SPIRITUAL WARFARE PART 6

              SPIRITUAL WARFARE BLOG 6 – FEAR (CONTINUED)

     ONE OF THE MOST 10 TERRIFYING ROPE BRIDGES IN THE WORLD

 IF YOUR FRIENDS WERE CROSSING THIS BRIDGE AND WANTED YOU TO         

                        JOIN THEM…….WOULD YOU?

NOT LONG AGO WE WERE WATCHING A MOVIE WITH  SCENES SHOWING A MOTHER, FATHER WITH THEIR DAUGHTER AND HER WEDDING PARTY APPROACHING A VERY LONG ROPE FOOT BRIDGE HIGH OVER A SWIFTLY RUNNING RIVER. IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE THE GROUP WAS ON THE BRIDGE MOVING ACROSS…ALL EXCEPT THE MOTHER…SHE HAD BEEN LAST IN LINE…ON PURPOSE! SHE WAS PETRIFIED TO EVEN APPROACH THE BRIDGE, LET ALONE CROSS IT! 

OBVIOUSLY, FEAR HAD HER IN ITS GRIP!  THE FURTHER THE GROUP PROGRESSED ACROSS THE BRIDGE THE MORE INTENSE THE FEAR BECAME.  THE GROUP WOULD LOOK BACK FROM TIME TO TIME ENCOURAGING HER TO FOLLOW THEM….EVEN HER HUSBAND.  BUT SHE REFUSED TO BUDGE.  FINALLY HER HUSBAND TURNED AROUND, CAME TO HER AND TOGETHER THEY HEADED BACK TO THE HOTEL.

TRAGICALLY, SHE HAD BOWED TO FEAR! WAS THIS THE SPIRIT OF FEAR, OR JUST PLAIN SOULISH FEAR? THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE!  THIS WAS NOT A CHRISTIAN COUPLE IN THE FILM. UNFORTUNATELY,  FEAR CAN OVERCOME EVEN THE STRONGEST OF CHRISTIANS….IF  WE ACQUIESCE!

IF YOU WERE TO CROSS THIS BRIDGE, JUST HOW WOULD YOU DO SO? WOULD YOU WALK ACROSS IN GREAT CONFIDENCE, FULLY ASSURED  THAT YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER, EL  SHADDAI, OUR GREAT POWERFUL SHEPHERD  IS  PROTECTING YOU  ALL THE WAY (JEHOVAH ROI), OR WOULD YOU WALK ACROSS HESITANTLY, WITH FEAR AND TREPIDATION, HOLDING ON THE ROPES FOR DEAR LIFE, OR EVEN  CRAWLING ACROSS, PERSPIRING PROFUSELY?  OR JUST PLAIN REFUSING TO CROSS, AS WAS THE CASE OF THE WIFE IN THE FILM, LETTING FEAR DICTATE YOUR DECISION ?

THE CRUCIAL QUESTION BEFORE FOR US: “IS THERE A BRIDGE OR ARE THERE BRIDGES IN OUR LIVES THAT WE ARE AFRAID TO CROSS BECAUSE OF FEAR?” WE MUST ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ENEMY OF OUR VERY BEING, SATAN, IS PERSISTENTLY STALKING US, MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT! THAT’S HIS JOB, “ SEEKING  WHOM HE CAN KILL AND DESTROY (JOHN 10:10). HOWEVER, WE MUST ALWAYS KEEP BEFORE US  GOD’S  ASSURANCE THAT “GREATER IS HE (GOD) WHO IS IN YOU THEN HE (SATAN) WHO IS IN THE WORLD!” ( 1 JOHN 4:4)

IT IS CRUCIAL TO KEEP IN MIND, THAT FEAR IS NOT ALWAYS THE RESULT OF SATAN AND HIS MINIONS HARASSING US….THE WORLD AND OUR FLESH CAN BE INSTIGATORS AS WELL! 

