I am often asked how I live with such peace. The answer is that I don't always. It is quite easy to let fear enter in your thoughts, especially when there is something to be worried about like health or unemployment.
Last week, Jon had a colonoscopy. When the doctor came into the recovery area, he had a picture of Jon's colon with something circled. He said that he found a polyp, but it was benign. I was amazed at how many things went through my head in the second that passed between the word "Polyp" and "Benign." Fear of telling my girls they had another parent with cancer was my first thought.
I had been fighting a little fear myself recently because I was due for a CT Scan, and I feared it would tell me that I had to change my treatment. Thankfully, the scan came back "stable" and I can continue on with my summer with the reassurance that everything is good. Yeah!
I am reading a book called "Fearless" by Max Lucado. This is what he says about fear:
"Fear is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always. One moment you are feeling calm, self-possessed, happy. Then fear, disguised in the garb of mild-mannered doubt, slips into your mind like a spy."
Fear is a horrible emotion to fight. Fear ususally creeps up on me when I am not reading God's Word, and I have let my prayer time get swallowed up by my own busy life. It usually starts with a lethargic feeling. Then I wonder why I am so tired. Is my body working hard to fight something that is wrong? Is the cancer growing? My mind takes off down a dark road, and fear is my companion.
The “spirit of fear” is mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
We are told over and over, through God's Word, that the spirit of fearfulness and timidity does not come from God. In order to overcome fear, we need to completely trust God. From Genesis to Revelation, we are reminded to "Fear not."
One of my favorite fear fighting verses is Isaiah 41:10, which says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
We all fall into the pit of fearing what the future holds. We wonder what will become of us. But Jesus reminds us that God cares for the birds of the air, so how much more will He provide for His children? “So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” Matthew 10:31.
Another verse I like is Psalm 56:11 which says, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” When I stop and analyze my fear, I quickly realize that my biggest enemy, Satan, is always behind my fears and fanning the flame. Then I start to read all of the verses that talk about fear and trusting in God, and I feel hopeful again. Trusting God is a refusal to give in to fear. It is a turning to God even in the darkest times and trusting Him to make things right. This trust comes from knowing God and knowing that He is good. As Job said when he was experiencing some of the most difficult trials recorded in the Bible, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him”
Once we have learned to put our trust in God, we will no longer be afraid of the things that come against us. We will be like the psalmist who said with confidence “…let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” Psalm 5:11.
Hope trumps fear any day!
Blessings,
Sandy
