The Death Grip of Fear



California hker holding on to the face of a cliff.

You may have seen in the news over the last couple of weeks the remarkable rescue of a young lady who was holding on to the side of a cliff for dear life - not figuratively, but literally. She and her companion had gone hiking in a mountainous state park in California and decided to hike down a cliff. However, when they had gotten several yards down, they realized the cliff was not made for hiking! They were looking at a 500 foot drop straight down and decided the only way out of this very dangerous situation was to go back up the way they came.

Her companion went first and got back to the top of the cliff, but the 24 year old woman was frozen solid to the wall of the cliff - in fear! She had only a make-shift tether tied to her friend, so she was literally holding on to the cliff for her life. Two hours later when a helicopter let a rescue paramedic down to her and he had wrapped a safety harness around her waste, she would not or could not let go of the cliff. The paramedic said he had to pry her hands away from the crag she was holding on to with what he called a "death grip." Oh WOW! It all ended good as she and her friend were rescued and suffered only minor injuries.

That young lady was so full of fear that she was actually crippled to the point of not being able to help herself when the rescuer came. She was so afraid that she was not able to let go, even knowing the rescuer had hold of her.

As I was watching the video of that rescue on TV and then thinking about it later, I realized that it is a perfect illustration of how believers and receivers of Jesus Christ sometimes let fear cripple their faith!

Fear can cripple faith in so many ways - from being afraid to share Jesus with someone, to being afraid that He might not answer prayers or heal a seriously ill loved one or heal a marriage that looks like it cannot be saved or heal the hurt from abuse, and the list can go on and on. Fear is dangerous!

Fear is crippling because it changes one's focus. Coaches and motivational speakers are notorious for statements like, "Keep your eye on the prize..." And that's not a bad motivational tool. If we don't see the goal we are reaching for and keep it in our crosshairs, then we are more likely than not going to miss the goal or at least take longer to achieve it. The same is true in our spiritual walk. To allow the Lord to fulfill his purposes for us, we must stay focused on Him. It's when we take our eyes off of Jesus, that fear can cripple us. I'm so thankful for Peter because he gave us so many examples of what our humanness apart from God can do. Remember when he wanted to walk on water like Jesus?

• Matt. 14:22-33 is an account of that story. After feeding the 5,000, Jesus had the disciples go on ahead of Him to the other side of the sea. While He went up on the mountain to have some alone time with the Father, the guys were in the middle of the sea when a great wind stirred the waves. The account in Mark 6 says Jesus saw them straining at the oars. They were in physical danger of being swamped by the waves. Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. They thought Him a ghost and cried out in fear. But when He spoke to them, they realized Who it was.
• Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately, Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him... (vv.28-31)
• As long as Peter's eyes were fixed on Jesus, he was fine - in fact, more than fine - he was walking on the water toward Jesus! But when he let himself get distracted by the wind - his gaze drifted away from Jesus - he began to sink. Fear took over and crippled his faith! And Jesus was within arms' reach! Just like the paramedic trying to resuce the hiker. He was right there with a harness around her waist, but she couldn't let go of the cliff. She - and Peter - were paralyzed by their fear.

Fear is also crippling because it feeds our doubt. Since our faith rests in a God whom we cannot physically see or touch, doubt is a powerful weapon Satan uses to diminish our faith. A believer who doubts God's truths and faithfulness is not likely to speak out for Him or to stand strong when troubles come. Many times when fear is feeding a believer's doubt, she will take matters into her own hands. The outcome is usually not a good one!

