Fear Delievered

(James 2:23)  "and so it happened just as the Scriptures say:  "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."  He was even called the friend of God."

Let me start off by stating a question.  “Why is it so hard to believe what God says is true?”  I have wrestled with this question either mentally or with my attitude for years.  One might think that as you get older your ability to trust in God grows with your age, but that is not always the case.  The reality is often it is just easier to live by what we feel rather than by Gods truth.  And somewhere between the two we pick which facts suit us best for our own self-preserving outcome.  I so wish what I just wrote was not true, but fear drives this reality.

As we all know so well, fears about life are very real and very vivid in our daily existence.  As a pastor and a father I see it often.  A fear of rejection that caused us to compromise, a fear of the unknown that causes us to doubt or a fear of embarrassment that caused us to lie.  We are constantly bombarded by fears and they affect our choices and our character.  Some fears are small, but some are larger than life itself.  One thing is sure, all fears have a shackling result.

Psalm 34:4 states “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

Because fears are so controlling we forced to deal with them.  We seek someone or something to conquer them. Often where we go determines the outcome of fear’s control over our life.  We may have a good pep talk with ourselves, we may talk to our spouse, a friend at work or even a counselor or pastor.  But in the end we forget that only God can conquer all our fears. 

I sought the LORD….humm…gets me thinking.  How many times in the vivid midst of my fears have I sought the LORD?  Honestly, not enough.  I remember seeking God in my life during times of joy and victory and times of need and sorrow, but in times of racked, debilitating fear…not so much.

Something about fear diverts our passions away from the one who delivers from fear.  And the big truth is only God has the ability to deliver me from all my fears.  It’s in seeking the LORD only you and I will be delivered from ALL fear! 

One final thought….when something is delivered it’s transferred.  I when I order something online and it’s delivered to my front door the delivery company has ownership until it’s delivered.  Once I receive it at my front door, ownership is transferred and it’s now mine.  To be delivered from all your fears means you need to deliver or shall I say “offer” unto God all you are (fears and all).  Transfer ownership over to Him, let Him take on each and every fear.

“Heavenly Father I surrender all my fears (list each one here) into your hands today.  I transfer ownership of them..I do not own that fear anymore, instead I seek You for the answer and give you my whole heart today.  In Jesus Name…Amen”