Keep Calm, Fear “Less”

Many are the voices  proclaiming that the world has never been in a worse state of affairs.    Such fear and wringing of hands!    Seriously?     I remember the  70’s… the Vietnam War,  oil shortages,  economic woes and have you seen the fashion from those days?    Yikes!    (One exception would have to be 70’s music…none better!)   What about earlier centuries where war, disease and famine wiped out entire civilizations?      There have been empires and kingdoms that seemed unshakable,  only to be reduced to rubble.   Sometimes their demise came from forces outside their borders and at times their own sin and debauchery brought destruction from within.    Life on this planet has never been easy or without conflict and evil.   How quickly we forget.    

King Solomon had this to say,       “History merely repeats itself.  It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new…We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.”  Ecclesiastes 1:9 & 11 NLT

 THIS I KNOW…

THERE TRULY IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.   

Why do we seem surprised to see humans behaving like…well,  humans?       When sin entered the perfect world that God created,  decay began.   Not only were humans affected, but all of creation.    One reason this earth has not perished already is because there remains a remnant of Believers in Jesus Christ who bring the Light of Jesus into this decaying world.   Until God decides that time on this earth is over,  we must continue on with confidence.  Keep calm, fear less.

FEAR IS NOT OF GOD, OR FROM GOD.

                                                              For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline.  2 Timothy 1:7  NLT

Fear goes by many names…anxiousness,  concern,  apprehension,  distress  or worry.        Have you ever said  (or heard someone say),   “I just cannot help worrying”   “That is how I am wired”  or  “I am a worrier by nature”?      Not an excuse.    Fear is not of God or from Him.    It comes down to this.   Can we trust God with our concerns, our fears, our anxious thoughts?    Can we trust that He is in control, and that we are so not?   

                                                                                      Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  Matthew 6:27 NIV

Every day the 24-hour news cycle screams doom and gloom at us.   Social media is full of half truths (at best) and is really more about spewing hatred at those who disagree with us or making us feel like everyone’s life is better than ours…Spoiler alert:  It ain’t!    God wants better for us.    He wants to give us His Peace.

                               I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid.  John 14:27 NLT

God is Trustworthy.   He holds Everything in His hand.    When we go to Him with our concerns and requests,  He listens.  He sees.  He cares.  He is at work.

                                         Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Philippians 4:6  NLT 

WE CAN…KEEP CALM AND FEAR “LESS”

                                                                 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything. — Philippians 4:5 NIV

In his book,  Anxious for Nothing,   Max Lucado explains that the word gentleness in the verse above is translated from the Greek word “epieikes”.    This word  “describes a temperament that is seasoned and mature…levelheaded.”   Max calls a person with the temperament described above a “contagiously calm person.”    His words,  “The contagiously calm person is the one who reminds others, “God is in control.””

We have a choice.  Do we want to be known as a “Worrier”?   Or, do we want to be known as a  a  Contagiously Calm Person.    May our intent be to have a temperament that has been seasoned and matured by our Father over time so that there is no sense of panic or fear when life is difficult.   

Make no mistake,  life is HARD.    Evil will often seem to be winning the day.     Nothing new under the sun.     However, when we surrender our worries and fears to God,  trust Him with everything and everyone,  we will be that contagiously calm person who reminds others that our mighty God has it all in His hands.    A watching world needs us to show them that fear is a liar and that God can be trusted with our lives and our future.

Keep calm,  fear less,  trust God.

                                                                                        Do not be afraid… I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. – Genesis 15:1 NIV

(Disclaimer:   In speaking of worry and fear, I am NOT putting them in the same category as sadness, grief, heartbreak or mental illness.      These are not sinful practices.    Jesus was heartbroken and wept over things that made him sad.     I have spent many days grieving painful times in my life.     Some reading this blog have been through horrible, unspeakable circumstances that require tears,  grieving,  prayer,  counsel,  medication and time to be able to heal from.   Again, these are entirely different from the sin of worry.)