Seek the Peace of God
It has been exciting to see how God is moving here at FBC as we launch into fall. Ministries have started up, we had an amazing Ministry Fair and Sunday’s service was packed. Great stuff! Yet as much as I have seen some impactful things going on I have also seen some others that concern me.
I have witnessed an increase in fear over the past few months. So, I’m sharing today a few thoughts on fear as I’ve observed a lot of it in so many different contexts.
What’s the problem here? Fear brings turmoil into our hearts and minds. When we’re filled with fear, we can’t think properly- it seems everything that we do is subject to danger. We’re constantly stricken with the thought that things can go wrong.
See what I mean?
Thankfully, God left us His peace to address times just like this. Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Jesus gives us a reason why we shouldn’t be afraid. He gives us peace and this should ease our fear. But you might ask, how can peace extinguish fear in my heart? Great question!
The simple answer is that the two are contrary to each other. You can’t have both peace and fear at the same time. It is either you are peaceful or fearful. It can’t be both.
The peace that Jesus brings originates from Him. It is NOT something that you ordinarily get from the world. For most people, peace is the absence of conflict and war. But for God, peace is having an intimate and close relationship with Him. Peace is having God in your life. Peace comes from the assurance and belief that God is always in control. When you are filled with this type of peace, then you can cast away fear from your heart no matter the wave or whatever else is going on. Get the peace of God!
Be Filled With Love
Here’s another way of looking at this issue. God is love and those who follow God must also be filled with love. If we want to get rid of fear, we must replace it with something. If we keep our minds empty, fear can easily return. That’s why we read in 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” Now, here’s one of the most important keys to getting rid of fear: We must be filled with love. We can cast out fear with love.
But how?
Love is an affection and emotion that does not produce any fear. In fact, if we truly love God, we should not fear anything. We don’t need to fear death because after death, if we are secure with God, we can be confident that we will meet our Creator during our next waking moment. As long as we have love in our hearts and lives, we can expect fear to never bother us. The moment that our love wavers, that’s the same moment that fear starts to creep in again. It does not mean we won’t have problems, challenges and failures, but now we had a solution, love, and no need to fear.
So, when love prevails, fear stops from existing…when love overcomes, fear is suppressed….and when love reigns, fear is banished.
Sounds pretty good, huh? Let’s be filled with love!
Focus on the Positive
Here’s the last point on dealing with fear- like the faithful people of old, we should focus beyond this fearful world to the positive future God has in store. We can also meditate on and appreciate the comfort and peace God gives now.
Paul directed our thinking toward the positive in Philippians 4: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Later in the scriptures he reminded us to rejoice always and gives thanks in everything.
You’ve heard me say this before: “It’s hard to grumble when you’re praising God.” Same things go with fear. What are you focusing on? Are you praising God? Open your Bible and shift perspective to ALL of God’s promises. The Bible tells us we can go to God with our fears. We can seek more of His Spirit. We can grow in faith in His ability to defeat anything that threatens us. We can find comfort and security in His loving care. The fear and loathing of this age will be replaced with love and rejoicing forevermore. What a great thought to carry us through today and beyond.
Wow, I’m not so fearful anymore. I hope you aren’t either!
In His grip,
Pastor Chris