Fearful? Michael Sprague

 FEARFUL?

I am convinced fear-making is a cottage industry in our country. It’s so stinking effective. Think Fund-raising. Think manipulation. Think groupthink and control. Think conspiracy theories. Fear paralyzes, erodes faith and leaves us in bad places emotionally. Fear is usually the loudest voice in the room. Fear always grabs the megaphone.

Even in faith circles, there are professional crisis peddlers. They intentionally or unintentionally send out mixed massages where fear sometimes becomes the default public face of our movement. Our living hope, which is at the core of the gospel, gets drowned out by doom-and-gloom prognosticating. Might this be why so many in our tribe are sour, sore and scared?

Fear comes after all who have a heart to honor God. I was reading about Elijah today. What a man of God. He served during a time that a man and woman had a great political alliance that produced fear and intimidation to promote unbiblical values. This power couple gave lip service to spirituality but promoted perversion. Their names were Ahab and Jezebel.

Queen Jezebel got the word out through every media market there was a price on Elijah’s head. The message was LOUD and clear. Fear consumed Elijah. That’s right… FEAR. He fled, he forgot who God was, he played woulda, coulda, shoulda and he wanted to die.

God graciously restored Elijah spiritually, physically, relationally and in his callings. You can read about it in 1 Kings 19. My take-aways on fear:

1. The Spirit of Jezebel is still around today. Be discerning.

2. Fear is usually the loudest voice in the room.

3. I need to tune my ear to the ONE with the still small voice… every day.

4. Exhaustion and mismanaged expectations can make cowards of the best of us.

5. God has not given me a spirit of fear but of love, power and sound mind.

6. I will not be driven by fear even if it is coming from my own sub-culture.

7. There are legitimate concerns but fear only produces unhealthy responses.

8. The Kingdom of God is unstoppable. 

9. The good news is I get to decide who gets the megaphone to my heart. Do not let the negative and false voices have the megaphone.

10. Stand strong my friends. God had not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a strong mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)