Col Stringer, a Pentecostal pastor from the Gold Coast, has written an excellent article on fear. I asked Col if I could reproduce it on my blog site, and he gave me permission. Col has written a significant number of books, many of which our business has printed. They are very good,. If you are interested, you can find them at www.colstringer.com.
What’s one of the greatest problems facing mankind today? Some say cancer, or AIDs, the breakdown of the family or drugs – and I certainly don’t make light of these problems. But there is one scourge that tries to attack everyone on this planet, young or old, rich or poor. It manifest as a gnawing pain in the pit of the stomach. Many who succumb to this scourge of mankind resort to booze, drugs, suicide or sex because of it. It can lead to breakdowns in marriages, families, it causes people on the very edge of success to sabotage their own efforts. Its name is FEAR!
This scourge has killed more dreams, ruined more careers and destroyed more families than all other these other things causes combined. It has taken more young lives than disease and accidents combined. In fact FEAR may be the worst enemy of the human species. And it’s been with us since the beginning. The Book of Genesis speaks of fear and it appears throughout the Bible. Who can forget the classic line from the Old Testament that was delivered by Job when he said, “That which I feared most has come upon me.” Satan uses fear as one of his greatest weapons against mankind. Many times when Jesus ministered to people his first words were, “Fear not!”
It seems the older we get the more prone we are to having this scourge control our lives. Sadly, now it seems even some Christians have been adding to this plague of fear, advocating packing up and heading for the hills to grow our organic vegies and live in caves. Fear is rampant today, not just in the earth – but in the church! I recently spoke with one group of (Spirit filled??) Christians who have given up on the Church and study the Torah at a synagogue. As we spoke the Apostle Paul’s words resonated thru my mind ‘You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?” He was talking to a bunch that had come out of living under the Law (of sin and death) and were now going back to live under the curse?? Or the passage in Romans where Paul writes; “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation…” Salvation – sozo, healing, protection, deliverance.
This of group Judaisers prophesied about a coming disaster of cataclysmic proportions , which they called ‘Jacobs Woes’ (and that’s why they were selling up, packing up and heading for the hills). Yet the Gospel has always operated in the thick of the action – nowhere do I find Jesus (or any other New Testament writer) suggesting we all ‘run for the hills’.
A short time ago I spoke at a church of maybe 100 people – I had a word of knowledge about people suffering under this fear epidemic and so I gave a an altar call for such. Probably 30% of the congregation responded! Many sobbing and crying!
So what is the answer? The Bible in 2 Tim 1:7 says That God has not given to us a spirit of fear…so fear must be a spirit! The Scripture goes on to add ‘….but one of power, love and a sound mind’. The Bible tells us fear has torment and that perfect love casts out fear – but that’s not our love for God, as so many think – we are not capable of perfect love. It’s talking about God’s love for us! Get a revelation of how just much God loves you and it will drive all fear out of your life!
But true courage is not merely the absence of fear – if you’ve never experienced fear, your either a liar or had a lobotomy! We have all experienced gut wrenching fear – I know I have in Cyclone Tracy, when we lost our house. True courage is facing those fears, suck it up and tough it out. If we have do it scared – that’s fine, but just do it!
God’s Word can transform us from grasshoppers to giant killers. It comes from renewing our minds. “What we believe is the result of our thinking. If we think wrong, we will believe wrong!….In other words what we say will be wrong. It all hinges on out thinking. But the Word of God has been given to us to straighten out thinking!”
I believe our nation is in trouble, these next elections may decide whether we remain a nation with Judeo-Christian roots or ?????? We desperately need believers who are not afraid to stand up for their faith and values!
In Revelation 21:8 John makes an amazing statement, “But the cowardly, [a]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
This might jerk the slack out of us, notice what John mentioned first – before the murders, sexually immoral and liars – ARE THE COWARDS! Friends, it’s time to stand up, speak up and refuse to shut up!
Without faith it is impossible to please God.
I call you blessed, I call you strong. You are highly favoured, greatly blessed and deeply loved
Col Stringer