• Genesis 15-21 gives the account of Abraham and Sarah and the birth of their son, Isaac. God had chosen Abraham to be the "father of many nations." He had promised him a son through whom He would fulfill that promise. After many years, Sarah had born no children - she was barren. They began to doubt God's promise, and just as many believers do, they took matters into their own hands. Sarah suggested that Abraham bare a child by her maid servant, Hagar. Since God had not given Sarah a child, this must be the way He intended it to happen. Back in that day, children born to the maid servants were considered children of the master. So the son born to Hagar by Abraham could be the son God had promised. That son was named Ishmael. He was not the son God purposed to fulfill His promise through. Much dysfunction and discord was instigated because of Abraham and Sarah's doubt.
• God reminded Abraham about His promise and specifically told him that the mother would be Sarah and they would name the child Isaac. He even sent an angel to reveal the same to Sarah. - And she laughed. Her doubt continued because of her age. She forgot that the One dealing with them was the One who spoke the earth into existence! Even Abraham doubted and reminded God that he was a hundred years old and Sarah was ninety. However, a year from that day, Sarah gave birth to a son whom they named Isaac.
• When God didn't work on their time-table, Abraham and Sarah began to doubt what they knew about God and what they had heard from God. That fear led them to take matters into their own hands and "help" God out. They were afraid God had left them, or they were afraid that they heard the wrong thing, or they were afraid that time was running out on them and God.
• Their doubt led to the birth of two sons who were in conflict with each other from the beginning and the creation of two nations of people who continue to be in conflict with each other to this day. However, even in the midst of their doubt and disobedience, God was faithful, He never left them, and He fufilled His promise to Abraham. But the whole world lives with the consequences of their doubt.

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions that a person will ever encounter. And just like what happened with that hiker, fear can overtake every other emotion and rational thought. When we allow fear to change our focus and give rise to doubt, it becomes crippling. Spiritually, fear will cripple our faith. So, for that NOT to happen, we must keep our eyes focused on Jesus and let Him work in our lives in His time, trusting that He will do what He says He will do.

And we must remember that whenever we find ourselves hanging on to a cliff with a death grip, He is right there with us, urging us to reach out to Him for our rescue. He is our safety harness, and He will never let go.

Do not fear for I am with you; Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Is. 41:10

Let's Get Smart!

Growing up in the late 60's and early 70's, one of my favorite TV shows was Get Smart, a comedy featuring a bumbling spy known as Maxwell Smart and his spy side-kick, Agent 99. Max is best known for the telephone hidden in the sole of his shoe. I guess one of the purposes of the show was to relieve some of the anxiety of that Cold War era.

Spies have always played an important role in history. Basically, they have fulfilled one of two roles - secretly getting the lay of the land, so to speak, or infiltrating the enemy to gather intelligence.

Moses sent in a group of spies to get a look at the Promised Land before they were allowed to go in and claim it. They needed to know what they were going up against. Moses chose a man from each of the twelve tribes, excluding the priestly tribe of Levi. The account of their mission is found in Numbers 13-14.

The spies spent 40 days surveying the entire land and even brought back some of the bountiful fruit they found. They reported that the fruit was only a sample, that the land "certainly does flow with milk and honey..." In other words, it was all that had been promised and more! But here's the kicker. Nine of the eleven said, "Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there." (The descendants of Anak were a race of abnormally large people - giants like Goliath.) They went on to say, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us...we will be devoured..."

Now, this is the land that God promised Abraham generations before. And He said He would give them the land flowing with milk and honey. So, something is not adding up!

Well, there were two of the spies who did not agree with the other nine. Caleb and Joshua. In Numbers 14, all of the people of Israel began grumbling and complaining to and against Moses and Aaron, and even saying they were better off in Egyptian captivity. In the midst of that chaos and their fear, those two men stood up and pleaded with the people to remember the promises of God and the many provisions He had accomplished for them. They said, "If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us...only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey."

On one side, we hear the nine voices of fear, and on the other side, we hear the two voices of faith.

Isn't it the same for us today? We sense where God is leading us, what He wants us to do, who He wants us to share Jesus with, but we are conflicted by the voices of fear and the voices of faith. And many times, just like in the account of the Israelites, the voices of fear seem to out number those of faith, and fear is a human reaction that is fanned by peer pressure.

Sometimes, God Asks the Unthinkable...

My spiritual heart has always been torn between passion and reason. Since my teenage years, I have loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him. The passion-part of me wanted to say to Him, "I'll go wherever and do whatever You want!" The reason-part of me did say, "I'll go wherever and do whatever...within reason." In other words, I have put parameters on what I would do for God. Have you ever done that? If you have, you - like me - will never know what blessings we have missed.

