Fear

[soul man]

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. - Romans 8:15.

The world is not a bad place. There is bad in it..but the world is not a bad place but viewed based on fear. The fruit that came with the tree Adam was not to eat from came with a knowledge and that knowledge judges the world to be good or bad.. and most of the time we just see the bad. Especially if your a news buff..they will show you everything that goes wrong in the world instantaneously now and we go and hid like Adam. Adam was struck by fear the moment he received a sin nature.

Fear came with the nature..as a matter of fact..fear is what drives the sin nature. We are naturally afraid of everything. So the first thing you want to do when you watch the fallout in the world is find a way to pertect yourself. Gather up food that rots and guns that rust, dig a whole somewhere in the desert to crawl into and start preaching. I'm being a little facetious but there is a point to self preservation. I have family that had done exactly that and preach victory. Not to make light of what drives man but does anyone see anything wrong with fear that drives every motivation in the world.

I can see the world playing out the roll of fear..but not the born again. Do you know why the spirit of fear is not given to the born again? because the nature they have - has no fear in it. The nature they HAD was fear. We were fear..fear gripped and ruled.. controlling you.. you remember it quite well because we still act on it. I know I do.. I'm aware that is not who I am anymore but that grip on the mind is what we overcome. Fear is gripping to the point it is paralyzing at times. What is that ugly monster? And we wonder how sin work's in the world. Salesmen get ahold of the phycology of fear ..and sale based on fear working in people - if you do not take this pill..if you do not own this certain car.

Violence is fear based.. everything comes out of fear. I used to look at violence and think - fearless. It is quite the opposite..it is violence that comes out of self preservation at all costs. So what looks like the biggest and meanest fearless is the fearful. Sin in humanity comes to fruition as fear. The scripture says when they see Satan that did deceive Nation's they will say "this is him.. he caused all this..what a deception." They will not reconize him because he is not going to be a snarling hollywood figure. Even his very looks are deceiving! Fear is blinding. Fear is boudage..fear is a sinning nature with the original sinner as it's progenitor.

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17 that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. - Isaiah 14:16-18.

 

[Webers_Home]

.
• 2Cor 5:11 . . Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;

The Greek word translated "knowing" means to know firsthand, viz: by
experience rather than by education and/or instruction. In other words;
there were incidents at various times in the lives of Paul and his
contemporaries when God frightened them, i.e. scared 'em out of their wits.

Paul's history attests there's nothing like a good old fashioned close
encounter of a third kind to convince even the most dedicated skeptics.

But encounters aren't always scary; for example:

Some 50+ years ago I knelt down at the front rail of a church in Portland
Oregon and, accompanied by elders, prayed a really simple prayer that went
like this:

"God, I know I'm a sinner. I would like to take advantage of your son's
death"

A really eerie moment happened while I was saying my brief little prayer. I
got a vivid mental impression of someone there with us. I couldn't see
anything or hear anything, or make out a face or a form. Whatever that
impression was hung around for every last syllable of my prayer, and then it
was gone. I'm not a big fan of paranormal activity but I'm telling you
something was there; and I was young and strong, hadn't been drinking,
wasn't taking any medications, nor have I ever used drugs.

But the thing is; that eerie moment didn't frighten me because I instantly
perceived it was God letting me know that He approved my prayer and
granted my request.

Compare my reassuring moment with God to the moment of terror sure to
be experienced by a number of folks in the future.

• Rev 6:12-17 . . And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo,
there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of
hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the
earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a
mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together;
and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

. . And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

. . . and said to the mountains and rocks: Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for
the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
_

 

[Robert Gwin]

.
• 2Cor 5:11 . . Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;

The Greek word translated "knowing" means to know firsthand, viz: by
experience rather than by education and/or instruction. In other words;
there were incidents at various times in the lives of Paul and his
contemporaries when God frightened them, i.e. scared 'em out of their wits.

Paul's history attests there's nothing like a good old fashioned close
encounter of a third kind to convince even the most dedicated skeptics.

But encounters aren't always scary; for example:

Some 50+ years ago I knelt down at the front rail of a church in Portland
Oregon and, accompanied by elders, prayed a really simple prayer that went
like this:

"God, I know I'm a sinner. I would like to take advantage of your son's
death"

A really eerie moment happened while I was saying my brief little prayer. I
got a vivid mental impression of someone there with us. I couldn't see
anything or hear anything, or make out a face or a form. Whatever that
impression was hung around for every last syllable of my prayer, and then it
was gone. I'm not a big fan of paranormal activity but I'm telling you
something was there; and I was young and strong, hadn't been drinking,
wasn't taking any medications, nor have I ever used drugs.

But the thing is; that eerie moment didn't frighten me because I instantly
perceived it was God letting me know that He approved my prayer and
granted my request.

Compare my reassuring moment with God to the moment of terror sure to
be experienced by a number of folks in the future.

• Rev 6:12-17 . . And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo,
there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of
hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the
earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a
mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together;
and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

. . And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

. . . and said to the mountains and rocks: Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for
the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
_

I would imagine truth be told most Christians start that way sir. We hear some of the message, get a glimmer of our sins and responsibilities towards God, and starting with a personal prayer start growing to maturity. The key of course is to continue in that growth, because we all expect to worship and serve God eternally.