Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Spirit Of Fear

Ok.....Now that you all know that I'm not so great at playing the Waiting Game, I have another confession to make. I am a big scaredy-cat. Yes I am. Though, Not scared of ghosts and goblins and such.

Let me put it this way: Not knowing what the future holds is not only irritating me from the "waiting" standpoint, it is slightly freaking me out in a scary sort of way.

It's not that I don't trust God to take care of me and my family. It is just my human nature seems to be escaping from deep inside to rear it's ugly head out into the world. It's the bad kind of fear that I am experiencing.

Did you even know that there was anything BUT bad fear? Well, I'm here to set ya straight, my friends.

First, there is the kind of fear that scares us to death, That kind that makes one shake, tremble and get all googly-eyed. The kind that intimidates and places dread into your very core. That's the bad stuff I'm talking about. We need to avoid that kind of fear at all costs. (even though I'm not doing such a good job at it right now.) That fear is what sets in and grips us tight when we face uncertain things. Fear that maybe things won't work out like we want them too. You've felt it, haven't ya?

Then there's that kind of fear that we are supposed to feel. SUPPOSED TO FEEL??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? (I can hear your thoughts, people!) Yep.....SUPPOSED to feel. Let me explain:

The kind of fear that comes from God is a GOOD thing. It is a feeling of reverential awe, profound regard of God. That kind of fear does not grab you around the throat and choke the life out of you. That kind of fear brings you a peace that passes all understanding. That kind of fear should be DESIRED above all else. It BRINGS life!!!

Desiring fear sounds a little strange, I know. But, if you desire peace, then that good kind of fear is a fear that you need to experience. The fear of being so profoundly stunned by the awesomeness of your CREATOR that nothing else matters!!! The kind of fear that assures you that He has it all under control. He sees the certain future He has in store for you. He is seated well above any negative circumstance you can ever face in your life.

Do you fear Him enough to believe that??

One of my very favorite verses in God's word is found in 2 Timothy 1:7- " For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, and of love and of a sound mind."

He did not give us that "SCARY" kind of fear. He gave us a sound mind to get the revelation that we are to admire Him to the point of being so respectful of Him, we fall down in fear in His presence.

That same scripture speaks of a sound mind as an alternative to fear. What do you think of when you think of a "sound mind"?

How about wisdom? Read this verse:
Psalm 111:10- " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs all eternal praise."

WOW!!! How cool is that!!! Godly Fear = Wisdom. Wisdom = Good Understanding. Good Understanding = A Sound Mind. A Sound Mind = Peace. Peace is the OPPOSITE of Ungodly fear.

That's the only kind of fear I EVER want to experience!! The kind that leads me into such a state of mind that I can only ache to spend my entire eternity praising Him and experiencing His peace!!!!!

People, let's hunger for that kind of fear!!!

Read this in Proverbs 29:25:- "The fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."

I'm breaking outta this snare!! I am soaking myself in the Fear of the Lord!!! I am going forward head-first into the unknown knowing only that I will be kept safe!!!

Will you join me?

Have a wonderful day in HIM!!

Love and Blessings,
Starr

12 comments:

Kathy Schwanke said...

Starr, what a great message! And yes, I will join you!

What we all need is a healthy fear of God. I see the lack of it in so many who call themselves "Christians", but have no idea about turning from sin.

And you know I have fought that ugly kind myself! But...thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the knowledge of Him...as is the case here:-)

Kay Martin said...

Seems to me we cannot come into the place of being "friend" to God until we have healthy fear of God. My fear of God and His awesome power and authority outstrip any fear I have of anyone or anything else.

Sharon said...

This is a great post, I'm joining with ya! I do agree with Kathy on the healthy fear of God. The power of God is the greatest fear.
I will ponder this for the day, it is a great message for sure.
Have a terrific weekend
Sharon

Anonymous said...

Great message and perfect for this "time" of year. I do fear and am guilty of the "ugly kind" alot here lately as I know you are too, but God is the one who will lead us and yes I will Join you!!!
I love you!
Thanks for the message. I so needed that today!

E. Tyler Rowan said...

Awesome post! So very true. Praying that we all break free from ungodly fear and dive into fear of God...

Sonya Lee Thompson said...

Hi Starr,

I've missed you! Godly fear, what a great concept. In today's world we tend to see God as a santa of sorts. I think if more Christians would read through the old testament they would have a healthy fear of God!

Love you!
Sonya

Anonymous said...

Casting out all fear,and putting on faith with you sister!

Stop by and check out our new meme called The Daily Mercies. It will be weekly on Sundays. You may want to share a comment, your advice, or write a post soon. Pass along, and be blessed as we rest in His mercy, and reverence who He is together. Thanks for this post, and we hope to see you soon.

My sister Rena:http://insertgracehere.wordpress.com/

Mine will follow in closing.
Thanks again,
Ginger (and Rena)

Joanne@ Blessed... said...

Hey girl,

How are things in your neck of the woods? You haven't posted in a while and I wanted to check on ya.

Are you in your new home already?

Are you planning on attending the She Speaks conference next July? I am still praying about it.

Heather of Swallowing A Moose said...

Good Morning!

Just a reminder from Heather (@ Swallowing A Moose) of the Giving Thanks @ Thanksgiving Bloggers Event starting tomorrow, Sunday. The dedicated site found at www.themouthbehindthemoose.blogspot.com and is ready for those of you who are participating to link up. In case you haven’t heard many of us are dedicating a post on our own blogs of our testimonies as a way of ‘Giving Thanks’ to the Lord for His work in our lives. If you missed the 1st invite just head over to the site and the instructions for how to participate are below the top post. Hope to see your testimony there!

Blessings,
Heather Twitchell
Host of Giving Thanks @ Thanksgiving

E. Tyler Rowan said...

It's been a long time since we heard from you, girl. So here's hoping having a snowball tossed at you will get you back to blogging! (Play along if you wish. Or not.) Bless you.

http://titus2345.blogspot.com/2008/12/duck-theres-snowball-coming-your-way.html

Kathy Schwanke said...

Are you on blogging break? let me know if i can pray for you!!

Sharon said...

I have been checking and checking on you I pray that all is well your way!
God Bless you my sister
Sharon