There is a healthy kind of fear that keeps us from acting carelessly and wrecking our lives and relationships. Then there are the paralyzing fears that keep us from taking the risks necessary to make a living. These last fears can keep us in bondage and are the ones the Bible commands us to not give in to.
My friend Kurt was an insurance adjuster for about 10 years. One day he received a call from a customer who had a fire in his business. Because the owner was not able to be there at his arrival, the customer made sure the building was unlocked so Kurt could go ahead with the inspection. Now here is Kurt’s story in his own words.
<>It was early November and it gets dark early at that time of year. It was already getting dim by the time I pulled up in front of the building. What’s worse, this building was on the corner of 7th and Looney in Memphis TN. Trust me. That is not a neighborhood you want to be in after dark. But I got out of the car and went to the door. Sure enough it was unlocked so I walked in. THAT’S WHEN THE TROUBLE BEGAN. When I stepped into the reception area I was able to see some smoke residue on the ceiling which told me that the fire had started down the hallway. I decided to get all of my room measurements done before the owner got there so we could talk uninterrupted. I went down the hallway until I came to a door on the right. I stepped into that room to look around. I got a few feet from the entrance and the door closed behind me. Here I was in a room that was almost completely dark. The only illumination was from a small skylight in the center of the room. Rather than risk tripping over some fire debris I decided to wait a minute and let my eyes get adjusted to the dark before I walked back to the door. AND THEN I SAW HIM! Standing about 8 feet in front of me was a large man. I may have just been imagining it but he looked very mean and very ugly to me at that time. Now, I didn’t know why he was in the building, but running into him in this dark room in that part of town made me very nervous. Choking back my fear I said” Excuse me, I am here to check out the fire damage.” He didn’t say a word. I said “Sir, I’m from the insurance company. Can I help you?” Nothing! I took a furtive step backwards and when I did I saw that he took a step in my direction. That was enough for me! I turned and hightailed it towards the door. He was right behind me. I got to the door first and threw it open. When I did, light from the hall flooded into the room! I was able to see that I had been in a large bathroom and there was a mirror that ran the length of the room. That huge, ugly man that scared me to death was just my own reflection.
<>It was early November and it gets dark early at that time of year. It was already getting dim by the time I pulled up in front of the building. What’s worse, this building was on the corner of 7th and Looney in Memphis TN. Trust me. That is not a neighborhood you want to be in after dark. But I got out of the car and went to the door. Sure enough it was unlocked so I walked in. THAT’S WHEN THE TROUBLE BEGAN. When I stepped into the reception area I was able to see some smoke residue on the ceiling which told me that the fire had started down the hallway. I decided to get all of my room measurements done before the owner got there so we could talk uninterrupted. I went down the hallway until I came to a door on the right. I stepped into that room to look around. I got a few feet from the entrance and the door closed behind me. Here I was in a room that was almost completely dark. The only illumination was from a small skylight in the center of the room. Rather than risk tripping over some fire debris I decided to wait a minute and let my eyes get adjusted to the dark before I walked back to the door. AND THEN I SAW HIM! Standing about 8 feet in front of me was a large man. I may have just been imagining it but he looked very mean and very ugly to me at that time. Now, I didn’t know why he was in the building, but running into him in this dark room in that part of town made me very nervous. Choking back my fear I said” Excuse me, I am here to check out the fire damage.” He didn’t say a word. I said “Sir, I’m from the insurance company. Can I help you?” Nothing! I took a furtive step backwards and when I did I saw that he took a step in my direction. That was enough for me! I turned and hightailed it towards the door. He was right behind me. I got to the door first and threw it open. When I did, light from the hall flooded into the room! I was able to see that I had been in a large bathroom and there was a mirror that ran the length of the room. That huge, ugly man that scared me to death was just my own reflection.
“When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror.”
I Samuel 17:24 GNB
Goliath was large, but even a young boy called David could kill him with a stone from his slingshot. This would have never happened if David would not have faced this giant head on. When David resisted Goliath, the giant fell down dead.
Our natural response to what seems like a Goliath size fear, is (like the Israelites) to run from them. But here are some practical ways to face them and kill them dead.
Consider talking about your fears and worries to someone. When we put our feelings into words, we will find that others share similar emotions as we do. When we bring our fears into the light, (like Kurt did in the story) it diffuses the control that fear has over us. Next take time to fill your minds with good news. At times we need to turn off the television with hour after hour filled with all the bad news around the entire globe. This can bring more fear and sadness into our home. This could be why God tells us to think on the lovely and good reports in Philippians 4:8.
“So place yourselves under God's authority. Resist the devil,
and he will run away from you.”
James 4:7 GW
We must run away from temptations, but stand and resist the Tempter. Our armor in Ephesians 6 covers our front side, but not our backs. That is why we need to face our fears instead of running from them. The promise is that those Goliath-like fears will run away if we face them.
Selah….
Al Yoder
2/18/2011
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