"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." (Genesis 3:8-10)
Over the next three months I will be sharing a foundational key as to what underlies all of the emotional challenges which we may face. It's what I call the "unholy trinity," which are fear, shame, and guilt. After the Fall, these three emotions emerged as the core of every struggle humanity faces and will face until Christ returns. Every challenge we encounter either has one or more of these characters at the center of it all. I like to visualize the unholy trinity as throwing an ongoing party to which we have a never ending invitation. Our first character, fear, often manifests in feelings of anxiety and insecurity. Many of the clients I see in my practice often express feelings of anxiety. Fear was the first thing that Adam expressed after God called to him in the garden, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid....(Genesis 3:10) When we accept the party invitation from fear, we are hindered from moving forward with what God has called and gifted us to do.
Fear Is Always Inviting Us To The Party
Fear is always holding out our favorite food and whispering in our ear, "You don't want to do that, you may fail" or "what happens if..." or "what's that person going to think if you say or do that?" "Come join the party and eat your fill of fear!" My word of encouragement when clients are expressing these fears is, "Don't listen and don't go to the party!" The words, "Do not be afraid" are expressed in both the Old and New Testaments. Some scholars have estimated the phrase occurs over 365 times, which shows how much emphasis God places on the significance of those words. For example, the Lord said to Joshua before he was to lead the people into the Promised Land, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."(Joshua 1:9) Joshua had a monumental task ahead of him but God promises that He would be with Joshua. Jesus also comforted His disciples after He informed them that He would be leaving them, but that He would send the Holy Spirit to be their strength in Jesus' absence, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)
God's Word Is Our Weapon Against Fear
God knew after the Fall fear would try its best to hinder us from following Him. Therefore, God encourages us through His word to trust Him, to listen to His voice and don't go to the party! There are times when fear is healthy and serves as an ally versus an adversary. For example, in situations when our safety is threatened, fear triggers within us the need to flee in the opposite direction. However, in circumstances where self doubt and insecurity arise, God is our strength, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7) Moreover, like Joshua, we have the promise that God will always be with us, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5b-6) So in those moments when fear holds out that party invitation, we can counter with a better invitation. The invitation of God's word, which grounds us and strengthens us through His promises.
Thanks be to God!
Pastor Sheree
At this moment as I am sitting here writing this blog, Hurricane Florence is bearing down on the coasts of North and South Carolina. The governors of the respective states are issuing states of emergency and urging people to evacuate to a safer place. However, while many are heeding their governors' warnings, there are some who take a different point of view. The storm chasers are the ones who defy the odds and potentially risk their lives to stand against the storm. Some of those storm chasers are foolish people who for selfish reasons fantasize that by staying in their homes they can be safe and at the same time protect their property. In their foolishness they not only risk their own lives but the lives of rescue personnel who may need to go out and physically remove them from their homes to a safer location. Other storm chasers are professionals who are trained to fly into the "eye" of the storm to gather crucial information regarding how potent the storm is as well as how fast it is traveling. They can relay this information back to meteorological sites who can better track the storm and then pass the pertinent information on to television viewers and social media. At the end of the day, there is nothing anyone can do to stop a storm from impacting an area and leaving a path of destruction. However, there is one storm chaser that can and did make a difference in the lives of others.
Don't Be Afraid!
In Matthew 14:22-32 we read the familiar story of Jesus walking on water. Jesus had sent His disciples ahead by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. In the process the boat began to be buffeted by waves because of strong winds. The disciples were trying their best to make it through the rough waters and get out of the turmoil. Jesus could have let them struggle until they made it to the other side. Instead He "chased" the storm and came to them walking on the water. Initially they were fearful, thinking He was a ghost. However, Jesus reassured them not to be afraid, that it was really Him walking on the water. Peter at this point decided he wanted to chase the storm also, "Lord, if it is You," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." (Matthew 14:28 NIV) Jesus told Peter to come but as he was walking towards Jesus, Peter became afraid of the wind and waves and he began to sink, crying out, "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30 NIV) Jesus did not hesitate to reach out His hand and pull Peter to safety, rebuking him for his lack of faith. Matthew goes on to tell us, "And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:32-33)
Take Courage!
Unlike Jesus, human storm chasers cannot always save people from the poor choices they make or the dangerous weather situations over which there is no control. All people can do is run in the opposite direction away from the storm. However, Jesus never runs away from the storms that enter our lives. He runs towards them, chasing them, and calling on us not to be afraid because He is able to bring calm out of the chaos in our lives. Despite Peter's fear and doubt, he had the initial boldness to step out of the boat in the midst of the turmoil and walk towards Jesus. Do we have the same boldness to trust the Lord when the storms of life overwhelm us? May Jesus' words to His disciples be our encouragement, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid...."Come." (Matthew 14:27;29 NIV)
Shalom,
Pastor Sheree
