Once again, instead of the Verse of the Day, we are going to look at a Quote of the Day for June 27, 2018:
“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me danger is very real but fear is a choice.”
–Will Smith
In “After Earth,” the Sci-fi film, starring Will Smith and his son, Jaden Smith, one of the underlying themes is the question of whether fear is real or imagined.
Recently, Bishop Charles Mellette shared an unforgettable illustration that conveyed the truth:”Fear is not real.”
He described an impressive wedding held in a large church that was filled with hundreds of people. After the wedding party had taken their places in the front of the vast cathedral, with the bride and the groom taking center stage, the officiating clergy addressed the congregation:
“If anyone can show just cause, why this couple may not lawfully be joined together, let them now speak, or else forever hold their peace.”
An uneasy hush hovered over the congregation, as they held their breath and prayed the moment would pass quickly. The intensity of the moment rose to an even higher level when from the rear of the church, a young woman with an infant in her arms started walking slowly down the aisle. As she moved closer to the front, the atmosphere thickened even more. The bride was noticeably shaken by the unfolding scene: she began to sweat heavily, as her heart rate increased, and she began to hyperventilate until she passed out, just before the young woman reached the front. The minister asked, “Do you have something you want to say?”
She responded, “We can’t hear you in the back.”
A sigh of relief swept over the congregation,” as they realized that the imagined disaster that the wedding would be terminated was not real; the fear of impending disaster was only imaginary, and things were not as they appeared to be.
Bishop Mellete spoke of the common acronym for fear that embodied this entire situation: “False Evidence Appearing Real.” In discussing 1 Peter 5: 8, he explained how the Adversary uses fear as one of his tactics that attack believers and impede their progress. It is a tool used as a barrier to stifle our confidence in God, as it attempts to limit our access to the Father’s throne of grace. Satan tries to instill fear in believers in the same way that a ferocious lion roars, seeking to instill fear that paralyzes its victim.
I Peter 5:8 (AMP):
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
Pastor Rick Warren describes fear as “. . . a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be.”
In 1 John 4:18 we find the perfect antidote to fear:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
When an individual is “perfected in love” and walks in or demonstrates that love, there no room for fear. The love of God is the key that releases each believer from the bondage of this “self-imposed prison” from which Christ came to set the captives free, as this poem indicates:
Self-imposed Prison
“Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you
from becoming what God intends for you to be.”– Rick Warren
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves torment. But he who fears
has not been made perfect in love.I John 4:18
This self-imposed prison, not made with bars of steel,
Nor formed with bricks, yet each subtly constructed wall
Restricts the mind, scars the soul and cripples the will
And impounds us to a state of constant free fall.
Held captive by past mistakes that seek to instill
Fear: this deadly acronym binds, confines the heart,
So disguised as “false evidence appearing real”
Keeps us from being all God intends us to be.
But Christ, our sovereign Lord, pardoned each life sentence,
Commuted penalties, declaring not guilty.
With his blood, having blotted out every offense,
Displayed undying love: key to set captives free.
Pure freedom to serve awaits those with ears to hear,
For perfected love destroys all walls built by fear.
Throughout the Bible we find reminders that we are to have no fear. The comforting exhortation to “fear not” or “do not fear” is said to occur 365 times in the Bible, indicating a daily memo from God that we are to have no fear. The closing sentence of the Quote of the Day says “Fear is a choice.” Without question, we are encouraged to choose “not to fear.”
Isaiah 41:10, 13
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.13 For I hold you by your right hand—
I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you\
We conclude as Whitley Phipps offers this musical reminder: “No Need to Fear”
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