THE PANDEMIC OF FEAR

                                                               THE PANDEMIC OF FEAR

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself–nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”  (Franklin D. Roosevelt, Inauguration Speech on March 4, 1933.)

Note the words---“unjustified terror which paralyzes.”  There is a lot to unpack in that phrase.  It appears that fear can be unjustified in many ways.  Was the COVID 19 pandemic an unjustified terror?  No it was not!  Unfortunately, many people lost their lives and suffered greatly because of it, but the fear that it created resulted in an avalanche of paralysis that created a lethal weapon that impacted more of human kind than the virus itself resulting in job loss, the loss of many businesses, and the increase in suicides. 

“Fear not!” is the most repeated command in the Bible. In fact, it’s been said that there are 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible — one “Fear not” for every day of the year! Lloyd Ogilvie in Facing the Future without Fear even said there are 366 “Fear nots” in the Bible, one for every day of the year, including Leap Year! God doesn’t want us to go a single day without hearing his word of comfort: “Fear not!”  (Prince Thahir; Quora)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 NIV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

 

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  Isaiah 41:13 NIV

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  1 John 4:18 NIV

Fear causes anxiety, causes retreat, discourages common sense and is a weapon that the enemy (the devil) uses to manipulate people with his plans to accomplish his plans to lie, kill and destroy.  John 10:10, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  NIV

The pandemic of fear is not limited to the COVID 19 virus.  It grips all of us at one time or another, especially in the woke society that we are living in.  It has gripped some in the Church who are afraid to stand up for the principles in the Bible.  It has gripped the news media who are afraid to say anything out of step with the far left crowd.  It has paralyzed individuals from speaking up about their beliefs because they may lose their job. 

What is the antidote for this pandemic of fear?  I will tell you that it is in the Word of God.  It is our hope and trust in God living in His Kingdom where there is no fear but only love.  We need to take authority over this spirit of fear. One of my favorite scriptures is, Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  NIV

Don’t be afraid to speak out for what you believe.  If Jesus and the apostles had been afraid to heal the lepers who were the “untouchable” people, they never would have been healed.  If the woman with the issue of blood had been afraid to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, then she would not have been healed.  If David had been afraid of the giant, Goliath would never have been killed and the Israelites would never have had a victory.  David trusted in God.

 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.  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. 1 Samuel 17:45-46

If Martin Luther King Jr. had been afraid to march for civil rights, there never would have been de-segregation.  Rosa Parks was not afraid to refuse to sit at the back of the bus.  Corrie ten Boom and her family were not afraid to hide Jews in their home. 

Joyce Meyers says, “Just because you feel fear doesn't mean you can't do it. Do it afraid”

Do heroes ever experience fear?  I am sure they do but the difference between a hero and someone else is that they do the act even though they might be afraid!

I know we all struggle with fear.  Sometimes fear can be good.  We should be afraid of putting our hand in a fire because it will burn.  We should be afraid of jumping off of a cliff because we will die. 

“Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”
Arthur Somers Roche

“Five hundred years ago, Michel de Montaigne said: My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened. Now there’s a study that proves it. This study looked into how many of our imagined calamities never materialize. In this study, subjects were asked to write down their worries over an extended period of time and then identify which of their imagined misfortunes did not actually happen.

 Lo and behold, it turns out that 85 percent of what subjects worried about never happened, and with the 15 percent that did happen, 79 percent of subjects discovered either they could handle the difficulty better than expected, or the difficulty taught them a lesson worth learning. This means that 97 percent of what you worry over is not much more than a fearful mind punishing you with exaggerations and misperceptions.” (85% of What We Worry About Never Happens Don Joseph Goewey huffpost.com)

Fear and worry go hand in hand but,---- There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  1 John 4:18 NIV

 Since God is love, and He loves us and lives within us, then we have nothing to fear!!