December 11 – Disciplines of the Mind: Fear (Genesis 3:8-10; Proverbs 1:33)

“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid.”(Genesis 3:10)

IN WORD:
Ever since one dismal day in the Garden, humanity has lived in fear. Some of us seem to fear it all: We are full of hang-ups, anxious about every next day and every pending disaster. Others of us seem to fear nothing, but boldness and arrogance are usually masks for deeper insecurities. Deep down, all of us are now, or were once, afraid.
What do we do with our fear? Where can we take it? It is so universal that it has ordered much of the world we live in. Most religions are built on it. Most proposed political and social remedies attempt to relieve it. Our economics are founded on it. We stock up wealth because we fear the future. We create huge governments because we fear chaos. We worship idols because we’re afraid there might be no one to take care of us. We don’t want to be some anomaly of life spinning on some random planet with no meaning to it all. Chance scares us. Ever since we severed ourselves from God’s fellowship, we’ve been very, very afraid.
Perhaps our initial fear, this angst that plagues every human who thinks realistically about his or her existence, was entirely legitimate. After all, our sin has offended the one true Sovereign, the Lord of all there is. No wonder Adam was afraid. Where can we relieve our fear when the universe’s greatest power is the One we’re afraid of?

IN DEED:
But God tells us not to be afraid if we’ve come to Him in repentance and faith. Having accepted His salvation, we can rely on this unalterable truth: All our fears are based on lies. Think about that. Our insecurity? He has made us secure. Our future? He has ordained it with blessing. Our enemies? They are weaker than He is. Our chaos? He is a God of order. What is it within us that contradicts these truths? Faith must convince us of them. Discipline your mind to dwell on truth. Replace your fear with faith.

“All fear is bondage.” -Anonymous-