My precious wife is terrified of elevators.  The fear is so all consuming that she avoids them at all cost, even if it means climbing ten flights of stairs.  I am excessively afraid of sharks, to the point that I stay on the sand while my family enjoys the ocean surf.  Both of our fears are silly, and we know it.  In fact, we often tell ourselves how crazy our phobias are in an attempt to conquer them.  But all of the statistics, reasoning, and pep talks result in the same thing- we are still afraid!

Human beings exist in a world of fears.  Everyone is terrified of something.  Fear causes us to buy insurance, lock our doors, put on our life jackets, and fasten our seat belts.  Fear controls us.  It becomes our master.  Yet, we are told that, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER…” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).  According to the Bible, our Father is the antidote for fear!

How then do I apply this divine medicine?  We can certainly study and pray, but will simply having the knowledge be enough?  No, We have to take a leap of faith and FACE OUR FEARS!  Therefore, next time I’m on the beach, I will strive to remember God’s promise, strap on my fins and goggles, and dive in.  He can indeed help me face my fears, even if my knees are shaking the whole time!

Kerry

“I sought the Lord and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears”  Psalm 34:4

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Psalms 119:105 (NKJV)

We have all stumbled around in the middle of the night, our hands waving back and forth before us, trying to find the bathroom or kitchen.  The result is often a sore toe due to an unyielding couch or doorframe.  What is amazing is that we walk those halls of our homes every day, and we know every step, yet we still can’t find our way in the dark.  We feel uncomfortable, even vulnerable, and we second guess ourselves about things we already know to be true.  That’s what darkness does – it shrouds mankind in uncertainty and doubt, and leaves us stumbling through life.

This is why Christ’s words in John 8:12 are so very significant.  When He says, “I am the light of the world,” Jesus is promising that His truth will illuminate the darkness and provide us with confidence as we walk life’s road.  As light cuts through the darkness and bathes the world with illuminating hope, so our Lord has cut through the cloud of sin an shown us a path we can walk in absolute certainty.

Yet light is used in two other ways in scripture.  The Psalmist calls God’s Word “light,” and Jesus, in Matthew 5:14, said that WE are the light of the world.  Therefore we see that Christ can only show blinded men the way through the darkness if we choose to shine for Him and point people to His illuminating Word.

Kerry