Our Fear of What Others Think

     Recently a television ad got my attention for its "me-centric" theme.  A lady pops into a room filled with other women who represent various aspects of her personality (it's a commercial for Zillow).  There is "negative" me, "lazy" me, "anti-social" me, "spontaneous" me and a host of others.  Of course, it is all the same person shown on camera.  In short, it's all about "me"!  She is looking for advice on a home she wants to buy.  This is a clever ad, but it also reveals where many of us get stuck in life.  Instead of looking to God for answers, we often turn to ourselves or others.  This is what one author calls the "fear of man".

     A Bible study I am doing with a friend is based on a book by Trillia Newbell entitled "Fear and Faith". Her chapter on the fear of man really spoke loud and clear to me and I think it speaks volumes to many of us who love the Lord.  We can so easily be sidetracked in our walk of faith by being overly concerned with what others think of us.  We may avoid acting in a certain way or saying certain things in an effort to please others.  That is not to say that we should be tactless in the way we behave around others, but when we allow fear of others to dominate our thinking then we are demonstrating a fear of man.

     In John's Gospel, we see this on clear display as Jesus ministered among the people.  Verses 42-43 in chapter 12 read:  "Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in Him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."  Just reading that makes me sad and yet, we are in much the same boat aren't we?   We don't want people to see our sin or be disappointed in us.  As a result, it leads to people pleasing rather than pleasing God.

     Another book which I have recently read (Todd Friel, "Stressed Out: A Practical, Biblical Approach to Anxiety") offers several symptoms of the fear of man.  He lists the following:  insecurity, people pleasing, given to gossip, afraid of failure, given to shyness, self-consciousness, easily embarrassed, avoidance of others, need to be in control, a craving to be approved, reactionary and defensive, can't handle rejection well, struggle with over-sensitivity,  overly competitive with others, controlled by the opinions of others (Chapter 16, Stressed Out).  Furthermore, he goes on to say that the fear of man is a pride problem at its core.  What we really need to focus on is not so much what man thinks but how are we living in light of our relationship to God who loves us and gave His Son for our salvation?  

     Our lives need to be focussed on glorifying the Lord and serving Him.  People's opinions, as we know, change with the wind but our God is the constant in our lives.  His love never changes for us nor does He abandon us when we fail.  He is ready to forgive when we come in repentance and any reading of the Bible assures us that He is the God of all mercy.  The Bible is right when it says in Proverbs 29:25:  "The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trust in the Lord will be exalted."  

     In addition, God does not demand a perfect performance from us because Christ's perfect, sinless life was imputed to us when God regenerated our hearts.  Our worth, our significance is not in what others think but it is found in Christ alone.  What a relief!!!  We don't have to dance to someone else's tune!!!  We don't have to overachieve or exhaust ourselves trying to please everyone.  We are accepted in the Beloved as a Christian.

     Obviously, we want good relationships and want to bless others, but our motive should be to please the Lord in all we do.  Let us cast aside our pride and our fear of what others might think, and enjoy our freedom in Christ.  Living for Him will bring the richest blessings and the greatest satisfaction!  Selah!

What is Truth?

      During my years in college, it was a turbulent time in our country's history.  The Vietnam war raged on and there were demonstrations across the nation.  Young people, in my generation, were looking for answers and we often sat in the Student Union to discuss the various issues of the day.  Some of us had come to college to study and prepare for a career.  Many young men came to escape the draft through student deferment, but whatever the reason, most of us were looking for truth.  Sadly, some found their answers in radicalism, socialism and even Marxism.  Others found their truth in drugs and the sexual revolution.  However, for me, it was the beginning of a spiritual quest.  I had been raised in the church and taught about Christ but now my values and faith were being put to the test.  Just because a person belongs to a church does not mean they are a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes them a car.  We must each individually come to the truth of who Jesus Christ really is in order to call ourselves Christians.

     All these thoughts went through my head as I listened to our pastor's sermon this past Sunday.  He preached on a passage that really grabbed my attention (John 18:28-40).  In this passage, Jesus has been arrested and brought before Pontius Pilate by the Sanhedrin.  As Pilate begins his interrogation, he asks Jesus if He is a king.  Jesus made it clear that His kingdom was not of this world and then responded:  "You say that I am a king.  For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.  Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?'" (verses 37b-38).  Sounds so like a politician doesn't it?  In fact, it sounds like many people today.  Our culture says that truth is relative.  What may be true for you may not be true for me.  However, we have been given a standard of truth by which we are to live.  It is a handbook for life given to us by our Creator.  Most of us grew up with this handbook in our home.  It's called the Bible.  Unfortunately, many have neglected to read it, and it shows in the broken lives we see around us.

     When God made this world, it was perfect, good and in harmony.  He made man and woman in His image, but they chose to disobey Him.  Not only did they break fellowship with God, but they plunged our world into a fallen state.  Work would become hard and now relationships would also be affected by the sin that had entered mankind.  In the Bible, we are clearly told in Romans 3:10-11:  "...as it is written:  'None is righteous, no, not one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God."  This has been the story of the human race ever since that day in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed the voice of Truth.  Yet, the story does not end with our bondage to sin which all of us are under from the day we are born.

