Perspectives

When fear troubles my heart and soul, I know no other solution than to take it to the Lord in prayer. When I become frustrated and troubled I must learn to do what the Bible teaches and take it to the Lord in prayer and Let the Holy Spirit bring peace and quietness to my troubled heart. It is no use pretending or acting as though all is well when not all is. I just cannot bring that gentle quietness to my own soul; it just will not work. That means, I must stop whatever scheme I have going in my mind and let the power of the Holy Spirit bring lasting, calming relief rather than rely on earthly devises that bring only short term relief.

As Christians, we must learn not to fear all the twists and turns of this life that troubles us the wrong way. Rather, we should learn to continue with what we were originally inspired and motivated to do. Yes! There will be those who will try to hinder our work, but there will also be others who believe in what we are doing. Perhaps we might say that the fear of letting others down and failing in our mission would not be the best testimony for us. Fear is one luxury few of us can really afford.

We must remember that God is always with us. Deuteronomy 20:2-4… 2) When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3) He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4) For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (NIV)

Every Christian has been given the power to cope with life’s problems and the power to stand up in the face of the most soul-searing sorrows and monumental disappointments that are out there. The amazing thing that happens, when we are tested, is that we learn to put God first in our lives. Through testing, we are given the ability to understand the spiritual needs of other people.

We must love the lost so much that we will not get lost in the noise of this world, nor allow our hearts to turn a cold shoulder to the needs of those who have never accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. That requires a certain measure of self-discipline. It means we have to take control of our emotions and not allow fear and panic to ruin our ministry. Let us strive to give it our very best in everything we do. In every situation give our best and leave the rest to God. After all, we believe that it is Christ alone who can keep us from being swept away, leaving the work to others.

Fear is dreadful. To fear peoples or some looming event in the future is something we do not enjoy. Oh! Yes, we can talk and say how awful it is for people to live in fear, but until we experience fear ourselves, we really cannot talk to others, pretending to know what they are suffering. However, the fear of God, a reverential fear, is the very beginning of wisdom. If we believe that Jesus is the Christ, that He is the Son of God, and accept Him into our hearts, then we become children of God. That means we no longer need to fear our future, and we need no longer fear God as a future judge because He loves us with a perfect love.

That perfect love eliminates all fear of God’s judgment. Instead, we will hear His gentle voice in our heart, soft as an evening breeze, to assure us that each fault, each sin, has been forgiven. He will calm each fear, turn our attention to heaven so that we might enjoy every victory won, and think thoughts of holiness that come right from the heart of God. That is the privilege of serving God fearlessly, free from fear of failure and others and thereby making us holy and acceptable; ready to stand in His presence on the Day of Judgment, ready to serve Christ.

Would you pray this prayer with me … “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have the peace in my heart that I yearn for. I really want that peace, joy and happiness that will fulfill my heart’s desire. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will honour Your Name.” Amen