We run into a man in Acts who was asked to do the unthinkable. It wasn't an easy decision, and he wrestled with the Lord over it. But, eventually, he decided to trust Him and be obedient - and it paid off with tremendous blessings. His name is Ananias, and his story is told by the writer of Acts in chapter  9 and then recounted by Paul in chapter 22.

Saul (later called Paul) was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus with a letter from the high priest giving him permission to arrest anyone belonging to "the Way" and bring them back to Jerusalem to be tried. Saul was responsible for ravaging homes belonging to believers and having them imprisoned and even killed. Remember, he was present at the stoning of Stephen and even thought to be the overseer of that event. Saul was an educated Pharisee who violently rebuked the good news of Christ. He was powerful and influential. The believers in Damascus had heard that Saul was coming for them, and, undoubtly, were somewhat frightened even as they were learning to trust and stand tall in their faith. It is really hard for me to wrap my brain around the idea that someone would want me dead because of my belief and faith in Jesus Christ! That's where we, as Americans, are so very blessed...we don't face that kind of opposition to our faith - yet.

While on the road to Damascus, Saul encountered the risen Christ, and it changed his life. He was left blinded by the encounter and given instructions to go on to the city and wait. In the meantime, the Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision. Let's talk about Ananias for a minute. We know from the scriptures that Ananias was a devout Jew who believed Jesus was the Messiah and became a follower of "the Way." His name means "the Lord is gracious." He was a quiet leader of the church at Damascus who had a close walk with Jesus - so much so, that he recognized the Spirit speaking to him through his vision. I must admit that I don't always recognize when the Spirit is speaking to me. When I've been out-of-touch with Him, His voice is sometimes vague. Again, I have to wonder what have I missed because I didn't hear Him???

However, Ananias DID recoginize His voice, but he didn't like what he heard. God asked the unthinkable of him! Actually, He didn't ask; He told. God told him to go to this particular place and ask for Saul of Tarsus, that he would be found praying. Okay, let's look at this. Ananias knew who Saul of Tarsus was - the persecutor of Christians, the one who gave the nod to Stephen's death, the one coming to Damascus to do the same to him and the other believers! Ananias' reaction was swift, "Lord, he is coming here to do us harm, maybe even kill us, and You want me to present myself to him like a present? I can't believe what You are asking me to do!" (My paraphrase)

Wow! How many times in my life have I had the same "silent" conversation with God? I can't give You complete control of my life because You might ask me to do something I just don't think I can do! Or go somewhere I just don't think I can go. Or ask someone for forgiveness that I just don't think I'm ready to forgive. Or share Jesus with someone that just might not want to hear about Him. Or...the list goes on...

The Lord's answer to Ananias' concern was, "Go..."  So he did...and he found the blinded Saul who had encountered Jesus but needed someone to share with him how to go about this new life. Saul regained his sight, was baptized, spent several days with the disciples learning more about Jesus, and was empowered by His Spirit to preach His salvation. And the rest, as they say, is history. Paul became a missionary and church planter. God used Paul to take the gospel westward to Asia Minor, Greece, and eventually Rome. Paul authored 13 books of the New Testament. Paul, who once imprisoned believers, was imprisoned several times for being a believer. Paul, who persecuted believers, was perscuted because he believed.

It is easy to focus all the attention on Paul, but let's not forget Ananias. Saul was able to become the Paul we love because Ananias "went" when God told him to "Go." He trusted God and his passion for Christ when his reason told him to stay and play it safe. The experience of Ananias reminds us that we should never be afraid to obey God's will. Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

How many times has God asked the "unthinkable" of me? I know I have missed many blessings because I have yielded my passion to my reason. I can't retrieve those times, but I can NOT miss them in the future. That's my prayer - to hear like Ananias, to trust like Ananias, and to be used like Ananias. Who knows how many "Paul's" may be in my path?

Brash or Bold?...

