What Are You Afraid Of?

What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of snakes or bugs or creepy crawlies? Are you afraid of the dark?

I know people who say they are afraid of heights, but that is merely an easy way to explain that they have a fear of falling from high places.

Some people are afraid of wicker furniture or clowns or the number 13. Some people even have pantophobia – fear of everything!

I have agliophobia. It’s a fear of pain. Apparently it’s not a very strong fear because I was able to do the Tough Mudder with all the shocking and bleeding involved. However, it is something I had to really psych myself into accomplishing.

I’m writing this article on Valentine’s Day. Why would I be writing about fears on Valentine’s Day? The answer is found in 1 John 4:18.

We all have things of which we are afraid. Certain things, when we even think about them, cripple us and freeze us in our tracks. I remember growing up with Mom being afraid of snakes. She couldn’t even see pictures of them in magazines. Movies that had snakes in them were out. Those scenes in Indiana Jones where he is in the pit with all the snakes made her leave the room. If I left my bullwhip (a boy’s gift from a loving grandmother) on the floor overnight, then I would get in trouble because it would freeze her in her tracks. She would automatically see that bullwhip coiled up and think “snake”.

When you think of fears, however, what is the root source of that fear? Are you afraid because of the actual object or event? More often than not we are afraid because during that moment all we can think of is ourselves. When I am paralyzed in fear my thoughts are consumed with myself and what might happen to me and how it might hurt me…me, me, me.

When we love we aren’t concerned with “me”. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that “Love is not self-seeking.” If we are concerned about ourselves then we are not loving someone else. 1 John 4:18 sets fear and love as opposites. They are mutually exclusive of one another. It says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love.”.

This has many implications on our loves. It’s Valentine’s week. Have you shrunk back in your desire to show love to someone for fear of how they’ll treat you in return? In that case you aren’t truly thinking about them but yourself. Have you distanced yourself from someone because you just weren’t sure the outcome of your interaction? That’s fear, and that fear is all about you.

God’s promise to us is that He “did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and self discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). That fear that you feel did not come from God. What comes from God is a powerful ability to love others even against out knee-jerk reactions to shrink back. That’s love done out of self control in a powerful way.

When we get this idea deep into our psyche, then we will have much less difficulty telling others about the love of Jesus. Think about it. We have the greatest message in the world about the greatest event in the world offering the greatest gift to their the world, yet we don’t bother to tell even the people we claim to love about this. Is that love? Love would want them to have what we have. Yet we are paralyzed in our fears and don’t speak.

May you make a resolution today to live according to the Spirit of God. May the Spirit fill you with that power, love, and self discipline. And may the world be changed starting with the relationships we have at home because we are no longer afraid to love others. I know that’s my prayer for me; it’s my prayer for you too.

Thanks for reading this each week! Have a blessed day, and if you’d like to talk more about anything you read here or would like me to pray for you please let me know at jddobbs@verizon.net. Remember: power, love, and self discipline – they are yours in Christ!!

Let Me Tell You All About It…

If you’ve been around me in any way, shape, form or fashion the last few days, you know I completed the Tough Mudder. How do you know? Because I’ve probably told you all about my joys and fears and pain and excitement caused by enduring the 12 miles and 29 obstacles designed by British Special Forces guys.

I’m pretty excited about this accomplishment to put it mildly.

I’m not the only one. The entire team is flooding Facebook and the various places where we work and socialize with stories and pictures of our day in Edna last Saturday. It’s like we are compelled to tell the story. We overcame! We are excited! We’d love to tell you all about it!

Guess what. We have all overcome! We have all had the opportunity for God to wash away all our sins! Jesus has come and destroyed sin and death and fear and worry!

We talk about about who won the SuperBowl. We talk about what we did last weekend. We talk about the weather. We are compelled to talk. We talk with just about anybody, but how often does the message of the love of God shown through Christ come across our lips? Are we as excited about the message of redemption as we are about Dale Earnhardt’s number coming out of retirement?

Do we talk with our kids about the implications of a life filled with joy through salvation in Christ as much as we talk to them about the implications of sex before marriage?

Do we talk with our friends about freedom in Christ as much as we do about the weather or work or kids or…anything?

No wonder Christianity is not the fastest growing religion in the world. But what can we do about it?

First, it’s time for us to do some genuine soul searching about our relationship with Christ. Many people love Jesus but don’t tell anyone else about Him. Many people claim love for Jesus but don’t even bother to tell Him about it.

It’s as if I just got married, but I din’t wear a wedding ring. I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t even live with my wife. But I still claimed my wife on my taxes.

We are supposed to be in a love relationship with Jesus. The church is called the “bride of Christ”. How many of us are married to Him but don’t want anyone to know it?

It may not be that you don’t want anyone to know it. Maybe you just don’t think about it. My question is why not? Maybe you don’t know what to say. When you’re excited about anything else you have no worry about what to say. You don’t even care if the other people want to hear what you have to say.

This is not something we are going to be able to force in ourselves. If we aren’t excited about Christ we won’t be able to “fake it till we make it”. We need to commit to true searching for Christ in our lives and in the scriptures. We need to be committed once again to prayer and fasting. For some of you it may mean beginning that relationship with Christ by accepting Him as your Savior and connecting with Him through baptism.

Let’s start this journey today. The destination is totally worth the search.

May you deeply seek Christ in your life this year. May prayer and fasting be a regular part of your life. And may the world see Christianity grow once again out of newfound love for the God who loved us first.

If you have any questions or comments about this or would like to know more about making Jesus your Savior, please contact me at jddobbs@verizon.net or at the office at 979-245-1611.

God bless your search and newfound joy in Christ!