Sunday 15 March 2020

The Fear That Grips Us All

Fear is a natural emotion. We all experience fear at one time or another in our lives. Fear can be a good thing at times because it  stops us from taking un-necessary risks. From being reckless and un-thoughtful in what you do.

But there are times when fear itself breeds more fear and grips us to the extent of ruling our lives.

Few of us are really immune to it.

The fear of losing our job and not being able to provide for our families. The fear of missing payments on our mortgage and losing our house. The fear of failure and being unable to work again. The fear of our very lives crumbling in front of our eyes.
The fear of a marriage breakdown. Infidelity. Divorce and its many heartaches. The tearing apart of a family. How it affects one's children. Separation. Costs. Access to children. Being no longer a part of their lives. The feeling of failure and betrayal.
The fear of growing old. Being alone. Especially at night. Forgotten with only one's memories for comfort. The fear of being unable to cope any more. The fear of losing control as others decide for you what is best. The fear that everyone you relied upon is now no longer there.
The fear of being ill. With no prospects of getting better. Relying on others and perhaps being a burden on family and friends. The fear of incapacity. The fear of being unable to make any decisions. The fear of being unable to afford treatment. The fear of un-ending pain.
The fear for others. Children. Grand-children. Other relatives or friends. How they are coping. How will they cope. The fear of the future and what it might bring. In an ever changing world, the very fear of opening a newspaper or seeing the news that something or other has happened that will adversely affect you or your loved ones.
Few of us can claim not to have experienced the real darkness of fear as it grips our minds, our imaginations and indeed our realities.

Because all these fears outlined above, and others besides not mentioned here, have actually happened to others and can very well happen to us.

One day we are living our lives happily and the next ... a quick change in circumstances can easily propel us into any of the fearful scenarios described above.

Christ taught us not to be afraid. That our God loves us. He cares for us. He will not let us perish. He is always by our side.

Yet ... these fearful events are real and have happened to others, those who love and obey God, and those who don't; and can so easily happen to us. So we feel, perhaps, that our fears are justified.

Until we consider, for a moment or two, how God feels about our so-called justified fears.

Isn't our fear, justified as it might be, a sign that we don't truly trust Him? A real profession of faith that, when it comes down to it, we don't really trust Him? Somehow, somewhere, in the back of our minds, we harbour that doubt, that worry, that when things will go bad for us, as they will inevitably be for some of us, we don't really trust Him enough to be by our side in our moment of need.

Now how do you think God feels about your lack of trust in Him?

We may not be able to help these fears when they attack our minds, perhaps sub-consciously, but we can fight against them with prayer. Real prayer. Through gritted teeth even. Admitting to God that we are fearful and yet, trying, through every fibre of our being to trust in Him, in His love and in His caring.

Fear will try to grip us all. It is how we handle it that is our salvation. And with His grace and help we will succeed.

34 comments:

  1. He is faithful. Fear not for I have overcome the world. John 16:33

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  2. Agree Victor. I refuse to live my life in fear. I have One who said, "Do not fear" numerous times in the Bible. I trust Him to know all in every way.

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    1. Thanx Bill. The world is in turmoil right now and gripped with fear.

      God bless you.

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  3. One's faith must be strong or we are in this world on our own. God hears our prayers and comforts us.
    Fear keeps us on our toes...makes us stop and think but with God's help through prayers and belief He is the one who calms us and gives us strength.

    Great post Victor...thank you!

    God's Blessings Victor ✝

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    1. Thanks Jan for your wisdom and words of great comfort and support.

      God bless you.

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  4. I pray for strength of mind and spirit to overcome fear.

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    1. Thank you Liberty Belle. So glad to see you visiting again. Hope you're well.

      God bless always.

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  5. There is a time and place for the right kind of fear as you stated. But in the midst of the fear around us I like to remember the verse "Perfect Love cast our fear". Only God Himself is perfect love..that is what I will cling too. Thanks for a most appropriate post as the world around us is going crazy with fear. Remember the Man who walked on the water, can calm the fearful sea. Have a great Sunday, Victor.

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    1. It is no point having faith in a Master who walks on water if we do not trust Him enough to follow Him.

      Thank you Wanda for your wonderful comment. God bless.

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  6. What a timely post! I woke this morning, questioning my decision to attend a large gathering today. But no, I won't let fear stop me from living my life. And your words have helped immeasurably; thank you, Victor!

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    1. Thank you Mevely for your continued support and encouragement.

      God bless.

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  7. Even with all the mess currently going on in our world, I am not afraid. I trust God, and know He has this under His control.
    Blessings, Victor!

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    1. You are right, Martha. God has it under control; and I trust He will help us.

      God bless you.

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  8. Trust. Do I REALLY trust God and His Word to be Truth? THAT is a question we must ask ourselves. In my life - absolutely, YES!

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    1. We can only trust to the best of our ability. We need to pray and say to God we trust Him as best we can.

      I believe, Help my unbelief. Mark 23:25

      God bless, Diane.

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  9. In times of fear, God closeness is comfort.

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  10. And many many times the things we fear never come to pass and we wasted all that time in fear!

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  11. I trust in God, and he tells me to be fearful in order to avoid being stupid and careless.

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  12. Many people are afraid right now, we mustn't be afraid but use wisdom. I think the panic is scaring me more than anything. We all have things that push our buttons though and tend to make us worry or fear more than other things. I try to surround myself with a sweet spirit in those times and of course reminders are always welcome from others to not be in fear but to have Faith in God. As you wrote, prayer is key, just talking to God and telling Him our concerns and fears.

    God bless.

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    1. You're right Amelia. We need to be honest with God and say we trust Him as best we can.

      God bless.

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  13. There is good fear, like being afraid of walking out in front of a bus, and not good fear, such as the panic people are in that is indicative of unbelief. Let's put the good fear, the kind that makes us take proper precautions while leaving the results up to The Almighty, to use and cast out the bad fear.

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    1. Exactly correct, Mimi. We can fear, of course, yet it is based on trust in God to see us through.

      God bless always.

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  14. "with His grace and help we will succeed"

    Amen

    All the best Jan

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  15. Such beautiful comfort and encouragement I find here this morning in the midst of such world chaos and fear. Thank you, Victor.

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    1. God is our comfort and protector, Cheryl. We need to trust Him as best we can; within the limits of our human capabilities.

      God bless you.

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  16. I've found that people who don't have a strong relationship with God are the most fearful.

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God bless you.