2 Timothy 1:6-9 – For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…
Genesis 3:9-10 – But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
We were spending our family vacation tucked away in a remote cabin surrounded by barren dirt hills and jagged rocks where we could breathe fresh air, splash in a lake, and do our best to grab some family time.
But our time away was actually the most intense point of our life and ministry. Crisis-level problems hit every day. Our phones buzzed constantly. We took calls out in the car. We didn’t want our kids looking on. We didn’t want them to overhear hard conversations or be overcome with fear. We wanted them to feel like life was normal even though we were in a war.
It was one of the worst seasons of our life. We felt as if an avalanche hit us. And we experienced great fear. Some of the concern was legitimate—based on actual negative things happening in the present that we needed to deal with. Some of the concern was illegitimate—based on possible negative things in the future, many of which did not happen.
Fear is one of the major topics of the Bible. Guilty of sin and hiding from God and his wife, Adam said, “I was afraid.”
Fear can divert our life energy from investing in real people and things and wasting it on a mirage. God creates faith, and Satan counteracts that faith with his counterfeit of fear.
To order the new book from Pastor Mark & Grace Driscoll “Win Your War”, visit: https://amzn.to/2YuhoDn.
For the entire eight-week “Win Your War” sermon series from Pastor Mark, visit www.markdriscoll.org or the Mark Driscoll Ministries app.