THE FEAR FACTOR

THE FEAR FACTOR

Have you ever been afraid? 

That’s a bit of a silly question, isn’t it? Every person on the planet has been afraid of something, at some point. Fear is an interesting phenomenon. It can save your life, or it can kill you.
Healthy fear, the kind that can save your life, or save you from an unpleasant situation, we all know about. It’s the fear we teach our children: “Don’t cross the road without looking both ways.”
In other words, be afraid of moving traffic.
“Don’t touch the stove when it’s hot.” – Be afraid of burning your fingers.
“Don’t drink anything from an unlabelled bottle.” – Be afraid of poisoning yourself.
We didn’t think of giving that warning to our 3 year old son, and he found a bottle in someone’s garage and swallowed some turpentine, which triggered years of asthma.
Healthy fear is therefore very necessary.
There is fear that we would regard as “normal”: Fear of losing my job, tied in with fear of losing my income and being unable to support my family. There is fear of losing my health, of being diagnosed with something incurable, of pain. We stay off the streets after dark because we’re afraid of being mugged, or worse. And it goes on – all, you might say, normal fears, common to most people.
Yet some of them can easily morph into abnormal fear. Fear of losing our health can eventually take over our thinking to the extent that every ache or pain brings panic. Fear of going out after dark can finally turn into fear of going out of our house at all. Fear of job loss can create such stress that we become unable to give our best at work. The bottom line is, Fear can cripple us. 
Where does fear spring from?
It can be the result of a bad childhood environment – parents who threatened us in some way, or maybe abused us. It might be triggered by things we see or hear at a vulnerable place in our lives. There are people who scare themselves silly by a constant diet of horror stories in movies and books, then they wonder why they’re so fearful.
Fear is a very powerful emotion and once it takes hold, it’s almost impossible to get rid of. It steals our peace of mind, it can destroy, or at the least, spoil our enjoyment of life. It can even, occasionally, be the death of someone.
Jesus said: The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. The one who is “the” thief, is Satan. He will stir up fear in you by any possible means and then torment you with it. Psychologists tell us that all fear is rooted in one basic fear – the fear of death.
There is only one who can set us free from this damaging emotion – and that one is Jesus.
We have just recently remembered his death and resurrection.
He said: “I AM the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in me will never die.”
The Bible says: By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death. (Hebrews 2v15. Message Bible).
Only by an act of surrender to him, trusting him with our lives, will we find that the basic fear gives way to peace. Maybe not overnight, because it’s always a process, but
step
by
step,
as our trust in him grows.

SUCH LOVE – VALENTINE SPECIAL

A PRAYER

My dearest Father,

It is so good to say “my” Father. To know your love for me is that personal. You number the stars in the sky,  but you also number the hairs on my head. You know every word I say, before I say it – and why I say it; you understand me perfectly, even when I don’t understand myself. You know exactly what I need at any given time. And you care for me with the warm, embracing care of a father for his most beloved child. I can’t at all comprehend such love. That the Almighty God, who created the universe, galaxy upon galaxy, would have time for me, would care so intimately for me. You created me because you wanted me. I’m not an accident, not a mistake, not an unwanted problem, and nobody’s reject. I am your cherished child, for whom you  willingly sacrificed your most precious Treasure – your only Son, so that I may go and spend eternity with you.

Question:          

Why are we, who know this Father, not shouting this from the housetops? Why do we withhold this most astounding news from others, from those who desperately need a love like this? What is wrong with us?

I think the problem is that we have intellectualised salvation. We have brought it down to 4 Steps, or 10 Points or 5 Scriptures, or whatever other dry, unemotional, dispassionate formula we use. We have lost the joy, the excitement, the wonder of the incredibly GOOD news. We don’t share with others the amazing difference knowing his love has made in our lives, and that his love can do the same for them, if they’re willing. Instead, we give people a list of dos–and-don’ts and talk religion to them. Who needs that?

PRAYER # 2

Father, knowing your tender, yet passionate love for me, gives me the desire to share that love with tired, hurting people.

