We Are Not Given a Spirit of Fear By Michael Youssef, Ph.D. Has God ever given you a task that created a sense of panic or dread in your heart? Maybe He was calling you to lead a small group in your neighborhood. Or perhaps there was a specific person in your life who needed to hear the Gospel. Instead of rejoicing in this responsibility, you avoided it. We often claim we want God to use us, but in reality we mean this only on our own terms. Our words loudly profess, “Here I am, Lord. Use me however you want.” But our hearts whisper, “Lord, I want to serve You, but only if it means working on this project or serving in that location. I definitely don’t want to witness to this particular person or to that particular group.” No biblical example better reflects this attitude than Jonah. In this book of Scripture, we see a man who had served God faithfully in the past, but resisted God’s call when it became less comfortable. “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish” (Jonah 1:1-3). Jonah’s call to witness to the Ninevites was no easy task. These were not peaceful, easygoing pagans. This large city was the capital of the ancient Assyrian empire, a people known for their violence and cruelty. Jonah quickly forgot about the sovereignty and providence of God, and caved into his own panic and fear. While fear can be debilitating, the Scriptures tell us, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord. . . . But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:7, 8). The book of Romans declares: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (8:15). As children of God, we must press on beyond the fear because we can trust God will not abandon us, even during difficult situations. God wants us to tell others about His love—not only through our words, but also through our actions. Saying “Jesus loves you” is not enough. We need to demonstrate how God’s love has changed our hearts and our souls. We need to surrender our fear and control as God uses our lives as a living testimony of His grace. It’s easy to do God’s work when the recipient is someone we care for—but what happens when God wants us to minister to someone who is offensive, obnoxious, or condescending? Like Jonah, sometimes we are called to witness to people we don’t feel great compassion toward—neighbors or co-workers we don’t like, or acquaintances who intimidate us. Jonah’s response to God’s calling was one of rebellion and resistance. Instead of heading for Nineveh, he ran for Tarshish. Instead of obedience, he chose to flee from God and from His call. Has God placed a call on your heart to witness to a particular person or to serve Him in a certain way? How have you responded? Are you walking in obedience and on your way to Nineveh—or have you rebelled and boarded the ship for Tarshish? When God is prompting us to do something, we must obey Him. Too often, we ignore His voice—out of fear, embarrassment, or even disdain. Seek God’s forgiveness today. Ask Him to instill in your heart a new compassion for others and the desire to be a witness for Him. “May the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” —Hebrews 13:20-21
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 20:50:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015