Fear and Faith
07/10/07 11:14
While
Robin and I were at Myrtle Beach we spent some time
on the beach and in the ocean. It was great fun and
we truly enjoyed our time with our children. Before I
tell you about Robin going in the water, I have to
tell you her great fear of it. It started when she
was young and she was thrown into the water with all
her clothes on. She doesn’t swim and her fear
acts like a lead weight. I believe that when
you’re in the water and are comfortable, you
can float like a piece of Styrofoam, but if you are
nervous and afraid, you’ll sink like a bowling
ball. I don’t know why and I don’t have
any scientific proof, it is just something that
I’ve observed. Well, any way Robin wanted to go
into the water and feel the waves. She had been
watching me play in the water and how much I was
enjoying myself. So, arm in arm we ventured out
knee-deep into the Atlantic Ocean. I held on to her
while the waves crashed around her. The water
splashed up over her head at times and she would
giggle and squeal and giggle some more. I could tell
it was great fun for her even though I knew that she
was still very afraid. I didn’t fool around and
try and scare her. I held on to her continuously with
a firm embrace. She knew that she was going to be
safe as long as I was there. She could face her fear
and actually enjoy the experience more because she
did fear. It was probably more exhilarating for her
than it was for me because I am not afraid of the
water. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy
swimming in the ocean, but Robin experienced more
than just the enjoyment of it.
You know the Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind. There isn’t anything wrong with fear unless we let that fear stop us from experiencing what God has for us. When fear stops us from trusting God then that fear stops us from putting our faith in the love that God has for us. If anyone knows that God truly loves them, then that faith (in the perfect love that God has for them) should cast out all fear that would stop us from trusting in God. When I left my job at Clow to go full-time in the ministry, there was fear. I could have allowed that fear to stop me from doing what God wanted me to do. But I didn’t, and I left the security of that income to enter into… well, I really can’t tell you where God was leading me, I didn’t know. Was there fear? Yes. And that fear brought more exhilaration to my experience. I believe, that the fear actually threw me into God’s embrace more often than what I would have if I would have continued to trust in that Clow paycheck. I felt God’s embrace and I wasn’t afraid. Whatever we are called to do or go through, and there is fear involved, then my suggestion would be that we run to our Father’s arms and feel His embrace. We shall then stand stronger and in greater faith. The walk of faith is more exhilarating when we conquer our fears!
You know the Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind. There isn’t anything wrong with fear unless we let that fear stop us from experiencing what God has for us. When fear stops us from trusting God then that fear stops us from putting our faith in the love that God has for us. If anyone knows that God truly loves them, then that faith (in the perfect love that God has for them) should cast out all fear that would stop us from trusting in God. When I left my job at Clow to go full-time in the ministry, there was fear. I could have allowed that fear to stop me from doing what God wanted me to do. But I didn’t, and I left the security of that income to enter into… well, I really can’t tell you where God was leading me, I didn’t know. Was there fear? Yes. And that fear brought more exhilaration to my experience. I believe, that the fear actually threw me into God’s embrace more often than what I would have if I would have continued to trust in that Clow paycheck. I felt God’s embrace and I wasn’t afraid. Whatever we are called to do or go through, and there is fear involved, then my suggestion would be that we run to our Father’s arms and feel His embrace. We shall then stand stronger and in greater faith. The walk of faith is more exhilarating when we conquer our fears!
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