“It is the LORD who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Dt. 31:8 AMP
Four hundred years pass since the death of Joseph, the original seventy Hebrews who had migrated to Egypt to live with him, and the Pharaoh who had favored Joseph. Now, the Hebrews had multiplied into hundreds of thousands.
The reigning Pharaoh at this time, grew concerned over their number, fearing that they might ally themselves with Egypt’s enemies. So, he enslaved the Hebrews and declared an edict which demanded that all newborn Hebrew males were to be slaughtered.
One Hebrew couple of the tribe of Levi, hid their son until he was three months of age; whereupon they sent him floating down the Nile river in a basket, while the boy’s sister walked along the riverbank, watching. The basket became entrapped in some reeds, where it was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, who took him in as her own son and named him Moses.
Moses’ sister came to Pharaoh’s daughter, (without revealing her identity), and offered to find her a Hebrew wet-nurse, who just happened to be Moses’ birth mother, (who also did not reveal her connection).
Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace with the finest education and privileges afforded to an ‘Egyptian.’ When he approached adulthood, he happened upon an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. Moses intervened. (We don’t know why; perhaps his birth mother told him of his true lineage.) The Egyptian was killed during the fracas, and fearing retribution, Moses fled to Midian (modern-day Saudi Arabia).
Moses became a shepherd, married, and had a son. Concurrently, Pharaoh dies, but unfortunately, he is replaced with another Pharaoh, who harbored equal enmity towards the Hebrew slaves. They cried out to God for help…
One day, Moses is tending his sheep, when he comes upon a bush that is burning, yet not consumed. Curious, he approaches it, when suddenly a voice booms out, ‘Moses, Moses!” You can bet that he almost had a coronary. Then, the voice said:
“I am the God of your father – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Ex. 3:6 NKJV
Jehovah establishes who He is and is also recognizing Moses’ Hebrew heritage. Next, God charges him with the tasks of confronting Pharaoh to demand the release of His children and with leading them to the land of Canaan.
In spite of God assuring Moses that He will accompany him, he begins to balk. Moses tells Him that he doesn’t know what to call Him, and that the people won’t believe him, (at which point Jehovah works a couple of miracles, but Moses isn’t fazed). Moses also complains that the people won’t trust him, that he’s not a good public speaker, and finally begs God to send someone else.
Why is Moses doing this? Why is he trying to defy God? Because he is filled with fear…
No one is born afraid. You rarely see it in children. They are for the most part fearless. Fear must be indoctrinated by parents, schools, governments and the media. The Dark Mind (see my post Evolution of the Dark Mind), feeds off of this fear. This ‘fear mindset’ is the disease of an anxious world.
Indoctrinated children are afraid of the same things as adults, who cling to their malevolent childhood experiences (either internally or externally generated). The world presents itself as a dangerous place to those whose self-worth is dependent upon its acceptance.
Fear is not real; it’s not a solid thing. Fear is an emotional mechanism for avoiding pain from things that might happen to you. It does not protect you. Indeed, chronic fear leads to insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and cancer.
Someone who is afraid, avoids the unknown, so that they will not have to face punishment from others or themselves, should they not face it adequately. If they ‘fail,’ that voice in their head will do most of the chastisement. Is any part of this experience congruent with the ways of God?
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the Lord will be exalted and safe. Pr. 29:25 AMP
“Do not be afraid…I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Gn. 15:1 NKJV
I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Ps. 34:4 NASB
Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. Ps. 23:4 AMP
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Ps. 27:1 ESV
Fear is not congruent with God and His presence. He delivers you from all fears, He shields you and protects you from evil – including death itself. With God at your side, you can live a fearless life. Unfortunately, those who don’t connect with God are unaware of this; they only know fear.
There are three basic fears. First is the fear of death, which no one knows anything about, because no one that has died has come back relate their experience. For the non-believer, it is the idea that things die, that causes their suffering – worrying over what happens next, or even if there is a next. These are the same people who anxiously cling to people and stuff, not realizing that it is their engagement in the fear of death that hastens their due date.
Yet for a believer, God tells us plenty. The death of our flesh is nothing to be afraid of:
“Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself with be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more…” Rv. 21:3, 4. CSB
The second is the fear of abandonment, which stems from believing that you are unlovable or unacceptable. You look to others to create meaning in your life, which leads to the fear of being alone. Even when you are with someone, you’re preoccupied in being afraid that they will leave. Thus, you become a people-pleaser. More suffering. A relationship with God is nothing like that (see the scripture under the title of this post).
Finally, we have the fear of impermanence (change). Yet, the only thing life guarantees is change. It unnerves most people because they want to know exactly what is going to happen next. They want to be in control. GUESS WHAT? We don’t know what’s going to happen next and there is no control!
The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. Pr. 16:9 NASB
God is the only unchangeable force in this universe:
“For I am the LORD, I do not change;” Mal. 3:6 NKJV
Humankind’s desire to wrest control from God, immerses everyone in a background of anxiety because they know that it’s impossible. God is the only reality; and all suffering comes from resisting what is real.
Change is good, because it means we have new possibilities to look forward to. Trying to resist change ends up in paralysis. We scramble from the present moment and hide from the next. We can’t be happy because we are waiting for the ‘right conditions’ to coalesce – for that perfect moment that never comes.
We react to life instead of evaluating it. We are afraid of being ourselves. Most people think that there is some secret to figuring out life, believing that everyone else knows it but them. Everyone is so afraid of not getting it all together. NOBODY GETS IT ALL TOGETHER! We are all a work in progress.
Fear needs to be uprooted so that we can make conscious choices. Would anyone consciously decide to hurt themselves and others, to invite suffering? Of course not! Admitting your fear is the first step towards becoming fearless. You are only afraid because you forgot your perfection…
The last thing I want to say about fear, is that its worst effect is that it deafens you with regards to hearing the call of God, due to your preoccupation with the world.
There isn’t anyone that God cannot use for His kingdom purposes. Furthermore, He has already equipped everyone to do so:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Eph. 2:10 NKJV
We tap into these innate God-given skills by becoming intimately acquainted with His word and by exercising our willingness to step out in His name:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. NKJV
God is calling you to your own purpose in Him:
Only, let each one live the life which the Lord has assigned him, and to which God has called him [for each person is unique and accountable for his choice and conduct, let him walk in this way]. 1 Cor. 7:17 AMP
We have seen that fear is only an illusion, an emotional reaction that we construct. It is time to deconstruct those fears, because we have seen the damage that fear causes, yet we know that God has our backs at all times. So, let them go and take that fearless walk with God:
…walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called… Eph. 4:1 NASB
Amen.
Goodnight and God bless.