we “be conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29 NKJV).  God will even use trials and circumstances to shape you into His desired image.

Know also that God wants us to be a better person. As He molds us, especially in undelightful confrontations, it’s always for your good. As you endure confrontations, remember that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV). 

3. Always depend on God’s strength. 

Remember Mary, Jesus’ mother. Here she is minding her own business, when she is suddenly approached face to face with an Angel whom declares her assignment to carry the Son of God. Talk about confrontation!

When Mary listed the impossibilities, the angel responded boldly, “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37 NKJV). 

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10 NKJV). 

You can’t afford to shrink and hide from your problems when they confront you. That weakens you.

Any confrontation you face, you can always bank on God to see you through it. Cast all your anxiety upon Christ because He cares for you**.

Mary understood she could make it through this confrontation that included incredible responsibility and supernatural elements only on God’s strength.

She gave the right answer for the angel. “Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word’ (Luke 1: 38 NKJV). 

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength, even in confrontations.*** Trust in Him.

*Jonah 1

**1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

***Philippians 4:13:  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

You Take the Stand

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The greatest enemy in change is you. The fear to oppose someone who is wrong. The fall to tolerate a thorn in a relationship. The drawback to tell the truth.

You are not alone. Many join these ranks. It’s why the word “revival” is cliche. It’s why it’s easier in life to recline in the ways have been to risk to challenge things to be the way they should be.

Tolerance is a disease. You see a problem. You know something needs to change; but you rather “go with the flow” than risk to lose your reputation of being “cool”.

It’s standing up for the small things, that the great events in history are written.

Look at David. His fight didn’t start with Goliath: it started with his countrymen.

Goliath is Israel’s newest bully on the block. From day one, Goliath mocks the army of the Living God with no shame.

“I defy the armies of Israel”, he cried. For 40 days, he came up and challenged Israel.

Lucky for us, we aren’t the first generation plagued with the disease of tolerance. Israel heard Goliath’s rants, but they did nothing. While the Philistine heap hate speeches against God’s chosen people, the Israelites found it easier to tolerate him than to stand up for their rights.

Then enters David. Youngest of his family, David is sent to feed his older brothers who were soldiers in the army.

“Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them” (1 Samuel 17:23).

It was as if someone drop a glass in the antique shop. Like dropping a weight on your foot; however you would describe it, something snapped inside David. He became enraged:

“Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, ‘What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?'” (1 Samuel 17:26).

David wasn’t the little shepherd anymore; now he was the steel-toe boot stepping on everybody’s toes. He went to and through, demanding a reason for why this Philistines mocked God’s people and he still had his head between his shoulders.

The “cool” thing would have been to stay within your click and rave how to resolute the “giant” problem: just talk about it. David didn’t feel satisfied with just talk.

The forest burns by one spark of a flame. David was like everyone else there on the Valley of Elah: they all knew Goliath was guilty of death for defying them; but unlike everyone else, David purposed to change the situation.

“Then David said to (King) Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.'” (1 Samuel 17:32)

Moments later, Goliath laid on the Valley of Elah, dead and beheaded. David turned hero overnight and later became Israel’s favorite king. He is a legend that echoes down the ages; yet it all started when he piped up in a crowd.

Don’t bend to challenges. Don’t conform to silence. Don’t tolerate sin. Pull out from wherever you sit and take a stand. Watch and see how God may turn the tide to change history.

Love and Lions

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” -Proverbs 28:1

Fear should never be listed in the Christian vocabulary. Only the wicked should be afraid because they should fear punishment coming for their wrong. Solomon contrasts the cowardly wicked to the boldly righteous. While the wicked run away when no chases them, the godly are described as lions – bold and unafraid. Where is the source of this boldness? It is found in the love that is in God.

“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:6).

God is love and when we find ourselves in love we are in fellowship with God. God’s love is as strong as death (Song 8:6) and nothing is able to separate us from it (Rom 8:39).

According to the Apostle John, fear doesn’t even exist in the presence of love: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4:7).

If we are afraid, then we are showing that we are fearing of being punished. Unless we deserve to be punished for something, we should never express fear in our faith. Romans 8:1 says, “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”.

Rather then cower in fear, we should always demonstrate God-bred boldness knowing that “we are more than conquerors through Him that love us” (Rom 8:37) and that “greater is He that is in us [you] than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Let us thank God who has given us the victory over all things through Christ Jesus (1 Cor 15:57) and by this we never have to be afraid.

Remedy Against Life’s Giants

Witnessing to Muslims for the first time was a life hallmark during my time I served as a short-term missionary in Europe. I was in Sweden, and I recall this one Muslim I talked to. I had given him an invitation to come to a crusade. When he saw the name Jesus on the pamphlet, he tossed it to the ground, then threw his face right in front of mine’s and cursed me in his home language.

Giants is a label we often give to those impending confrontations that shadow our likelihood to succeed – like my dear, upset Muslim friend.

I could not see any chance that the love of Christ would conqueror this man, but also I didn’t see at that moment that the name of the Lord is stronger than the might of giants.

Goliath was a hero among Israel’s enemy, the Philistines. He was a Weapon of Mass Destruction: nine foot feet tall, armor weighed over 120 pounds and his spear alone was 15 pounds.

Defying the army of the Lord, David rose to the challenge to fight Goliath. David, only a ruddy teen shepherd with no kind of fighting training whatsoever, slayed the Philistine with a mere sling shot.

When Goliath mocked David at his wimpy appearance compared to his “awesomeness”, David had this to say to the super soldier:

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45).

David’s victory over Goliath is a favorite lesson that our battles are never fought by God and not on our own means. Israel’s king persuaded David to wear his armor to get a better feat at defeating Goliath, but David relied on the Lord for his source for strength.

I didn’t think I would see my Muslim friend again, but our team was in the town square, and we were serving free coffee and tea. I saw the man in the square and he was coming to our table. I immediately started praying for he was also coming to me! (scream!)

When we were face to face, I made a cup of coffee – as I did for everyone else -but I bowed my head and gave it to him.
He sheepishly took the cup and left. Later in the day, he returned to find me. He came to me and said,”I’m sorry for yelling at you. I don’t believe in your Jesus, but there is something different about you.”

That man didn’t get saved there, but I believe that was the little push God gave to get my friend going in the right direction.

I valued what happened that day because it reminded me that whatever giant comes against me in my life, I should give it to the Lord. Once He has control of the problem, He will perform wonders.

Your problems may come with a height of woe, but if you believe in Christ, you are under the name of Jesus, who is mightier than anything we can imagine. When giants enter, remember the battle is the Lord’s.