Conquering Our Fears

Chuckle:  A little boy had a part in the school play that read, "It is I, be not afraid."  He came out on stage and said, "It's me and I'm scared!

 

Quote:  "The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear."  --Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

CONQUERING OUR FEARS?

 

    Then he (Jesus) asked them, "Why are you so afraid?  Do you still not have faith in me?"  (Mark 4:40 NLT).

 

Our fears have a major impact on the way we think and act.  We may be keenly aware of some of our most dreaded fears, but others may be buried so deeply in our psyche that we may not even be aware of them.  You may react to a situation instinctively, not fully understanding why you reacted in such a way.  A deeply rooted fear may be the culprit.  Fears of any intensity will ultimately control your life if you don't have the strength or courage to bring them to the surface and place them at the feet of Jesus.  God wants to help us root out our fears and free us from their debilitating effects on our conduct and happiness.

 

Life's storms come in many forms and intensities.  Think of situations that cause you the greatest anxiety.  Now think about all the miracles God has performed in your life; the most important of which is your salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.  If God can save your eternal soul, what makes you think He is incapable of taking away your fears?  Just bare your fears and view them in light of God's past faithfulness, and they will lose their control over you.

 

Now back to our passage.  Jesus equated the disciples' being afraid to a lack of faith in Him.  The disciples feared for their lives.  They were afraid the fierce storm would swamp their boat and they would drown.  They were afraid even with Jesus asleep in the boat with them, and this seemed to surprise and disappoint Jesus.  Do you think it disappoints our Lord when we let our fears rule our lives rather than trusting in Him in all situations? 

 

In situations that cause you to be afraid, you have two options.  You can panic, like the disciples, and assume that Jesus is no longer in control and does not care what happens to you; or you can conquer your fears by placing your complete trust in Him as Savior and Lord in all situations. 

 

Pastor Ray Stedman spoke to a young man who had given his heart to Christ in a Billy Graham crusade.  He fold him that his new life in Christ would free him from all fear of death.  The young man replied, "I have never been much afraid of death.  But I'll tell you what I am afraid of -- I'm afraid I'll waste my life."  Stedman then commented, " I believe that fear is deep within each of us.  It has been put there by our Creator.  No one wishes to waste his life."  --Ray Stedman, Authentic Christianity

 

Unconquered fears can certainly result in a wasted life.  But God can change all that if we only turn our lives and fears over to Him.         

 

Love, Jerry & Dotse