Fear’s awful cost

Most adults experience those wakeful moments at 2 am when fear takes over. That lump that appeared in the body might be cancer. The note from the kid’s teacher seems ominous, signaling a deeper emotional issue. The spouse’s distance becomes a concern for the marriage. The mood at work is sour and might mean a pending cutback in staff.

Fear exacts a terrible toll from us. Next to the promise of reward, fear is a powerful motivator for our choices. T. Dalrymple, in Christianity Today (May 2025) notes that “panic is profitable.”  A torrent of information warns us of all kinds of pending disasters and advertisers answer our correspondent fear by offering us cures, diversions, and distractions ranging from the newest medicine (“ask your doctor”), a vacation, a new car, or even a cruise. For some the cost of fear includes addiction to work, to alcohol, to sex, or to illegal drugs!

Christian, God gives us the best way to overcome our fears. He invites us to live in FAITH. The Word says “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (1 Peter 5) Jesus invites us to lean on God as our good Father, promising that HE is able to provide what we need.

Faith is a choice we make even in moments of crisis. The book of Daniel has great lessons in faith for us. Remember the three Hebrew men – Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego – who were commanded to kneel to the king’s image? A refusal meant being burnt alive! They did refuse and the king flew in a rage but tempered his anger by giving them one more chance to show their loyalty. Certainly they were terrified! The fire was already burning that would consume them if they would not obey his edict.

But they chose faith! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”  (Daniel 3 NLT) Their faith was greater than their fear.

Daniel also faced a terrible choice. Ordered not to pray to anyone other than the king, he chose to go to his room as he had always done and pray to the LORD God of Heaven. His choice earned him a night in the lion’s den. He did not think he would survive but he, too, chose faith over fear.

We must remember that faith does not promise us we will never feel afraid, nor does faith always clear the pathway ahead of us of every obstacle. Faith does fuel hope and gives us strength to overcome our fear and to remain steady in our commitment to God.

The Bible defines faith this way – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”  (Hebrews 11) Faith is based in the Person of God, revealed to us in Christ Jesus, and is anchored to eternity, beyond time.

Faith is informed by the truth that there is more to our existence than what we see, feel, or experience. It finds a foundation in the fact of eternity, made evident to us by the resurrection of Christ. We, as Christians, know while we are alive in this world we are blessed by His love, but the best is yet to come when we are welcomed home to the Father’s house.

Without a solid belief in Eternal Life in Heaven our faith will weaken and crumble. Indeed, Paul reminds us that “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. … if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. … If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  (1 Corinthians 15)

Answer fear with faith, real faith not mere bravado.
Built faith by making Christ your true hope, gaining a new identity as a child of God through Him.
When fear rises refuse panic and choose to pray, even if that prayer is just a desperate cry.
Declare to yourself, to your world, even to the Devil – “I am a child of God, held secure in the grace gift of Jesus!”

The word from the Word is my declaration of hopeful faith. Make it yours today.
“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? … No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8)

Choose faith!

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That Trait Few Desire to Own

A long time ago one of my uncle’s advised me that success in life would require self-promotion. His line stuck with me: “He who tooteth not his own horn, the same shall not be tooted.”  While the line was humorous, his advice was serious. Think about it. Who do we tend to admire – the person who gathers attention or the one who works quietly in the background?

Several times in my work as a Pastor it was part of my responsibility to select assistants. I quickly learned to read between the lines of the resumes that were submitted looking for inflation in their descriptions of actual work and experience.

We are all tempted to try to look better than we are, to carefully tend to an image that distorts reality, or to seek to shape the world around us to our personal preferences, don’t we?

Christians are called to a different way of living, built around a trait that few desire – humility. The Scripture speaks to this point repeatedly.

• Jesus said- "whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4, NIV)
• Paul urges us to "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." (Ephesians 4:2, NIV)
• James is clear- "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10, NIV)

Humility is an indispensable trait in the character of the godly.
Humility is foundational to living in harmony with others.
Humility defuses anger.
It facilitates forgiveness.
It gives value to those who are wounded or broken, viewing people as being worthy of respect. 

Humility allows us to strengthen our relationship with God as we surrender the need to ‘have our own way,’ when we come on bended knee and with an open heart before Him.

Some confuse humility with a lack of healthy self-esteem. That is untrue. Humility does not ask to say ‘I am worthless” nor does it require that we hide our abilities and/or skills. What humility does require is our use of those things in service to God and others.

When we have come to know ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses, our gifts and callings; we need no longer pretend, nor will we feel the need to try to find applause to validate our worthiness. Truly humble people do not need to please others or to copy the trends that would make them ‘cool.’ (Yes, I am a person from the 1970’s)   

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that humility says – “I don’t care what you think, I march to the beat of my own drummer!”   It willingly serves, readily adapts to the greater good. Isaiah reminds us that "The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)." (Isaiah 2:11-12, NIV) 

Humility is both a work of the Holy Spirit in us and a part of character that demands cultivation. There are real choices to be made if we want to grow in this grace.

First step is to acknowledge Christ as Lord.  Every day we renew our submission to His rule. Almost every day, among the first thoughts in mind is a prayer – “Lord, this is your day, I am your servant. May You be honored by my thought, word, and action.”  (Sin being what it is, I fall short of that aspiration too frequently!)

Second step is honest confession of need, of sin, of reliance on His grace and goodness.  WE are absolutely dependent on the Holy Spirit moment by moment for real holiness. Without the life of the Spirit actively working in us as we give ourselves to Him, we cannot please God.

If you think you are capable of living for Christ Jesus without daily dependence, without real prayer, without learning the Truth of the Word, without remaining in close fellowship with other Christians – you are deceived by pride, attempting ‘cool’ Christianity, an impossibility. 

The third step is the choice to serve, to give away the need to be first, to be recognized. That is much more difficult than it sounds, believe me!

When you pray for humility to develop, prepare for struggle! Self does not die without a fight. And then, bow your head, open your heart, and learn to lean, like a child, on the complete sufficiency of the Father.

Here is a word from the Word. Peter directs us to rely on God for promotion.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6, NIV)

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