Set me on fire with your love, that I may give that love to the ones who need love so desperately.

AMEN

Here is the foundation of all we have said: Psalm 147:4; Matt. 10:30; Psa. 139:4; Matt. 6:32; 1 Pet. 5:7; Isaiah 43:1 (spoken to Israel, but he is the same toward all his children); Psa. 139:15; Jerem. 1:5a (spoken to the prophet but true of us all.)

SECURITY

Security. It’s almost a buzzword of the 21^st century.

We have security guards everywhere, security gates and bars in our homes, residential areas that are gated for security, and security checks at every airport. We are advised to keep our personal information secure, we carry identity documents for security purposes, we secure our valuables in safes and bank vaults, we insure everything we own against possible loss. We look for security in our relationships and in our employment.

Humanity has a basic, deepseated need to be and to feel secure. As children, we need the security of a parent’s love and care. As adults, we look to a husband or a wife to provide that secure feeling, to doctors, to policemen, or sometimes, to the government.  We know that our security can be violated and we are terrified of being left open and vulnerable to harm. And yet, in all our quest for security, we never really seem to find it.

Why is this?

We were created to know total security – to know with complete assurance that we are perfectly loved and cared for by a God who holds us in His hands and will never let us go. The first man and woman knew this security and the peace and rest of heart that accompanies it. They were given a garden to live in and everything they needed was superabundantly supplied. They lacked nothing. And, to crown it all, the God who personified their security met and talked with them every day. There was nothing at all to threaten that perfect peace.

Until one day, when their security was shattered by their own tragic choice – the choice to be their own   gods. We, their descendents, have been looking for security ever since, in every possible way. And today, with the shaking of everything that’s happening all around us, from economic collapse to the literal shaking of the earth in massive earthquakes, we are less secure than we have ever been.

There is only one way to regain the true security that we all so desperately want, and the rest and peace of mind that seem so elusive. We need to reverse, for ourselves, the choice that was made in that garden. We need to come back to the only Security there ever has been – to the God who holds us in His hands and cares for us completely. We need to realise we can never provide our own security, and turn our lives over to Him, making Him Lord of our lives. Which means that He calls the shots. And we start by receiving the forgiveness of our rebellion, forgiveness  that He made possible by His death. It’s as simple, and as difficult, as that. Simple, because He forgives us at once,  and freely; difficult, because it costs us our pride.

The only other option is to run your own life and try to find peace in all the places that will never provide the total, permanent security you so desperately want.

THE LAMB IN THE MANGER

What does Christmas mean to you? That’s the big question at this time of the year, isn’t it? Because we’re all different, the season is obviously going to impact each of us differently. I won’t bother to list the ways we might respond to the question; we can all make our own lists.

Many years ago, when our children were young, it was all about presents and nativity plays – from the simple dramas enacted by the little ones at home, to later mini-productions in the church when they were older. The baby in the manger varied from a rolled-up towel, to baby dolls, to – one year – a real, live baby. And, of course, the role of Mary was the coveted one.

But the baby was always the centre-piece.

We dragged in a tree of some sort every year, to be adorned with home-made decorations. . Some trees were better-looking than others. One year, we couldn’t get a tree, so we used a bush from the garden. It worked! But over the years, the family began to discover the Biblical truth about God’s purposes for Israel, and the Judaic roots of the Christian faith. We learnt about the Feasts of the LORD and began to contrast them with the accepted Christian celebrations of Christmas and Easter, and the pagan roots of these festivals. Some in the family felt that we wanted to make a break with those pagan-based festivals and all the traditions that go with them. We began rather to celebrate the Biblical Feasts. We celebrated the birth of the Saviour at the Feast of Tabernacles in September/October, as there seemed to be strong evidence that He was born on that Feast. Others in the family, while appreciating and understanding this, opted to continue to keep the Christian celebrations. And some did both. We respected, and do respect, each other’s persuasion about this and share in one another’s celebration when we can.

The important thing is that the Baby remains central.

