Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Fear Factor - Part 3

Devotion Video Here

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.  2 Timothy 1:7(NLT)
So far this week we have looked at “fear” as a debilitating enemy we need to expect, because it is the main tool of our number 1 enemy, Satan, who wishes to destroy the eternal life we receive in Christ.  We begin to deal with fear by exposing it, bringing it out in the light.  And then we…

Engage It

If you’re a Star Trek fan you’ll recognize the strength of the word “engage”.  Jean Luc Picard[2] is the fictional commander of the Starship Enterprise, charged with the task of going boldly into space where no man had gone before! 

Every time they were about to venture forth in a ship the size of a city there would mountains of preparation, charting the course, checking the logs, calculating the whereabouts of an enemy and checking the engines for warp-speed capability.  But nothing would move forward until Captain Picard would turn to the helmsman and with his finger pointed in the direction they must go, he would command:  engage!

How did Nehemiah encourage the people to “engage” their fears? 

Then as I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy!  Remember the LORD, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!”   Nehemiah 4.14  (NLT)

One preacher[3] said of this verse, “Remember the Lord was to be their motto, their rallying cry.  As you may remember in the Spanish-American war, our nation’s battle cry was ‘Remember the Maine.’  In World War I it was ‘Remember the Lusitania.’  In World War II it was ‘Remember Pearl Harbor.’  Even as we receive the Lord’s Supper we are reminded, Do this in remembrance of me. 

The problem with most of our fears is that we allow them to become invincible dragons in our minds, rather than engaging them in warfare. 

An old German proverb says:  Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.[4]   Nehemiah put swords in the hands of the builders and brick carriers; he gave them instructions on what to do when the trumpet sounded, and he reminded them they were fighting for their families and their way of life.  That’s how to engage your fears.
     
     When the bills are bigger than your income, engage your fear – meet it with faith that says He is able to supply every need.
        
     When the doctor says there isn’t a cure, remember to engage that monster with faith – because the Great Physician is on the case.

        When rumors fly about your job, your reputation, the economy, or an election outcome, engage fear by being a person of faith. 

You may not have any sense of what the outcome will be or what God is up to – but faith is just that which walks without sight; otherwise it wouldn’t be faith.

As a believer, engaging our fears means putting our faith to work.  Paul reminded Timothy:

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13(NLT)

For You Today

Readiness was the theme for dealing with Nehemiah’s enemies. 

Staying at ready eviscerates fear too.  Nehemiah encouraged the people to face their fears, and that is the key in spiritual matters or family, business or any part of life. 

Are you ready…expecting your enemy to use fear?  Have you exposed it for what it really is…naming the fears you face as an enemy attack? 

Well, then…..ENGAGE!

Think about that out on the Rocky Road today…and have a great day!




[1] Title image:  By Spc. Megan Leuck, via Wikimedia Commons
[2] By Enterprise-D_crew_quarters.jpg: Derek Springer from Los Angeles, CA, , via Wikimedia Commons
[3] J. Vernon McGee, Through the Bible With J. Vernon McGee, Vol 3, (Pasadena, California), p520.
[4] German Proverb, The Bible Illustrator, Parson’s Technology, Hiawatha Ia

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