Faith Tabernacle

"God has not given us a spirit of fear" 2 Timothy 1:7

As I was reading an old devotional book of mine I came across this quote "fear defines our master." Take a moment to think about that quote. I think it means that what we fear is essentially what rules in our lives. If we fear rejection we will live to not be rejected. If we fear what others think we might find ourselves living to please others. If we fear poverty we will serve wealth, and if we fear insignificance maybe we will become workaholics believing that what we do makes us significant. But what if we fear God? I submit that the result will be a life lived to please Him.

I believe that a life spent in the fear of the Lord is a fearlessly lived life. If you believe that you can do nothing without Him then what you will fear most is an existence separated from Him. If that's what you fear then nothing else with hold fear over you.

In his book, The Barbarian Way, Erwin McManus talks about the myth that the safest place to be is the center of God's Will. God's Will has historically been a pretty unsafe place to be, just ask the twelve disciples and the apostle Paul. They spoke of having peace and contentment no matter what the situation, not safety.

Are you afraid of losing things that you care about? Are you afraid of repeating the mistakes of your parents or of your own youth? As parents how have you let your fears dictate the way you parent? Understand that your fears can have a tremendous impact on the way that you live. That's why the Bible says that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but power and love and a sound mind." God wants us to live a life of immense purpose not fear. What we need to pass on to this generation isn't the pursuit of safety or security, but of fearlessly pursuing Christ wherever He may lead them.