     John 3:16 clearly tells us that God had a plan from the beginning to offer us freedom from sin so we could know the truth.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  This is what Jesus was trying to tell Pilate.  He had been born to bring the light of truth and to die for the sins for which we were guilty.  In front of this Governor stood the answer to the question....what is truth...but he chose to turn away.  Many choose to walk away even today.  They seek answers in government, as Pilate did, or they try alternative ways of living....anything to avoid God and deal with sin.  The problem is that there will never be a perfect government, justice or freedom in this fallen world.  We don't have to look to far to see that for ourselves.  As hard as man tries, we just can't fix all the broken pieces, but the Good News is that Jesus Christ is coming again.  He will bring the justice we crave.  He will bring peace and the truth that we desire.

     As He told Pilate, His kingdom is not of this world. When we put our faith in Him and repent of our sins, we become citizens of this new and better kingdom.  Furthermore, according to the Bible, He will create a new heaven and a new earth restoring what sin destroyed in this world.  Talk about improving the environment and restoring right relationships!  He will walk with us and fellowship with believers.  It's all described in the Bible.

     Now anyone reading this may say, that all of this is well and good, but this is "pie in the sky by and by".  What about our problems here?  Jesus Christ has commanded us to be light and salt in this world.  We are to tell others about Him and the truth He brings.  Of course, we should be involved in doing what we can to better things for others around us and fight for truth.  But when He rose from the dead, He conquered sin and death for those who believe in Him.  We will live eternally and the question is where will that be?  In His Kingdom or in Hell that is prepared for the devil and his angels?  Pilate chose to walk away.  He was too busy with the affairs of life to face the 'Truth" in front of him.

     Beloved, I am writing this to encourage believers to keep our eyes fixed on Him.  He will come again.  He will set all that is wrong right.  We cannot fix this broken world but He can.  For those who have never committed their lives to Christ, think about what I have written.  Jesus said:  "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).  Open the Bible and read the Owner's Manual to life...in its pages there is truth and this truth will set you free!  Selah!

     

Why We Need the Word Now More Than Ever

      Recently, I have completed a wonderful book which I commend to you entitled "The Whole Armor of God" by Iain M. Duguid.  It is an excellent discussion of the armor with which the Lord has provided to believers as described in Ephesians 6:10-18.  However, one section really stood out to me in importance for us at this time.  We need the Word of God which is described by the Apostle Paul as the Sword of the Spirit.

     Certainly a sword is thought of as a weapon that can be used to defend ourselves.  The catch is that we need to know how to use the weapon if we are to be effective in combat.  Likewise, having a Bible that sits on the shelf gathering dust does us no good unless we open the pages and read it prayerfully.  Knowing how to skillfully handle God's Word is a powerful tool not only in sharing Christ with others but in also defending our belief in the Lord.  The more we know who God is and who we are in relationship to Him the more successful we will be in tearing down false arguments against our faith.

     When we think of the Olympics, we admire the athletes that compete because we know they have spent countless hours developing their skills in their chosen sport.  No one would dare compete who had not prepared physically for their event.  They are committed to doing their very best.  How about us as followers of Christ?  We say we believe, but are we willing to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us as we read God's Word?  There are many ways we can study the Word  by using a reading plan (I have personally followed a wonderful five day plan through the Bible in a year for some time now), getting into a Bible study with others, sitting under the preaching of God's Word on a regular basis to name a few.  I even found a wonderful Bible App called "Dwell" that offers the Bible to be read by various people with a beautiful music background.  Perfect for meditating on the Word as you drive down the highway.  It also allows you to hear someone read it as you read along in your Bible at the same time.  There are so many helps available if we will apply ourselves to learn how to wield the Sword of the Spirit.

     Secondly, the Word of God is a means of pruning us as we read it.  Trust me, I am no expert in tree trimming but here in Florida, if we do not prune our shrubs, trees and bushes, they will become overgrown quickly leading to problems.  In addition, pruning helps to direct the growth of the plant.  God does the pruning in our lives too.  As we read the Bible, He may make us aware of a sin that we need to confess.  Our Lord also may allow trials in our lives that drive us to seek answers in the Bible.  Honestly, pruning may not feel good at the time, but we must remember that God is doing a work in us to direct our growth that we may become more like His Son.  No one can bear good fruit unless we abide in Christ, His Word and yield to
the master skills of the Father who prunes us with care.

     Finally, Iain Duguid in his book likened the Bible to a scalpel.  I had never really thought about that before.  This past week, I had a procedure done on my face to remove a small growth.  A cancer cell had been identified so they had to go deeper to make certain they got it all.  I had stitches and some discomfort, but by far, that is much better than not having this removed.  In the same way, as we read God's Word, it goes deep into our hearts and searches out what we need to have taken away.  Hebrews 4:12-13 says:  "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."  This is a wake-up call for all of us.  

     As we read and pray over the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts.  He will teach us to wield it as a Sword for our defense.  The Lord will work on pruning us so we can develop the fruit of the Spirit in greater abundance, and He will surgically remove those things in our lives that hinder us in our walk with Him.  This is why we need the Bible more than any other book today.  Just look at our world around us.  There are so many who need to know the truth.  We must be willing to become a student, a workman that is worthy of his hire as the Bible says.  So, if you haven't already, dust off your Bible and dive in.  God has so much to show us, teach us and reveal to us in the pages of His Word that will never pass away.  May He give us a heart on fire for His truth!  Selah!