Fearless? Yes, and No

Are you naturally more bold or more cautious? How often do you hold back from doing something because “I might get hurt!” or “It’s just too risky.”?  I find myself more cautious these days than I once was. I suppose some would call it wisdom. It is true that I appreciate risk to myself and others more in this season of life than I once did. Fear can be useful, helping us to avoid danger, changing our behavior. It can also paralyze us if given free rein.

The Bible says that “the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.” (Psalm 33) Proverbs reminds us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7) Do you have a healthy ‘fear of the Lord’ that keeps your heart reverent, that deepens your appreciation of the Gospel’s message of grace?

God is gracious, loving, and "patient ... not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9, NIV) But He is still God, always just, and perfectly holy. Some who read only of the ‘love of God’ tend to forget that He disciplines those He loves!

Have you ever watched an ineffective parent try to provide guidance to a child who has no respect? Even a little child will soon understand that the parent is all talk, no action if their actions have no consequence.  When a parent allows a toddler to run life, failing to establish proper boundaries for behavior, they are creating the probability of some terrible teen years.

Of course, I make no case for child abuse, for parenting in anger! Parents gain the respect and obedience in a child when they are fair, firm, consistent, and understanding. A child who learns to obey actually requires less correction. They learn to regulate their own behavior, knowing that actions have reactions!  A strong parent creates a home where there is less stress, less nagging, and more harmony. They project wisdom that invites the child to accept their guidance. A little one learns to trust and obey and avoids danger and harm.

The parallels to the Christian life are many. If we Believers are taught only the grace of God, if we only learn of Jesus, as our Friend, but not as our Lord; we will lose the awe and respect that motivates us to subjugate our will to God's will. We will see no need to let God own us (a definition of being holy) because we will trivialize His demands.

Passages like Isaiah 6 need to be read often to help us to understand the majestic 'otherness' of God, that He is not a man! The prophet wrote: "I had a vision of the Lord. He was on his throne high above, and his robe filled the temple. Flaming creatures with six wings each were flying over him. They covered their faces with two of their wings and their bodies with two more. They used the other two wings for flying, as they shouted, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord All-Powerful! The earth is filled with your glory." . . . Then I cried out, "I’m doomed! Everything I say is sinful, and so are the words of everyone around me. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful." (Isaiah 6:5, CEV) The LORD did not abandon Isaiah to that despair. He cleansed him of his sinfulness and commissioned him to go out powerfully under the Spirit's anointing with a message of hope and restoration to the people.

 

Is your God big enough to fear and respect?
Is He worthy of awe?
Do you trust His wisdom to guide and keep you?

The better question is, do you know Him as a true Father or only as a ‘Friend?’

We thrive in our devotion when our understanding is informed by the full revelation of His nature and character in the Word. No, that will not be a terror that makes you cringe and hide. Rather, you will feel a deep sense of awe that causes you to tremble, to love Him, to serve Him in holiness.

Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on this truth today.

"Have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, "My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child." As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness." (Hebrews 12:5-10, NLT)

His love is amazing.
The grace of God is beyond comprehension.
His discipline is always for our good.

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Blow it all up!

Our world is presently rocked by a war in Iran, angry nations experiencing the loss of life and destruction of property that goes with angry conflict of nations. Personally, we all experience anger and disagreement. Most of the time we do not resort to violent means. More commonly we let a war of words break out, feelings are hurt, and sometimes relationships end.

Anger is like dynamite! Explosives are a boon to humanity. The combustion engines that give energy to our vehicles are really just controlled explosions. We blast through rocks to build roads through mountains. Rockets ride the release of huge amounts of energy to venture from earth into space. And we know too well from watching the news this week that explosives are also a terrible blight, destroying cities and killing thousands.

In much the same way, we can use anger to change our world, to deal with injustice, to challenge some evil that needs to be eradicated. Too much anger can destroy a friendship, tear apart a marriage, turn a man into a murderer, or drive a nation to war! But if we are too apathetic to become angry, we will learn to live with situations that need to be changed.

It is critically important that anger is kept within boundaries. When anger builds in us a whole range of responses begin to occur. Blood pressure increases. Our heart rate goes up. Adrenaline pours into our body preparing us for a fight! If we are not accustomed to managing our emotions, anger will quickly cause us to move toward irrational thoughts that turn into blind rage.

That is why I call anger the emotion the devil loves! The Scripture speaks of anger, not as sin, but with caution so that it does not cause us to sin. Jesus Christ, the Sinless Man, grew angry! Mark tells us that when some religious leaders resisted His work of healing because of the Sabbath traditions, "He looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts!" Then, too, there is that well-known incident when an angry Jesus took up a whip and drove the money changers from the Temple grounds because their greed led them to exploit worshippers! He shouted at those crooks – “My house will be called a house of prayer,’[a] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.”  (Matthew 21)

IF we want to avoid being consumed by anger we must learn to limit how far we allow to reach into our lives and how long we allow ourselves to remain angry. The wisdom of Scripture says:
"Don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil." (Ephesians 4:26-27, NLT) And
"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:19-21, NKJV)

Be honest with yourself when you're starting to feel angry. If you are not, the emotion is so powerful it will find a way to seep into many other parts of your life like a corrosive acid that opens your mind to temptations around lust, rage, uncontrolled spending, or misuse of alcohol and/or drugs! It is true! Many people with life-controlling issues are really just angry children inside, looking for relief from the suppressed anger they feel over situations they think they cannot control.

