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home / Religion
Fearless
Josh Barrett
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Every day seems to bring fresh reasons for FEAR: Layoffs at work, economic recession, houses in foreclosure, marriages collapsing. FEAR can take over our lives and imprison us before we even know it.
Imagine your life wholly untouched by this angst. What if FAITH -- not FEAR -- was your default reaction to these threats? What if you could overcome all of your life's Hurts, Habits, and Hang-ups with a fresh FAITH and you could begin living your life FEAR...less?
The one thing I know about FEAR (in my own life) is that it’s absolutely HORRIFYING! It sucks the LIFE out of my soul. All I can think about when I’m encompassed with FEAR is how great it would be to escape it.
The one statement God seems to refer to rather frequently in the BIBLE is “DON’T BE AFRAID!” As a matter of FACT, the Bible says ‘FEAR NOT’ 365 times. Note here – when God repeats Himself – it would do you good to listen. Seriously, COULD YOU IMAGINE YOUR LIFE WITH NO FEAR?
This happens to be the possibility behind Jesus’ question in Matthew 8:26. He replied, “You of little faith, WHY ARE YOU SO AFRAID?” When you first read it, you actually may wonder if Jesus was serious. Understand the story…. A storm had turned the Galilean dinner cruise into the first Titanic screenplay. Here is how one of them remembered the experience in Matthew 8:23-24: “Jesus got into a boat and His followers went with Him. A great storm arose on the lake so that the waves covered the boat…” Matthew’s recollection here was that it was SEISMIC – epic in proportion! Apparently – this ‘Storm Story’ shares equal billing in the trilogy of Jesus’ great SHAKE-UPS: 1) JESUS’ DEFEAT OF SIN ON THE CROSS; 2) HIS BEATING DEATH AT THE TOMB; and 3) HIS SILENCING FEAR ON THE SEA.
These are the comparisons Matthew makes with this particular moment. Now… imagine if you were one of these early disciples. A happier consequence to OBEDIENCE (following Christ) would be fitting – right? But that’s not how it always works with FOLLOWING CHRIST. This story actually sends the not-so-subtle and not-too-popular reminder: GETTING ON BOARD WITH CHRIST CAN MEAN GETTING SOAKED WITH CHRIST!
This means that FEAR will show its ugly head at times. The truth be told about FEAR… people WILL die from cancer - bury children – battle addictions and as a result… FACE FEARS! Here’s what you need to take from it: IT’S NOT THE ABSENCE OF STORMS THAT SETS US APART – IT’S WHOM WE DISCOVER IN THE STORM – THAT ALLOWS US TO LIVE FEAR…LESS!
You know what else is interesting to me? Just like the disciples, in the immediate moment of our FEAR STORM, we don’t usually ask about JESUS’ STRENGTH – it only raises our DOUBT IN IT. FEAR seems to corrode our confidence in God’s greatness! FEAR turns us into control freaks. When LIFE spirals out of our control – we grab components of our life we can manage, like our Diet, the cleanliness of our house, the armrest of a plane, or -- in some cases -- other PEOPLE. FEAR creates a form of Spiritual Amnesia -- it dulls our Miracle Memory. It makes us forget what Jesus has done and how good God is. When FEAR shapes our lives, SAFETY becomes our god! And when SAFTEY becomes our god – we worship the risk-free life. What you need to know about that type of WORSHIP is this… WORSHIP OF SAFETY ALWAYS EMASCULATES GREATNESS!
So, how can you live a FEARLESS life? Chances are, you’ve been made perfectly aware of your FEAR – and you’ve chosen to continue to cower to it. Take the Titanic for example: she didn't sink because of the iceberg -- she sank because she wasn't willing to change course -- she was warned SIX times!
When you trust Christ as your personal Savior, know this about your Sins -- SALVATION brings a desire to BE MADE HOLY. And, when God saves you from your SINS, He not only saves you from its PENALTY but also from its DOMINION! FACE YOUR FEARS – don’t allow the FEARS (Hurts/Habits/Hang-Ups) in your life to ECLIPSE your VIEW OF GOD! REFOCUS your VIEW of WHO GOD IS and WHAT HE’S CAPABLE OF DOING in your LIFE. That’s how you move your FEAR to FAITH and begin living FEARLESS!
Josh Barrett is the Lead Pastor at the Church of Celebration in Maricopa. Check out their website at www.churchofcelebration.com or feel free to contact him at office@churchofcelebration.com.
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Office Online / CopaNews.com
Faith can enable you to live a fear-less life.
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