When the Bible says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear,” it does not mean we will never feel fear. As a matter of fact, when God said to so many people in the Bible, “Fear not,” He was basically telling them, “Fear is going to come after you. You are going to have to deal with it.” When God gave Joshua the job of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, He said, “Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid” (Joshua 1:9). He was basically saying, “you will be attacked by many fears and you will be tempted to turn back, but you have to keep going forward.” No matter what you feel like, just keep going forward and you will arrive at your desired destination. I am not suggesting that we do foolish things and refuse to take any counsel from anyone, but if we are fully assured that we have direction from God then we must press forward no matter what we feel like or what people say. I often say, “Courage is not the absence of fear, it is progress in its presence.”
Suppose a man desperately wants to make a career change because he hates his job and is totally unfulfilled and miserable in it. Let’s say he is in the accounting department at a large manufacturing firm, but the desire of his heart has always been to work in sales. He believes he is gifted in being able to sell things he really believes in, so why doesn’t he just change jobs? He starts to, but then he stops and thinks about the fact that in the accounting department, he always gets his paycheck every two weeks and it is always for the same amount. He can depend on it and plan around it. In the sales area, he would work on commission and his income would depend on how much he sold. It might fluctuate, which would necessitate better financial planning or a stricter budget.
Then, more thoughts come to him: You would have to build a reputation in sales and develop a customer base, and that will take time. Your income may be lower than it is now for a while. You will have to do without some things. Your family will have to sacrifice for a while. And what if it takes much longer than you think it will?
Suddenly the man is afraid to make the change he desperately wants to make and he continues day after day going to a job he hates, being unfulfilled and miserable. Only the man can change his situation. He must take a step of faith, drive fear backward, and be unwilling to be trapped in a job he despises.
God is standing by to help him, but that can only happen if the man puts his faith in God. God cannot give us anything we are not willing to step out and take. The Bible says repeatedly that we are to “Fear not” because God is with us. We have two choices: Believe this truth and make decisions based on it, or live narrow, often miserable lives because we are afraid of change, risk, or new situations.
Although I did not appear to others to be a fearful person, I actually spent many years bowing down to internal feelings of fear. Then I finally learned to “do it afraid.” What I mean by this is that I learned to follow my heart as long as it agreed with God’s Word and keep going forward even when fear was making me shake and telling me I was going to fail. Since the devil is a liar, we can be fairly sure that when he tells us something isn’t going to work, it will. When God is trying to show us to back away from something, He does so by withdrawing our peace, not by trying to frighten us. I often back away from something because I lose my peace. We are to follow peace and let it be the umpire in our life, but we must not follow fear.
I started overcoming fear by praying and by thinking and saying, “I will not live in fear.” I even learned to say, “Fear will always present itself to me, but I will ignore it and keep going forward.”
Remember, fear means “to take flight or run away from something.” I learned that I had to stop running and stand still long enough to see what God would do for me if I let my faith in Him be larger than my fears. I finally realized that each time God was leading me into a new area that would eventually be better for me, the devil launched an attack of fear against me. Fear is the devil’s favorite weapon and he uses it masterfully against people until they realize that through God they have the power to move beyond fear and keep making progress.
Think about It
Are you running from anything in your life? If so, will you keep moving forward-and see what God will do for you?
Talking About Jesus
Read: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
-1 Corinthians 2:2
Former major league baseball player Tony Graffanino tells of an ongoing ministry effort in a European country. Each year his organization holds a week-long baseball camp. During this week they also offer a daily Bible study. In past years, the leader tried to find reasoned ways to convince the campers that God exists so they would place their faith in Him. After about 13 years, they had seen only 3 people decide to follow Jesus.
Then they changed their approach, says Graffanino. Instead of “trying to present facts, or winning arguments for a debate,” they simply talked about “the amazing life and teachings of Jesus.” As a result, more campers came to listen, and more chose to follow Him.
The apostle Paul said that when we tell others about the gospel of Jesus Christ, we should set “forth the truth plainly. . . . We do not preach ourselves,” he said, “but Jesus Christ as Lord” (2 Cor. 4:2,5 niv). This was Paul’s standard for evangelism: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
We should be knowledgeable about the Bible and about the reasons for our belief, and sometimes we need to explain those reasons. But the most compelling and effective story we can tell puts Christ in the center.
Father God, please use me in the lives of others.
Remind me to talk about who Jesus is and His life and teachings. And not to be dragged into debates, but to share Jesus’ amazing life.
The risen Christ is the reason for our witness.
Insight
Today’s reading showcases a remarkable spiritual reality concerning those who are resistant to the gospel. “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ . . . should shine on them” (vv.3-4). The apostle Paul tells us that Satan, “the god of this age,” has produced a form of spiritual blindness that hinders one’s perception of the reality of Jesus Christ. Spiritual blindness can only be overcome by the light of Christ (v.6).
Разговор об Иисусе
Читать: 2-е Коринфянам 4:1-6
…Я рассудил быть у вас не знающим ничего, кроме Иисуса Христа, и притом распятого. – 1-е Коринфянам 2:2
Библия за год: 4-я Царств 4-6; Луки 24:36-53
Бывший игрок Высшей лиги бейсбола Тони Граффанино рассказывает о своем миссионерском служении в одной из европейских стран. Каждый год его организация проводит там недельный бейсбольный лагерь. Помимо игры они предлагают участникам ежедневное изучение Библии. Несколько лет организаторы пытались найти аргументы, чтобы убедить своих подопечных в существовании Бога. За 13 лет служения только три человека решили последовать за Христом.
А затем они изменили подход. По словам Граффанино, вместо того чтобы «пытаться представить аргументы и победить в споре», они просто рассказывали «об удивительной жизни и учении Иисуса Христа». В результате на библейский час стало приходить больше участников, также больше людей обратилось ко Христу.
Апостол Павел пишет, что, проповедуя Евангелие, мы должны просто открывать людям истину, «ибо мы не себя проповедуем, но Христа Иисуса, Господа» (2 Кор. 4:2, 5). Таким было его собственное благовестие: «Я рассудил быть у вас не знающим ничего, кроме Иисуса Христа, и притом распятого» (1 Кор. 2:2).
Порой нам придется и защищать истину, однако при благовестии самым правильным и убедительным будет поставить в центре Иисуса Христа.
Молитва: Отец и Бог, сделай меня благовестником.
Пошли рассказать о Твоем Сыне, Его жизни и учении.
И помоги не вступать в споры, а являть миру
Его удивительную жизнь. Аминь.
Распятый и воскресший Христос – основа благовестия
Dave Branon
Если вы читали статьи, написанные Дэвидом Брэноном, то многое знаете о его семье и уроках, которым он научился, став отцом, а теперь и дедушкой. Проработав 18 лет главным редактором журнала «Спектр спорта», Дэвид сейчас является редактором издательства «Дом открытий». Он написал 15 книг. Дэвид со своей женой Сью любят кататься на роликовых коньках и проводить время с детьми и внуками. Дэвид с радостью путешествует по миру, участвуя в студенческих миссионерских путешествиях.