So how can we keep anger from blowing up our world?

1. Be quick to invite another to monitor your anger.
As you talk about being angry you will be more likely to properly identify the source so you can find the right solution.

2. Pray about your anger!
The last thing you may feel like doing when you're growing angry at someone is taking it to the Lord, but it is one of the first responses for those who are Christ's. Invite the Holy Spirit to calm you, to give you insight, to drain selfishness from your soul.

3. Deal with it now!
Don't stuff anger away under pious talk, or diversions that keep you from thinking about it. In just a few hours, minor irritation can turn into a major conflict if it is not promptly dealt with.

4. Learn to forgive.
To forgive doesn't mean 'just forget about it.' Forgiveness is a choice to turn some injustice over to Him, with the sure knowledge that He will, in His time and with His wisdom, bring about true justice - maybe not today or tomorrow, but He will.

So, you can take that person, that situation, that wound to Him and leave it with Him. "Lord, I have not been able to deal with this. I can't solve it, I can't control it, I can't work it out. I give it to You. I release it to You and ask You to let my heart leave it there." It is simply amazing that peace can flow into our lives IF we choose to forgive others in this manner!

5. Repent, if you have stepped over the line from anger to rage!
Own your emotions and responsibility for them. Nobody can cause us to sin. As much as we don't believe this it is true: nobody makes us angry. We choose that response! And where we choose to sin, the Bible calls us to confess and in confession to find the Lord's forgiveness and release from guilt.

America is full of ungodly anger today at least in part because we are so fearful. We fear the future. Constand exposure to news channels makes us afraid of our neighbors. Christian, settle yourself in the care and love of the Father who holds you in the palm of His hand. And, then I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts with serenity. From that place of peace, we will become peacemakers who bring reconciliation and live the word of Jesus who said - "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, NIV)

May we live as agents of peace in our violent world for the glory of God. Amen.

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My neighbor in the Middle East

This week our news has been filled with scenes of destruction, bombs and missiles raining down on cities across the Middle East. I am concerned that being able to watch this kind of warfare on screens in our living rooms will make the war more like a video game, robbing us of our empathy and care for real people who live in fear, whose lives are at risk every moment, and whose future is uncertain.

This CoffeeBreak is not pro-war or anti-war, nor are my words to be read as supporting or opposing the policies of our government. I write as a Christian to remind us that in spite of thousands of miles of distance from war zones we are still ‘neighbors.’  We share a common humanity with those in that region.

Tragically, ours is a culture of violence. Our movies create heroes who solve major problems with a spray of bullets. Our kids play realistic video games in which they learn to kill efficiently. Somehow, though we would deny it, I think many subconsciously have come to believe that the answer to evil in the world is producing more bombs and bullets!

Nations around the world build ever bigger machines of war spending treasure by the $billions to create weapons that kills more efficiently. And what are Christians saying? Many of us are silent; perhaps confused by the situations we face or even feeling it is foolish to advocate for other means of confronting evil. It may seem unpatriotic not to join the chorus for war and to rejoice in the destruction of those who oppose us. But what does God, our Father ask of us?

Yes, timid prayers for peace may be offered in churches. Lip service may be given to ‘loving our enemies’ but largely, it would seem to me, that many of us are largely ignorant of the core message of the Gospel. We are to be advocates of humanity, seekers of peace. Jesus said that “peacemakers are blessed and will be called the children of God.”

God loves life! The culture of death in which we live will deeply grieve those who share the heart of the Father. Murder came, the book of Genesis tells us, on the heels of envy when Cain killed his brother, Abel. Before that murder, we read the Lord’s call to Cain, one we need to hear anew. "Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:6-7, NIV) By the power of the Spirit, our hearts transformed by the Gospel of Christ, we can defeat the temptation to violence, first in ourselves, then in our culture.

God defeated evil not with an awesome display of angelic armies turned loose on wicked regimes but with the offering of His Son on the Cross. In the mystery of our salvation, we see Him breaking the power of Evil in submission to death and by completely identifying Himself with His creation. “Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”  (Philippians 2) And in His sacrifice, He ended the reign of sin and death in our lives.

War comes, sometimes inevitably it seems. When it does, I hope we will weep with those who are crushed. I pray we will urge our government to be just and to use every means to end hostilities quickly for if we believe Jesus’ words, then we know that it is our neighbors who are suffering!

Jesus told a story about a man regarded as outcast, even enemy by the people of Jerusalem. His words, though simple, are compelling and I pray they will pierce us through the heart with Truth. May each of us ask again – “Who is my neighbor?” and hear the answer of Christ.

"But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”  (Luke 10:29-38, NIV)

Russell Moore urges us to remember that there are three traps into which we may fall in times of warfare.  He warns of bloodlust, when it starts to “feel good to feel that pulse of vengeance.”   He warns of sloth when “Americans will soon grow bored of hearing about this war and want to move on to other things.” And he warns of duplicity, claiming to believe one thing but cheering another.  (link to the full article here – ( https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/03/what-us-israel-iran-war-could-do-soul/ )

May God make us wise, fearless, and merciful, for Jesus’ sake.

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