The Season of Fear is Over!
November 6, 2024
I am so glad Halloween is over and the election season is behind us! I stop watching TV in October because the only movies that are shown or promoted are horror movies and the fear-mongering in election advertising and news commentary never ends. Fear is a powerful thing. It is defined as an unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger, real or imagined. Fear-mongering is a manipulative tactic that uses fear to influence people’s actions or opinions. It typically exaggerates or highlights potential dangers or negative outcomes to cause people to make decisions based on fear instead of rational judgment.
As Christians, we can’t indulge in or entertain fear in our lives. Fear is from the devil, and it is the main tactic he uses to divide families, churches, and countries, isolating them and rendering them ineffective in building up their members. Jesus warned in Mark 3:25 that if a house is divided (split into factions and rebelling) against itself, that house will not be able to last. (AMPC)
Fear is the opposite of faith. To entertain fear is to drive away your faith in God. Fear must be actively managed and purged out. Jesus often coached His disciples to “fear not.” We have to do the same and we are more than able to do this because Jesus delivered us from the devil and rendered the devil’s fear tactics powerless. Hebrews 2:14-15:
…that by [going through] death He (Jesus) might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 And also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives. (AMPC)
Let’s pledge to roll into the Thanksgiving and Christmas season with intentional effort to identify the fear we have allowed into our lives and use our energy to turn those fear thoughts to thanksgiving and rejoicing. Fear is turned away when we give thanks to God for the good things in our lives. Ephesians 5:19 also tell us to speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to the Lord.
Open your mouth and sing because the season of fear is over! Be deliberate about flushing all types and forms of fear out of your life. The results for believers is as James 4:8 promises: if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you!