A WORD OF CAUTION….SOME BIBLE VERSIONS WILL USE “SIN NATURE” TO DESCRIBE THE FLESH.  THIS CAN NOT BE SUBSTANTIATED IN SCRIPTURE ,FOR WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A “DIVINE NATURE” ( 2 PETER 1:4.)  THANKFULLY, BECAUSE OF THE POWERFUL WORK OF OUR SAVIOR AND LORD JESUS ON THE CROSS, WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, FOR IT HAS NO DOMINION OVER US ANY LONGER, THANKFULLY!  ( ROMANS 6:14)

IN ADDITION, HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HEAR CHRISTIANS DECLARE : “I AM A SINNER, SAVED BY GRACE”?  REALLY? WHERE IS THIS FOUND IN SCRIPTURE?  WE SIN IN OUR FLESH , BUT TO REITERATE, WE HAVE BEEN SET FREE FROM SIN, AS STATED IN ROMANS 7:1-25; 8:1-37. JESUS DECLARED IN JOHN 9:31, “GOD DOES NOT HEAR SINNERS, BUT IF ANYONE IS A WORSHIPER OF GOD AND DOES HIS WILL, HE HEARS HIM.”

 LET’S REVIEW THE SCRIPTURE “FOR GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR, BUT OF POWER AND OF LOVE AND OF A SOUND MIND.” (2 TIM. 1:7)

 IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS SCRIPTURE THOROUGHLY, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF FEAR  AS IT RELATES TO THIS SPECIFIC SCRIPTURE IN 2 TIMOTHY 1:7 , FOR WORDS CAN BE TRANSLATED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING UPON THE CONTEXT OF  THE SCRIPTURES. UNFORTUNATELY, SO MANY READ A SCRIPTURE SUPERFICIALLY WITHOUT GOING DEEPER AS TO JUST WHAT THE HEBREW OR GREEK TRANSLATION IS . FOR EXAMPLE, FEAR IN THIS SCRIPTURE IN THE GREEK TRANSLATES ”TIMIDITY”! (1167 STRONG’S CONCORDANCE). CONSIDER THE GREEK FOR FEAR IN LUKE 1:65 “AND FEAR CAME UPON ALL….” WHICH IN THE GREEK MEANS “TERROR/ALARM. (5401 STRONGS). THIS WOULD BE THE CASE OF THE LADY AT THE BRIDGE…SHE WAS TERRIFIED, NOT TIMID!

LET’S RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION: “WHAT BRIDGE OR BRIDGES  ARE YOU TIMID, TERRIFIED OR REFUSE TO CROSS IN YOUR LIFE?

MAY I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEEK THE WISDOM OF THE LORD AS TO FEARS THAT COULD WELL BE HIDDEN IN YOUR VERY BEING.  ONCE EXPOSED, THEY CAN BE DEALT WITH, FOR YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR, WORRY, FRETFULNESS, OR ANXIETIES..THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE WAY GOD WOULD HAVE US LIVE…AMEN?  IN FACT, HE DEALS WITH THIS VERY SUBJECT IN MATTHEW 6:25-34….MEDITATE IN THESE TRUTHS AND SEE HOW YOUR LIFE BECOMES LESS AND LESS FEARFUL/WORRISOME. 

THE LORD HAS PROVIDED STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH FEAR IN OUR LIVES AND WE WILL CONSIDER THESE MORE IN DEPTH IN THE NEXT BLOG, ESPECIALLY HOW TO DISCERN  WHERE FEAR COMES FROM…THE FLESH OR SATAN.

UNTIL THEN, BE COMFORTED AND ENCOURAGED WITH GOD’S WORDS IN 1 JOHN 4:18 “PERFECT LOVES CASTES OUT FEAR”; 2 TIMOTHY 1:7 “BEING FILLED WITH GOD’S SPIRIT WILL CAUSE YOU TO BECOME FEARLESS”!

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND GOD’S COMMAND: “BUT BE DOERS OF THE WORD, AND NOT HEARERS ONLY, DECEIVING YOURSELVES. FOR IF ANYONE IS A HEARER AND NOT A DOER,HE IS LIKE A MAN OBSERVING HIS NATURAL FACE IN A MIRROR; FOR HE OBSERVES HIMSELF, GOES AWAY,AND IMMEDIATELY FORGETS WHAT KIND OF MAN HE WAS.” (JAMES 1:22-24)

                             BE GLORIFIED LORD, BE GLORIFIED