Are You Afraid of Your Fears?
There is no need to be. God can handle them. Don’t try the home remedy style of treatment, leaving God out, for it is both useless and futile. Our Lord told us about a man who successfully expelled a wicked spirit from his life. He must have gloried in his ability as he told his friends of his achievement. But, as always, the self-righteous cure proved ineffective. For even though there was temporary relief and his sinful heart seemed to be empty, swept, and garnished, we are told that the subtle wicked spirit soon returned and reentered the heart and life of the “would-be healer,” with seven other spirits more wicked than himself. The narrative concludes with the statement, And the last fate of that man is worse than the first (Matthew 12:45). Never rely on self-treatment to overcome fear. Only God’s perfect love will prove sufficient.
When I was a young pastor, one of the outstanding Bible teachers of our day was Dr. Harry Ironside. In one of his books he relates playing bears with his little son. One day the excitement became too intense and the child, being cornered, became frightened for a moment and hid his face. Then whipping around, he threw himself into his father’s arms and said, “I’m not afraid of you. You are not a bear. You are my Daddy.” For this little boy, a father’s love was far greater than fear.
I will never forget the night when, as a young man of twenty-one, going my own way with life, filled with fear and despair, I turned to Christ and experienced the perfect love that has proved sufficient ever since. Though like all other believers God has permitted me to go through trials and afflictions on occasion, He has overcome them all. How comforting it has been to lean upon the everlasting arms, knowing that He is my loving Heavenly Father, regardless of what comes my way.
We need only to read a few of the Psalms to recognize that David, the sweet singer of Israel, suffered numerous fears. Yet, in spite of the disturbing circumstances, it is clearly obvious that he claimed a lasting victory over his fears. He declared, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; they rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4). David did not say I will not fear evil. He said, I will fear no evil. In Psalm 27:1 he tells us the secret for his inner victory, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? David was related to the Lord personally. That’s how he could say with unshakeable confidence, for in time of trouble. He will hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle will He hide me; He will set me up upon a rock (Psalm 27:5).
My, what serenity of heart and mind David possessed. In Psalm 34:4 he tells us how this all began in his life: I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. His deliverance from fear began the moment he sought the Lord. “To seek the Lord” means to turn to Him by faith and believe on Him. David made a decision. Though he was a king and had many important decisions to make every day of his life as a leader, none was as decisively significant as his decision to turn his life over to the Lord and follow Him. He found and discovered peace such as he had never known.
The story is told about a man who was being led over a dangerous Alpine trail by an experienced guide. Suddenly, they came to a place where a great rock jutted out over the precipice, leaving only a fragment of a pathway. The guide took hold of the rock with one hand and extended the other to the traveler. The traveler was afraid. “Do not fear,” said the guide confidently. “This guide has never lost a man.”
The same can be said of the Lord Jesus Christ for those who have taken Him at His word and trusted Him for His salvation. He gives us the promise of His moment-by-moment care, enabling us to overcome our fears. We possess His marvelous assurance promised in Isaiah 41:10, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Tell me, where can you find anything like this apart from Jesus Christ? It isn’t possible. Alcohol and drugs are used by many to overcome fear but to no avail. Though there is a temporary relief, eventually the fears increase. The morally minded and the intellectual have a philosophy of self-treatment: “Forget your worries and relax.” There is more to getting rid of fear than this. It must be replaced or it will soon return to depress and overwhelm us.
We need Christ!
Do you know Him? If not, receive him now and you will find Him to be the all-sufficient Lord the Bible says He is.
J. Allen Blair
REFLECTIONS with Dr. Blair
In Romans 12:15 the apostle Paul wrote, Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Which of these do you find easier: to rejoice with them that rejoice or weep with them that weep? Probably, for most of us it would be to weep with them that weep. If there were a death in the home of a friend, doubtless we would be there as soon as possible, offering condolences and help. We might even take food to help at this difficult time. We would pray with the family and do anything we could to alleviate their sorrow.
But suppose you were driving a seven or eight year old car, and some Sunday a close friend of yours drove up to church in a new Cadillac. Could you rejoice with him that God had made this possible, or would there be some resentment in your heart, feeling that you deserve a new car? Could you honestly rejoice with your friend? I think most of us would find it easier to weep with them that weep than to rejoice with them that rejoice. There is a selfish streak in us that finds it difficult to rejoice with them that rejoice. We need to deal with this selfish streak to be always prepared to spread the goodness and kindness of the Lord Jesus. Let’s not allow the flesh to be in dominance, but rather give the Spirit of God full control.
Under all circumstances, Rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord, alway: and again, I say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4).