A Slave to fear

Acting on fear is the downfall of so many of us. In the bible the Israelites are the perfect example. Several times in their history they acted on fear instead of having courage and faith in God.

First they were in Egypt for centuries getting stronger. Pharaoh himself claimed that the Israelites were stronger than the Egyptians. (Exodus 1:8-10) However when the decision was made to enslave Israel, according to biblical records, Israel did nothing. For centuries they were enslaved without a rebellion recorded. (Exodus 12:40-41). After God used Moses with a mighty hand to free them and bring them through the desert, they were confronted with the Canaanites who were living in the promise land.

Once again they lacked faith and react with fear. They declared that they could not defeat the Giants who live there. They did even worst. They wished they had died in the wilderness or had never left their masters in Egypt. (Numbers 14:1-4)Their fear was truly remarkable considering they had seen a multitude of miracles provided by an almighty God with the sole purpose of freeing them and delivering to them the promise land.

Many centuries later, after the Israelites had seen many more miracles, fear would show its ugly face again. The Israelites would once again act out of fear and demand a King that could protect them against their enemies. For centuries God had lifted up men who for the most part were good, wise, moral, who feared Him and were dedicated to Him and whose sole purpose was defending Israel, but Israel’s fear was so intense that they were willing to surrender their freedom. Instead of being slaves to Egypt they would now be slaves to a king.

The prophet Samuel explains that the king would take their land, their earnings, their sons and daughters and force them to serve him. But they still wanted to be slaves in exchange for protection. (1 Samuel 8)

Fear has turned many into slaves. Fear stops us and keeps us from doing all we can and from putting our abilities to use. Opportunities can be lost and in the worst case scenarios we can remain trapped in a place that God does not want for us.

Let us all keep in mind what Paul told one of his young leaders, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) God does not want us to fear, but trust in Him and believe or as Jesus said “with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

Related articles

• Day 14- Exodus 6 (365daysoffocus.wordpress.com)
• God will deliver you from your Egypt, just like He did with the Israelite’s!(amandalouisehobba.wordpress.com)
• Dependence on God (tchesh.wordpress.com)
• #9 Enslavement and Exodus (biblestudybasics.wordpress.com)
• The Burning Bush (iamchasewordz.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 23.1-20 (9markspastor.wordpress.com)
• What if Moses didn’t raise his staff and stretched out his hand?(chaparnada.wordpress.com)

Basketball and God’s Wisdom

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 111:10

“He runs across the court passes to Johnson, he shoots from the three point line, he scores, they win, they win, and the crowd goes crazy!” Basketball is a great sport. You ever notice what a basketball player does. He runs, sometimes walks, throws the ball and dribbles. Most children can do these things. I am sure many would like to grow up to be great basketball players. In truth many are already on their way. They are learning each and every day. If they can just acquire enough wisdom for the game anything is possible.

It’s the same for Christians. We would all like to be great women and men of God. But I for one know there is no comparing Sammy (yeah that’s me) to Moses. But we all can keep growing in the Lord. Where do we begin? That’s the easy part. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10)

What does it truly mean to fear the lord? It means we are aware of his greatness and his might. We recognize that he is all powerful, knows all things and is everywhere. It also means that we are ready to submit to Him and trust in Him. We will obey Him.

When God first called Moses he resisted and gave many excuses, but he feared God and ultimately knew he had no choice but to submit. He then became a mighty instrument of God. He became a great man of God. But first He had to submit.

How can we do a better job of submitting to God? If we want to play on God’s team, we must study His rule book, also known as the bible. It contains all that God desires of us, and all the promises he has made and will fulfill. Let us commit ourselves to the study of scripture so that we may please God more and grow in His wisdom. We too can become great women and men of God and that’s better than shooting a three pointer.

Giant slayer

 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 1 Samuel 17: 45-47

For many days the giant stood before the mightiest warriors of Israel. He shouted insults and challenges. Surely one of these brave soldiers would be willing to stand up to the giant. But in the Israelite camp there was nothing but silence except for the sound of beating hearts, racing from fear. But this day would be different because a young lad, not a soldier, happened to be in camp delivering food, and he would decide to take a leap of Faith.

Trusting and waiting on God is necessary and often a good practice but sometimes a decision or a challenge stands before us and we must take action in faith, especially if others are at risk. An entire nation was in danger of being enslaved, someone had to take action.

David gathered a few stones and came before the giant trusting in his God. It was not exactly blind faith, since David had fought a lion and a bear. Still this man was a renowned warrior, who also happened to be over 9 feet tall. David could not even carry his armor. But David with much courage challenged Goliath and warned him that he would fight him in the name of The Lord the God of Israel and that He would give him the victory. David ran towards Goliath and with his sling flung a stone. Goliath fell to the ground and David acting quickly cuts the giant’s head.

David like everyone else could have easily given into fear. It is easy to be frozen when facing dangers or challenges. However David was a man of faith. When it is time to take action, we must act, and demonstrate the faith we have in God, believing He will give us the victory.