STONE MOUNTAIN
Fear is something every individual experiences throughout their lives. To some, fear has become phobia; and has affected every part of their lives: Self esteem, family relationships, careers, etc.
Some fear has a known cause; for instance, if a person has been bitten by a dog, they may develop a fear of dogs. Some fear is free-floating, that is, it just appears for no apparent cause.
Fear is debilitating, and the Bible tells us that fear is also spiritual in nature -2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Where ever fear comes from, we know one thing from the Bible: Fear does not come from God.
I had the opportunity to visit family in Georgia a couple years ago. While there, we took a trip to Stone Mountain. Stone Mountain is a little bitty mountain in comparison to Mount Everest, but, nevertheless, it is a mountain. As we began to hike up the mountain, we talked and laughed and shared family time together. When I could the see the top of the mountain in the near distance, I suddenly had an urge to beat everyone to the top. In my quest to show off, .I began to run the last steps to the top of the mountain. All was going well until I reached the top and stopped running. At that moment I stopped running, I also realized that I couldn’t catch my breath. I sat down on a rock; and tried to communicate to God that I was sorry for showing off and please help me breathe. Fear gripped me in that moment and I thought I might die of lung failure. Of course, God is faithful; my breath returned to me, and I was fine.
Though it may sound like a silly story and perhaps not worth sharing, I tell the story to give an example of how fear can develop from a specific instance. From that day on, whenever I would get short of breath, I would panic and become very fearful that I wouldn’t be able to breathe. I would dream about not being able to breathe; I would think about not being able to breathe, and the natural by-product was that I developed a fear of not being able to breathe. I knew exactly where the fear began, yet it was difficult getting over it.
As a Christian, I realize that fear is not God’s will for my life. (Not little fears, big fears, or phobias.) 1 John 4:18 - There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Fear has torment and God does not want us to live in torment.
Even though I knew where the fear of not being able to breathe came from, I was living in torment and this was not God’s plan for my life. Reasoning things out and having knowledge of the roots of things does not bring deliverance from fear. Only the love of God can cast fear out of our lives.
When we are dealing with fear of any type we must cry out with the same fervor as David, “Whenever I am afraid I will trust in thee.” Psalms 56:3
