2021 Lent Day 6 – Fear is the Soul Killer

In 1 Samuel 12:24 the Lord says, “Only fear the Lord [with awe and profound reverence].” Amplified. We are called to fear only the Lord and pointedly nothing else. There are over a 100 verses along the lines of fear not.  God is pretty adamite that we should not fear anything else but him, primarily because that fear demonstrates a lack of trust in Him.

That said, I believe this whole fear thing is something that is often misinterpreted. Our bodies are built with a default fear response and any person in a life threatening situation knows the sudden rise of fear that is an autonomic response. It is natural. I do not believe God is referring to that when He warns us against fear. I believe He is speaking about being afraid, either of someone or something and not the immediate physiological reaction noted before. Being afraid, or as commonly said, being in fear, is a state where we take up residence and make it a part of ourselves. It doesn’t go away like that momentary autonomic reaction to the immediacy of something, when our heart slows down, our breathing slowly becomes regular, and the moment passes.

No, God is telling us that if we trust Him there is nothing in existence that we should be afraid of, nothing. Because as Paul reminds us in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amplified.

Do I have faith in God? Do I trust Him? Then what am I afraid of and why? It is an important question. One that God himself is asking me right now. One that He is asking you right now. What is your answer?

 

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