Monday, January 16, 2012

The Worst Four-Letter Word

A co-worker of Hubs once told him that, "the worst four-letter word is fear." While I absolutely deplore cursing, I am convinced it damages my ears, I tend to agree on this. Fear is debilitating, it will prey on you until you are devoured and that's the kind of preying you don't need!

On Saturday, while at my local hardware store, you know the kind that does not require a golf cart to go through, I saw a wanted poster. Now let me just say, I like my little suburb of the highest crime rate city in America. But my little corner of the Midwest, for the most part is calm. It kind of feels like a real small town, not like it's surround by 1.3 million other people. So you can imagine I was a little surprised to see a wanted poster in my little hardware store, from my police department and especially for the crime listed. Now I realize that crime happens every day, all around me but I have been very blessed to have only been the receiptent of theft and no threat was made to any physical beings in my family. Oh! Back to the hardware store (even in blogs I tend to ramble ~snicker~), there hung a wanted posted for a man who raped and sodomized a lady just a mile from my home. I was more than just a little startled. I felt so saddened and a little sick to my stomach. One for this poor lady who has been tramatized, but also that there is a person loose in my community, so close to home that is capable of such violence. I left after making my big $0.32 purchase (just doing my part for the local businessman) and went about my errands. I had several stops to make, all of them in my town. As I approached the final stop and started walking in, it dawned on me that I had been looking over my shoulder, watching the people around me, checking in my van before getting in and other nervous actions from someone feeling pursued. And I was being pursued. . .by fear.

Just that quickly fear had crept in and had me suspecting every man that passed me that was wearing a black scully. And do you know how many men in this metropolis wear a black scully?? Apparently it's the only color they make! God chose that moment to teach me something. Again Living in fear is the same as living in prison. A self-made prison. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of things in this world that are scary. God knows that and He knew it when Paul penned this famous scripture to Timothy. . . .

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."~~2 Timothy 1:7 ESV


God knew, in His infinite wisdom that scary things would abound and He spoke to His people that they have been given power, love and self-control (a post for another day). The spirit of fear is not just a simple, I need a night light until I'm 7 situation. The spirit of fear controlling. It keeps you from going certain places, doing certain things, it drives people to run away, fear of forging new relationships because of pasts hurts, it convinces some people of a threat that to those of us not fighting that spirit find irrational but to them it's very real and terrifying, for some it means that they don't even leave their home. . .ever. Some will never walk in their calling because of paralyzing fear, just what the enemy wants. It is a prison, keeping you from living life in God's abundance.

Here I am, an Apostolic, Holy Ghost filled daughter of the King and I'm looking over my shoulder at the mere thought of a criminal. Really?? If I really allowed myself to worry about every criminal in Highest Crime Rate, USA, I would never leave my house. I can't live like that! And God didn't intend it for me or you. Frightening things will always be all around us here on this Earth and I know things will only get worse, but God is always here, He sees and knows. Ever watching and protecting. He never changes. I have lived in fear of various things for a long time and as I am realizing the freedom of living in total peace, I won't trade that because scary things live in my town, city or even my block. I am not saying that you should take foolish risks, abandoning all common sense, I mean God gave us common sense for a reason. Some situations you should know to avoid. Wisdom comes from God too, use it.

But. . . .

Don't let fear bully you into a fear prison . .be a prisoner of Christ. . .sweet peace surrounds you there.


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