Fear

This past weekend Eric preached on "Fear." I want to share a little bit from his sermon with you, and what I have been thinking about.



"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." - 2 Tim. 1:7



This was Eric's main verse that he started with. I am not sure that I have ever wondered where fear really comes from. I know I am fearful of things, but not sure I truly, 100% realized that fear comes from Satan. I think it is normal to fear things, but God does not want that fear to rule your life. This verse clearly states that God gives us love, and a sound mind. He does not give us fear.



Eric talked a lot about Gideon and the battle he faced. Gideon was an Israelite who was chosen by God to defeat the Midianites. Here is what Gideon says "...how can I save Israel?...I am the least in my family." (Judges 6:15) The Midianites had an army of over 200,000 men, and Israel had an army of about 32,000 men after Gideon collected all of them. But God told Gideon that he had too many, and needed to release some of the men. So when it was all said and done, some scholars believe Gideon had about 2oo men in his army. I am sure Gideon was scared to death, he probably thought he was going to die! But it wasn't Gideon's job to defeat the Midianites, it was Gideon's job to trust God, and he would defeat the Midianites. So with their trumpets, some glass jars, and torches, the Israelites lead an attack on the enemy, and the Midianites were so surprised that they all turned on themselves, and basically attacked their own army. God and Gideon, together, defeated what seemed to be the impossible to defeat.



Now your Bible lesson is finished :) So this all leads me to think, what do I fear? Really, truly, afraid of? And with God's help, is it possible to defeat, and overcome this fear? Absolutely it is! It is not our job to solve every problem, or face our fears alone. It is our job, like Gideon's, to trust that God is faithful, and he will come through for us.