Fear, Worry, Anxiety, Dread – Household Words:

Do You Have a Target on Your Back? Psalm 54.

Image: an alley in the Old City of Jerusalem off Lion’s Gate street. Notice how time has worn down the ancient stone steps. Little David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons, a nobody from a nobody-family. Then one day the prophet Samuel came to the home. Samuel instructed Jesse to round up his sons,Continue reading “Do You Have a Target on Your Back? Psalm 54.”

The Captain of the Guard Comes for Jeremiah. Jeremiah 39:4-6.

Image. Corrie Ten Boom being released from Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. (This is a still from the 1975 film the HIDING PLACE starring Jeannette Clift as Corrie Ten Boom.) Jeremiah had reason to be scared. The pagan king Nebuchadnezzar had no regard for Jeremiah or Jeremiah’s God. The Captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s Guard “came … unto JerusalemContinue reading “The Captain of the Guard Comes for Jeremiah. Jeremiah 39:4-6.”

When the Breaking News is Terrifying. Isaiah 36 and 37.

[Imagine the following newspaper story.] ASSYRIANS WARN OF COMING INVASION: Foreign Diplomats Speak Hebrew to People of Jerusalem, Warn Them Not to Trust King, Promise Warm Welcome in New Land. Jerusalem. 701 B.C. Three top officials from Assyria arrived today with a message for King Hezekiah: Surrender to King Sennacherib of Assyria and you andContinue reading “When the Breaking News is Terrifying. Isaiah 36 and 37.”

THE REASON YOU CAN FEAR NOT. Deuteronomy 20:1-4.

Young soldiers marching off to war for the first time are often more excited than fearful. When wars begin, soldiers kiss their sweethearts and board trains, excited about the chance to see the world, have adventures, and win glory. Sure, some won’t come back. But you never believe it will be you. Every young manContinue reading “THE REASON YOU CAN FEAR NOT. Deuteronomy 20:1-4.”

IS FEAR A SIN? Numbers 14:2,4; 7,9.

Does fear make you guilty? Can fear be a sin? If so, is fear a sin—a) always, b) sometimes, or c) never? When God sent ten miracles and delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the wilderness, the former slaves kept wanting to go back to Egypt. Their ingratitude and lack ofContinue reading “IS FEAR A SIN? Numbers 14:2,4; 7,9.”

FEAR CORRUPTS SOUND MINDS AND GOOD DECISIONS. 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Corinthians 14:33.

Are you motivated by fear? Don’t say ‘No’ too quickly—MANY people are. In the flesh, people are motivated by fear or anger or pride or greed or ambition or appetites or some combination of the above. Fear motivates SO MANY decisions. The object of the fear is irrelevant: there is fear of illness, fear ofContinue reading “FEAR CORRUPTS SOUND MINDS AND GOOD DECISIONS. 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Corinthians 14:33.”

“WHERE THE CARCASS IS, THERE THE VULTURES WILL GATHER” Luke 21:34-35.

A peculiar thing happened the day we lost Secret. The magnificent Thoroughbred had been sick for weeks. I saw from the window that morning that her eyes were bloodshot. Then while we talked to the vet, she collapsed. A few minutes later there were buzzards sitting quietly in every tree, where there had been noneContinue reading ““WHERE THE CARCASS IS, THERE THE VULTURES WILL GATHER” Luke 21:34-35.”

DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE? Isaiah 35:4.

I do, at least a little. [This was written in August of 2020.] Not only do we have this virus and the hysteria surrounding it—and its continued impact on schools, churches, jobs, the election, and the morale of every American. But we also have the Antifa nuts burning cities, using George Floyd’s death as anContinue reading “DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE? Isaiah 35:4.”

FEAR GOD OR FEAR EVERYTHING ELSE. Isaiah 8:12-13.

Oswald Chambers wrote, “When you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” It’s not easy to have faith that strong—but it is true: “Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified. You are to regard only the Lord of Hosts as holy. ONLYContinue reading “FEAR GOD OR FEAR EVERYTHING ELSE. Isaiah 8:12-13.”

Is Fear a Factor?

Do you struggle with fear? What about fear’s minions: WORRY, ANXIETY, DREAD, PHOBIAS, and certain kinds of STRESS? Familiar with those? What can be done about fear? Is fear up to you, or do you have no choice in the matter? Moses commanded the people: “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified”Continue reading “Is Fear a Factor?”