I live deep in the heart of Texas (and am a Proud Texan!), and for four days, we've been frozen in one of the worst ice and snow events in many years. It has been in the teen's since Monday night (I am writing on Thursday) with just enough ice on the ground to bring nearly half of Texas to a grinding halt. Schools have been closed, and we've experienced rolling blackouts due to excessive energy needs across the state. Where we live, this is a rarity! My dogs really don't like this weather! Neither Lily, our Bichon, or Sis, our Rat Terrier, want to go out and do their business! You would think they are the most meek and mild little dogs in the world - until the Schwann man rings the doorbell. Then they morph into these dastardly beasts who bark and snarl like they are going to have the guy for lunch! Their brashness always amazes me, and frankly, wears me out! The only way I could get them to go outside this morning was to let them out through the garage. For some reason, an opening to the front yard spells freedom. They got so excited and start jumping and barking. I guess they didn't realize it is as cold in the front as it is in the back! So I opened the garage door and off they went, racing with each other to see who could get to the grass first. Only our driveway is still a solid sheet of ice, and when their little paws hit it, they both went sliding down the drive and into the street! That made me laugh!

However, there is another side to our dogs. For example, when I am kicked back in my recliner and Lily is laying across my lap, her bark becomes a growl, and she is one serious pooch who is filled with the "don't mess with my Momma!" mentality! If another dog even thinks about sniffing my feet, Lily strikes the "at attention" pose and really will try to take down even the biggest of dogs - like Rambo, our daughter's blue heeler. Her boldness to go against this dog who weighs probably five times her weight amazes me! BTW - I think she is more interested in protecting her territory than her master!

After reading the last chapters of Luke and the first few chapters of Acts, I started thinking about the difference between brash faith and bold faith. When you look those two words up, you find them both described as "confidence." But digging deeper into the nuisances of the words, you'll find a subtle but important difference.

Brash/brashness is the appearance of confidence. Cocky and reckless are its synonyms. (Dictionary.com)

Bold/boldness is confidence. Courageous and resolute are its synonyms. (dictionary.com)

It was Peter who recklessly cut off the ear of one the soldiers who arrested Jesus, and it was that same Peter who cowardly denied even knowing Him three times before He was murdered. Peter was a hot-head whose appearance of boldness was dimmed by his fear. Before he experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit, Peter's "faith" was iffy - at best. Obviously, there was something about Jesus that captivated him and caused him to alter his life and follow Him for three years. But his relationship with Jesus was not deep enough to alter his character.

That all changed with his Pentecost experience. When the Holy Spirit filled that upper room and filled those 120 people, it literally altered personalities! Peter went from the cocky, reckless young man who would fade when the pressure was on, to a courageous Apostle who perfomed supernatural works and resolutely proclaimed that there is no other name by which one might be saved but Jesus. He became a powerful preacher whose fearless faith allowed him to stand before thousands of people as well as the same officials who had crucified the Christ. Just as Jesus had said, Peter became the rock upon which the Christian church was founded.

Peter was transformed from brash to bold - by the power of the Holy Spirit working in his life. That kind of boldness requires courage to press on through our fears and do what we know is right. How can we get that kind of boldness? - the courage to proclaim the name of Jesus without backing down - no matter what...

The answer? Do what the disciples did:

1. pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to give you courage. Read the first four chapters of Acts and count how many times and how much time they devoted themselves to prayer!
2. look for opportunities in your family, social relationships and work circles to talk about Christ - and do it! When Peter and John were ordered by the officials to not talk about Jesus anymore, they said whether it is right in the eyes of the government or not, we can not NOT talk about Jesus (my paraphrase!).
3. realize that rejection, social discomfort, and embarrassment are probably going to come your way. Scripture tells us that Satan is the Prince of this world - and he HATES Jesus. It's not going to be easy to be a bold believer. and
4. start where you are by being bolder in small ways. The more you practice telling others about your Jesus, the more natural it becomes.

If you want to be a Brash christian with a little bite - don't worry about it. Most of us are already there! But if you want to be a Bold christian with a big impact for the Lord, roll up your sleeves, get down on your knees, and pray for the Holy Spirit to alter your character.

The Calming Affect and Efffect...

No telling how many times in my life I have read the 8th chapter of Luke. As I was reading it this morning, the events and parables are so very familiar, so, no doubt, I've read it countless times. However, the number of times I've really READ it, doesn't climb as high! Today, I tried to really READ it, and, again, another WOW! (I think WOW has become my new favorite word - it's so expressive of the inexpressible!) I could spend days writing about the various pieces of that chapter that are powerful, but for now, I want to concentrate on verses 22-25.

