I am so glad I have finally come to the time that I am getting to write a little something about fear. Fear is an old nemesis of mine it had me in its grip for decades during my childhood and young adult life. I grew up a very nervous person for various reasons. And then I received the Word of truth and was delivered from the grips of fear and dread. I have a love hate relationship for fear because I understand that there are two types of fear, dread and reverential. No CHRISTian should experience any longer fear or dread but every CHRISTian must experience reverential fear. So how does one know if he or she is experiencing a life of dread or fear? What are there differences? Dread and fear are so subtle it’s difficult to differentiate the difference. Fear expresses less apprehension than dread, and dread less than terror and fright. Fear is a painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear is always accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off expected evil, it’s uneasiness of mind, the thought of future evil likely to befall us. The unknown. Anxiety and over solicitude. Then there is the reverential fear which is simply the awe and worship of the LORD GOD. We are to respect the LORD GOD above all things and all people. When we respect the LORD GOD we will find ourselves turning away from doing wrong and wanting to do what is right according to HIS will and Word. We will find that knowing the love HE has for us will bring us to feel guilty for willingly sinning against HIM.
When we worship the FATHER GOD it is a reminder to ourselves that because of JESUS suffering in our place. HIS scourging, HIS being pierced, HIS being, nailed on that cross, HIS being hung on the cross to die a criminals death for a sinful crime HE never committed because HE couldn’t. But HE did it willingly in my place, HIS blood cleanses us not just then on Calvery, not just when we believed, but daily.
Some of us live in rough communities and some of us live in bad communities. Others of us live in quiet communities and yet all the same fear grips people from every community. During my season of life right now I have lived in rough communities, yes I hated the year I lived there but I certainly did not have one speck of fear about being there. As a matter of fact, I was rather respected there. They knew that I did not belong in that community because my inner light was too bright. Shootings and stabbings were the normal activity in that neighborhood because it was a drug haven. Yet, I moved about with no fear. My legs don’t move quickly and if you bump me slightly I’m likely to fall over. I don’t like to get caught out by myself in the night air, not from fear but because I’m slow and because I’m wise. But when I did in that rough neighborhood and those guys who were up to no good saw me coming, they would just part a way, speak kindly to me and saw that I got into my building. I was not one bit afraid of having to walk in the middle of them. It’s just like what’s going on with all this commotion from the White House if he does anything to cause us to get into a nuclear war. I’m safe from harm because my earthly death means that I get to see my heavenly FATHER and JESUS face to face finally. I’m not going to hell, that life sentence I once had was dealt with. What about you, are you still on death row?
Allow me to share with you the first things I noticed that I received when that spirit of fear left my life. Calm-I was actually calm for the first time. I have been trying to share with others what I have been experiencing for the past fourteen years the still, quiet, being at rest, and peace that I have within. I am undisturbed, not agitated, not easily excited, or angered. As time has gone on I have found my self and continue to find myself becoming more and more balanced in life able to not so much rely on my control but to rely on the control of the Holy Ghost. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from being a coward to any degree, I’m a city girl with city ways but I have allowed the Holy Ghost to take control of me. His spirit has provided me with such power of love for humankind to a degree that I did not know was possible, and I have sound judgment and discipline regarding my actions. I refuse to allow anyone I don’t care if they are my parents, children, spouse, or anything to chain me up again to be a prisoner to fear. The years in bondage to sin was long enough and my growing in the grace of GOD was difficult but I made it through. My heavenly FATHER adopted me when I was seventeen years of age at a concert. I gladly call HIM my ABBA FATHER, my DADDY DADDY because HE not only is my FATHER, HE is my provider.
I have the greatest assurance knowing of the love my FATHER has for me and though daily my trust and love for my FATHER grows all the more. I will never understand HIS love for me nor will I try to, I will just trust and enjoy the knowledge of it. I don’t wonder about it or have fear about doing right or wrong, about pleasing HIM, HIS love for me has thrown out all fear, it’s just not there and I dare not go look for it. Who in their right mind want to be tormented, you have to be coo-coo for coco puffs to desire that. Those that look for torment and desire torment don’t know the true and perfect love which can only come from the FATHER.
Psalms 19:9, Matthew 10:28, 2 Timothy 1:7, Rom. 8:15, 1 John 4:18
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