Recently I sat in the audience enjoying an evening of Christmas music performed by an excellent choir. As I listened to the words of “Away in a Manger”, my thoughts went to the Shepherds’ Field in Israel, with the Tower of the Flocks, the Migdal Eder, where the lambs for the Temple sacrifices were born, sheltered and cared for. These lambs had to be perfect, without scratches and flaws. So, as they were born, the lambs were wrapped in strips of cloth – swaddling bands – to protect them from being hurt or dirtied, and then laid in a manger.  This was the field that was visited and illuminated by the angelic throng.           

As I listened to the choir sing, “The little LORD Jesus, no crying He makes”, I “saw”, in my imagination, the shelter , and the Baby wrapped in swaddling strips, His little flushed, crumpled face just showing.  As I “watched”, He opened His tiny mouth and gave the familiar, heart-moving cry of the newborn.  I thought I could hear it echoing softly in the still night air, with the undertones of the shifting, shuffling sheep huddled together. And tears filled my eyes as I thought of the depth of the love of God, that He would take on Himself the utter helplessness of that little Baby Boy – Who came into this world of ours for one reason only.

So that He could die. For me. For you.

And all I could do in my heart was to join the awestruck shepherds, and bow before Him.

Will you do the same?

LETTING GO OF THE HURT.

Do you know anyone who’s never needed forgiveness? Have you ever needed to be forgiven for something? Did you ask for that forgiveness? Did you receive it? Did anyone ever refuse to forgive you? And how about you – have you ever refused to forgive someone?

That’s a lot of questions. Yet I believe they are questions that need to be answered – as honestly as we can.

It’s not easy to forgive, is it? We have been hurt in some way and we feel justified in refusing to forgive. After all, why should that person be let off the hook after what he or she has done to us?     

Many of us know by now that the unforgiveness we hold actually hurts ourselves more than it hurts the person from whom we’re withholding forgiveness. And yet, somehow, knowing that does not make forgiveness any easier.

There are several misconceptions we have about forgiveness.

Firstly, we think that to forgive, we must feel forgiving. But that is simply not true. Forgiveness has nothing to do with feeling.  It’s a decision we make in spite of our feelings. Jesus didn’t say we must feel like forgiving those who sin against us.

It’s not an easy decision, but vitally necessary.  The longer I hold on to unforgiveness against someone, the more bitterness and resentment eat away at me. These negative emotions damage my physical and psychological health.

Another myth is that forgiveness is a one-off decision. It’s not. We’ll probably have to make that decision over and over, maybe for a long time. But every decision makes the next time that much easier. A simple action might help here: when the thought of what that person did to hurt you, rises up in you and you find your emotions starting to churn again, tighten your fists, then slowly release them until your hands are open, while you say out loud, I’m releasing   ________.

Then, we also think that if we forgive someone, that person is getting away with what they’ve done. But if you forgive and trust God, He will deal with that one, sometimes in surprising ways, but always redemptively.

No discussion of forgiveness is complete though, without looking at the forgiveness of God. No one has more reason to refuse us forgiveness than He has. We have insulted Him by our wilfull  breaking of His laws; by refusing to acknowledge Him as our Creator; by blaspheming His holy Name; by our ingratitude for all His good gifts to us. And much more. He has plenty to hold against us. But He has decided to forgive us.

He decided to take the judgement that our sin deserves and carry it Himself. He paid the price of the death that should have been ours. And He extends to us total forgiveness. Aren’t you glad God didn’t go with His feelings?

And Jesus, the One Who has forgiven you so freely for so much, says that you must freely forgive those who hurt you, gossip about you, treat you unfairly, deceive you, or sin against you in any one of a hundred different ways. It’s a tall order, but He stands ready to give you the grace and ability to do it.

Before you can do that, however, you need to accept and receive His offer of forgiveness for yourself. Will you do that now? And then live a lifestyle of forgiveness.

It’s the most joyful life of all.

ARE YOU BEAUTIFUL?

“Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us.” Ps. 90:17

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?  Does the reflection looking back at you, make you feel good? Or do you look at that image negatively, seeing only the flaws? Do you ever think of yourself as beautiful, or would that thought make you laugh?

