08/03/2019
LEARNING OBEDIENCE 15: Give No Room for Fear
Bible Passage: Judges 6:10-12
"And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. [11] And there came an angel of the Lord , and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. [12] And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." (Judges 6:10-12 KJV)
Another factor that causes disobedience in children of God is fear. That is why one of the things you must get the better of, if you want to learn obedience, is fear.
There are various types of fear. There is fear of the unknown. In this case a person doesn't do what God wants because they aren't sure what to expect and how exactly things will play out. If Abraham had let this stop him we wouldn't be reading about him today.
There is also fear of failure. In this case the person really wants to do what God wants but feels inadequate to surmount the challenges ahead.
Another type of fear is the fear of others. This is when the consideration for what others would say crowds out what God is saying and makes us choose a path God has not chosen for us. This was the initial problem that made King Saul run into problems with God.
The question is, are you allowing fear to come in the way of your obedience to God in one form or another in your Christian business?
Remind yourself always that if you have fear, it becomes nearly impossible to actualise what God wants for you (1 John 4:18).
Rather than lean on your fear, what you must do is lean on your faith. Choosing to act in the line of fear may give us temporary comfort but ultimately the price is an unfulfilled destiny (Hebrews 11:24-27).
Our bible passage shares an occasion in which God had instructed the children of Israel not to be afraid but instead they chose to fear (Judges 6:10). That led to many years of oppression, deprivation and impoverishment till the Lord came to free them by raising Gideon to be their judge and leading them out of the problem they had put themselves in (Judges 6:1-14).
Dear child of God, it is only those who don't give in to fear that see the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14:13).
Next time fear wants to stop you from obeying what God is asking you to do, remind yourself that fear is not of God. Courage and soundness of mind are. Face that mountain with every assurance that God has given you.
Grace to you
Obedience