A SPIRIT OF FEAR
NOTE: Thanks to all who prayed for my recent surgery. I’m recovering and feeling great.
When twenty-five-year-old Helaina Alati walked into a Sydney, Australia supermarket, she couldn’t have imagined the surprise awaiting her. As she was browsing the spice aisle, a ten-foot diamond python slithered out, eight inches from her face. But she didn’t flee the store screaming. As it turns out, Ms. Alati is a professional snake handler. (What are the odds?) She retrieved her equipment, captured the snake, and released the reptile into its natural habitat. Not something you normally encounter in a shopping experience.
That got me thinking. Fear is a survival instinct God placed in each of us. Sometimes we need to drop what we’re doing and run for our lives. But there’s a huge difference between experiencing fear and living in fear. I’m confident I’d be scared witless, if I came nose-to-nose with a giant python, while grabbing a jar of cinnamon. But I would need serious counseling, if I walked around staring over my shoulder, terrified a huge snake was chasing me!
Second Timothy 1:7 states, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” (CSB). If God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear, then who does? Let me think. Hmmm… could it be… Satan? Yes, the old serpent traffics in fear.
A spirit of fear seems to have settled on our land. We fear COVID, our political mess, our economic mess, even our hair being a mess. God didn’t create us to live in fear, holding our breath, wondering, “What’s next?” He supplies us with power to face our ten-foot pythons in victory, just like Ms. Alati. Instead, many of us are fleeing the supermarket of life, terrified of the possibility of encountering a snake.
We don’t need to fear COVID. We don’t need to fear the Republicans or Democrats; or our financial future. Those are matters we should surrender to God. Rather than God’s promises, we focus on our fears. Flip through the pages of scripture and make note of his promises. Write them down and read the list each day. Start with Romans chapter eight. No matter what our fears, we’ll find our ten-foot pythons are mysteriously transformed into three-inch earthworms.
Principle: God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power.
Ponder:
What are the “ten-foot pythons” that create fear in my life?
What promises from God strengthen me during those times?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Romans chapter eight.
Prayer: “Almighty God, I confess that sometimes I focus more on my fears than on trusting in your power. Forgive me and lift my eyes to see you and your power.”
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