Well, may I just tell you that there is someone who sees beauty in you. Who looks at you with appreciative eyes. How do I know? Because he says so.

You can find out what He thinks of you by reading His love letter to you. It will tell you: He made everything beautiful in His time.*  That includes you.

Really.

When you look at the world around you, you see the beauty of everything He made: the majesty of the blue-green mountains, the sparkling glitter of sunshine on dancing sea, the everchanging colours of the sky from sunrise to sunset. You’ve seen the incredible glory of colour on the wings of butterflies and birds. It’s a beautiful world! The One responsible for creating so much beauty can be nothing but beautiful Himself. And you are made in His image! Think of that!          

Sadly, that image has become marred, hasn’t it? But it can be restored to you. That’s good news!

When you come to Him and take His gift of forgiveness, He covers you with His goodness, giving you His beauty.

How does He define beauty?

He considers a gentle spirit to be beautiful.* Maybe you don’t have a particularly gentle spirit. As you spend time with Him, He begins to change you.

He transforms an attitude of pride and a critical spirit into humility; humility does does not mean having a low, demeaning view of yourself, it is appreciating yourself as His beloved child, and appreciating the value of others, too.*

What else does He see in you that is beautiful? The more you read His word, the more it renovates your mind until – you have the mind of Jesus.*  Which means you think like Him, think about things that are good and lovely.* Your mind becomes beautiful.

And as you reach out and share His love with those you meet, He says you have beautiful feet.*

He created you beautiful. But living for yourself, closing your life off to Him, being determined to run your

own life and do your own will, causes that beauty to begin to fade and decay, in spite of all your attempts to

keep it, on the surface.  And deep inside, we all  know this.

But  when He looks at us in our lost state, away from Him, He longs to recreate the beauty He intended we should have.

He wants to give you beauty for ashes.*

*Eccl. 3:11   *1 Pet.3:4   *Phil. 2:3   *1 Cor. 2:16   *Phil. 4:8   *Isa. 52:7   *Isa. 61:3

FLOWER POWER

Last week our daughter Joy-Anne took us on a drive up the West Coast to see the Spring wildflowers. This was something I had wanted to do for many years. I had heard reports of what an amazing sight it presents every year, but somehow the opportunity to go never arose. Eventually I decided I would probably never get there. So when my daughter suggested, quite unexpectedly, that we make the trip, I was delighted.

The plan was, to go and visit the Wildflower Park. But as we got closer, we saw a line of cars waiting to enter the gates, at least 2-2 and a half kms long. And it was barely moving! We had a certain time constraint, so couldn’t wait indefinitely in this queue. Joy-Anne decided we’d just drive on and take our chances of seeing something along the road.

Well, we were surely rewarded. As we drove, the fields on either side of the road were covered in flowers as far as the eye could see: in grassy areas, in dry, stony places, under bushes and trees, up and over little hills – a mass of yellow, gold, white, orange and lilac. Rainbows of colour, painted by the Master Artist Himself. Breathtaking, the sight moved me to silent worship.

Jesus said: “Walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. Have you ever seen colour and design quite like it? If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers, don’t you think He’ll attend to you?” (Mat. 26:28-30. TMB)

Then I noticed something else. As they grew in dense patches, the lovely little flowers were covering some very ugly areas, rough, stony and weedy. And I thought,  this is exactly what God’s love does for me. He wants to cover all the hurt, broken, fearful places in me with His love, so tender and beautiful. When I gave my life to Him, He promised to cover me with His righteousness. All the wrong, sinful things in my life were washed away in the blood of Jesus and I am covered by the beauty of His goodness.

The beauty of the flowers so got my attention that I didn’t see what was underneath them.  When God looks at me, He doesn’t see the ugliness of my sin, He sees the beauty of His Son.

If you’re a child of God, stop looking at yourself as bad, ugly, hopeless.  Rather see yourself as you are – covered by a glorious profusion of His heavenly colour, beautiful in His eyes.

Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

(1 Cor 1:30)