At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus and his disciples (and some faithful women, by-the-way), began taking His ministry from city to city and village to village. One day they got into a boat to travel from the west side of the Sea of Galilee to the east side. Jesus must have been physically exhausted from all that He had been doing - healing, teaching, casting out demons, dealing with religious and political leaders - and He fell asleep in the boat. I love it! We are reminded of His humanness! As a youngster, I spent a lot of time in a boat with my dad, either fishing or dragging my brother or sister behind the boat on skis. A small-ish boat is not an easy place to take a nap! And Jesus was with several people who were rowing and probably yakking as they rowed. I'm just saying...He had to be really pooped to fall asleep.

Anyway, while Jesus was napping, the wind got up to the point where the waves were beginning to swamp the boat - and He still slept...The disciples were frightened for their lives, rightfully so. They woke up Jesus, and in their fear, shouted, "...we are perishing!" The disciples were in panic-mode! In my mind's eye, I can see Jesus rousing from His slumber, rubbing His eyes and looking at the boys and out toward the the water - not in any hurry or fear. He then stood up in the boat and rebuked the wind and the gigantic waves, and there was immediate calm. Yep, another WOW! Now remember, this is the same part of the "Us" that separated the waters from the waters and the waters from the land and heaven on day two of Creation. Yes, indeedee, He had to power to speak the water into existence and to calm winds and waves. A miraculous display of omnipotent power! But that's not all...

Jesus looked deep into the eyes of his disciples and said, "Where is your faith?" To me, that means, "Don't panic; I AM right here with you in the middle of this storm!" You see, we can't avoid the storms of life no matter how hard we try or how smart we think we are. Yes, some storms are of our own making, and we do have some control over those, depending on choices we make. We wouldn't be so foolish as to go boating when we know a storm is approaching! So we should always "check the weather" before making a bad decision. However, other storms - not of our own making - will come our way. Some may be due to the choices of others and some just from the circumstances of life, but they will come.

The reaction of the disciples serves as a lesson in what not to do, and that's to not let fear and anxiety grip us so tightly, that we begin to flounder. One of the most powerful things about this story is that Jesus was right there with them in the boat! He was with them in the storm! They were not alone! We must hold tight to the truth that one who walks with Jesus - as the disciples did - is never alone. He lives in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Where we go, He goes. He wasn't standing way far off on the shore unaware of the trouble the boys were in. No, He was in the same boat. So, we are never alone in our crises.

It's not just that Jesus is with us in the storm. It's what He will do if we call on Him. That is His affect. Affect is a verb, meaning it is an action word. According to Merriam Webster (BTW - another mush-have is a good dictionary), affect means "to produce an effect on or to influence." Jesus' affect when He stood up and spoke was to influence the guys to calm down. I take comfort knowing that in the middle of a life-threatening crisis, Jesus induces calm! He will calm me when me when I feel like I'm about to be overwhelmed by that which I have no control over. My friends, that is peace! Philippians 4:7 says, "...the peace of God surpasses all understanding." Those boys couldn't begin to understand how Jesus calmed the winds and waves. They didn't have to know! They just got to experience - His affect - His peace.

Jesus can also have an effect if we call on Him. Effect is a noun, a person, place, or thing, defined as a result or consequence. The result of Jesus' action was to stop the storm, literally. With His omnipotent power, He changed the circumstances of the storm. In this case, he stopped it all together. When they were overwhelmed, they called on Him to act, and He did. Now listen, He may not always choose to end your storm immediately. I recall that Paul was in the middle of a hurricane at sea and ended up shipwrecked; however, the effect was a more powerful testimony and ministry for the Lord.  But even when Paul finally made it to shore, he knew he was not alone. Jesus (via the Holy Spirit) had been in the same boat with him. When we call on Jesus, there will be an effect - a result - and it will be good. Paul was wrecked but not dead!

Soak in the familiar words of Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and called according to His purpose." That sums up both the affect and effect of the Lord Jesus in our lives!