When things change quickly and drastically in our lives, it is common for fear to rise up inside of us. That especially holds true when it is a nationwide or worldwide phenomenon that brings it on. Fear can cause us to withdraw into survival mode if we are not careful.
According to Wikipedia, “Fear is an emotion induced by perceived
danger or threat, which causes physiological changes and ultimately behavioral
changes, such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing from perceived traumatic events.”
Some of the fears we have may be imagined. They may come from worrying about
what might happen. But many of them come from a very real perception of a very
real threat that is not only possible, but is staring us in the face. We can be
faced with some terrible circumstances at times. Will we take the option of
“fleeing, hiding or freezing” in our circumstances?
Our best option
is to withdraw into the presence of Jesus so we can find out what He wants us
to do, how to handle the threats and bring good out of evil. Times of trials
and turmoil can be used to drive us out of complacency and a form of religion.
They can be used to invite us into the fresh flow of God’s Spirit if we will
refuse to get caught up in fear and unbelief. As humans, we need something
stronger than we are to help us continue in the faith. Only the Spirit of God
can do that.
In reading
accounts of the great revivals of past years, the fuel for the flame of the
Spirit of God was the deep, selfless desire of the people to know Him, hear
from Him, and stay on their faces before Him until He poured out His Spirit on
them. In so doing, ‘self’ was consumed by the Spirit of God and He was able to
do His work and carry out His will, not bound by men’s standards, time
restrictions and schedules.
How we do
ministry as churches or even as a ministry like ours has been pressed to change.
That in itself can be frightening because the known seems so much more secure
than the unknown. However, security only comes when we seek and find the will
of God for our times. Ministry does not have to end. It can be made better by
our dependence on the Spirit of God rather than our own ideas and strategies. These
times can prove to be a catalyst to get us back on track doing what God intends
His people to accomplish in the way He wants it done.
Over the course
of time, churches and ministries can become settled in a rut and less apt to
depend on God to reach people that are beyond their pre-set borders. We can get
so wrapped up in the organization of ministry that we leave out God and the
very people the ministry should embrace. And until we are forced to break our self-imposed
boundaries, we don’t. We have a “good thing” going, and we don’t want to rock
the boat.
Think about your
church, your ministry or your personal walk with Jesus. Is there insight in the
teaching and preaching of the Word of God? Probably so. Is there a thrust to
talk to people about their salvation? Even that may be securely intact. Is
there good music? Possibly so. But is there a deep longing and searching for
more and more of the Spirit of God personally in the lives of the believers? Is
there a conviction in those who come among us – both saved and unsaved? Are
they challenged to surrender all to Jesus? Are lives being changed radically to
follow Jesus without restrictions? We need to be cautious that we don’t carry
on the ministry Jesus entrusted into our hands on auto-pilot.
Every once in a
while God allows circumstances to jolt us out of complacency to a greater and
deeper relationship with Him. That in itself will deepen our ministries. It is
up to us to see our circumstances the way God wants us to see them and to
respond the way He leads us. To be open to the changes He speaks to us to make
and to broaden our interest in His Word and lessen our interest in the world.
If a teacher
told his students that he wanted them to write a paper on a certain subject,
what would happen if the students stopped listening before they heard what the
subject was? They may write prize-winning papers with great passion and flair.
But if it didn’t fit the criteria given by the teacher, they would fail. I have
found it to be difficult on occasions to be still and quiet enough to hear the
whole message God wants to give me. If I run off with the “good idea” He
planted in my head and take it in a wrong direction, I have failed Him.
Our hearts need
to be surrendered completely to Jesus and His directions. There is a lot we can
learn from the experiences of Paul and Silas. They planned to go to the
province of Asia but the Holy Spirit forbade them to go. They tried to go into
Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. They went to Troas. “[There] a
vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man from Macedonia stood pleading with
him and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us! And when he had seen the
vision, we [including Luke] at once endeavored to go on into Macedonia,
confidently inferring that God had called us to proclaim the glad tidings (Gospel)
to them. (Acts
16:9-10) Certainly it was good to carry the gospel to
those other places, but God knows the best time and the best person to do each
work. That is why we need to be close enough to Him to hear His direction for
us.
In planning ministry
events and even articles and teaching programs, I am slowly learning that when
something doesn’t seem right or it doesn’t work out the way I had planned, it
could just possibly be God changing those plans. When I ask of Him, He
redirects me in the right track. I am grateful for His corrections. Paul and
Silas were careful to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We should be,
too. (Note: There are also times when the devil tries to distract us from doing
certain things. We need to know the voice of God.)
Every believer
is called to win the world, at least the part of the world in which they have
influence. We all do that in different ways, but the call to make disciples is
the same across the board. We cannot afford to allow fear to keep us from following
the leading of the Holy Spirit. If we don’t want to be caught in the grip of
fear and immobility, we need to seek God fervently and put aside our own agenda
and plans.
Let’s not retreat
in fear and cease to carry on the work that Jesus commands every believer to
do. Instead let’s go deeper into the presence of God and not miss the calling
He has for us today, tomorrow or any other day. Some directions may seem
insignificant, but the Spirit of God in us makes everything significant. We can
go out without fear when we know we are following Jesus’ leadership.
When the angel
told Joseph to take Mary as his wife, he started that conversation with,
“Joseph, thou son of David, fear not”.
When the angel told Mary she would be the mother of the Messiah, he
said, “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.” The Lord spoke
these words to Joshua after Moses died, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be
afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with
you wherever you go.” There are
numerous other verses telling us not to fear but to go out in the power of the
Lord God. He knows our name and tells us to “fear not” when we listen to His
voice and are following Him.
In Psalm 56, the
psalmist says, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Believe me when I
tell you that fear will offer itself to your mind, your emotions and your
spirit. But you can turn fear away by trusting in the faithfulness of God.
When we are
faced with fearful times, God will be faithful to us as we are faithful to Him.
Just as He was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, Daniel
in the lion’s den, and even with Stephen as he was stoned; He will be with us
in our times of trial.
Here are a couple
more scripture verses that speak to any fear that may come to us.
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my
fears.” (Psalm 34:4
NKJV)
“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 4:18 NKJV)
Listen for the
voice of God to you and move ahead without fear.
