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Moments Together for Couples 3/24
by Dennis and Barbara Rainey
A college professor did a survey of two thousand students and asked them what their greatest fears were. Here is the list of their top five fears: 1. Public speaking;
2. Blindness;
3. Heights;
4. Heart attack or cancer;
5. Death.
Fear is a snare. A trap. It can cause us to become paralyzed and discouraged. It intimidates us and causes us to feel inferior to others and to our circumstances. I believe fear operates like a magnifying glass, making seemingly small objects and circumstances seem giant and insurmountable.
Today, I believe too many Christians suffer from what I call the "What If Syndrome." Like a dog chasing its tail, they don't make any decisions because they continually worry "What if...?" This is exactly how the devil wants you to think.
You see, if Satan can get fear to line the interior of your soul, it becomes like a impenetrable coating that causes you to take your focus off God. Satan will do all he can to keep us from yielding our lives to God and experiencing His peace and love. First Peter 5:8 tells us, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." He is trying to use the snare of fear to devour us!
But God's Word says, "He who trusts in the Lord will be exalted." And although Satan may win a few battles on this earth, the victory is God's in the end.
Fear is the emotional pain in the soul of unbelief. When we feel fearful, it is God's warning light to us that we need to respond with faith; fear and faith cannot exist in the same spot simultaneously.
That God would fill your heart with faith so you have the ability to trust Him in fearful circumstances.
Discuss: Look at your list of fears you wrote yesterday. How are those fears causing you to take your focus off God?
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