My pastor shared with the staff this week about spiritual warfare. He said the main thing at the heart of spiritual warfare is fear. In Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve sinned the first thing they felt was fear. Not the healthy "fear of the Lord" that scripture says is the source of wisdom, but the fear that represents the severe distance from God that sin creates. Think of Peter at the crucifixion, David after he had impregnated another man's wife, or the Israelites at the shore of the Jordan river refusing to enter the Promised Land because of the giants who lived there. They were filled with fear that drove them to reject God's promises and to take matters into their own hands.
My pastor drove home the point that Adam and Eve became afraid because in their sin they wanted to become like God. After they had sinned, they realized that they were not God. Can we ever take that responsibility? In a universe without God, we become the strongest and wisest being there is and that is terrifying! Fear means taking our eyes off of the loving faithful Father and Savior and instead, focusing on the wind and the waves of the storm.
My wife and I are watching "3:10 to Yuma". Because we don't have much time in the evenings, we are watching it in installments, so don't tell me how it ends. But the Christian Bale character is driven by fear of losing his ranch and his family (and his identity as a man) to take the risky job of helping to escort a dangerous murderer across the wilderness to the stand trial. In a poignant scene, he tells his wife that he is tired of waiting for God to help him, and so he's going to do this risky job to make $200 to get the ranch back into shape. It made me think that spiritual warfare was making him look at his circumstances and despair, driving him away from trusting God to fight his battles.
I was also watching Veggie Tales yesterday. It was the one about Esther. It's not an especially excellent rendition of the story, but they make an excellent point: you should never be afraid of doing the right thing. Esther faced the fear in her heart because she trusted that the battle belongs to the Lord (not to Esther). So I guess you could also look at the "3:10 to Yuma" character as bravely facing a dangerous assignment because he knew that seeing this criminal come to justice was the right thing to do. (Based on the scene I mentioned, I don't think that's the filmmakers' intent).
What fears do you have? How are they driving you away from God and into taking matters into your own hands?
Remember the unchangeable Promises of God in Romans 8, Isaiah 43, Psalm 23, Ephesians 1, Philippians 4, Revelation 22, ...
Great inspired post. Thanks for sharing. I was talking to a mentor of mine over the weekend and we were discussing how a great deal of fear is a result of not believing in God's promises...for me that means the promise that He will finish the work He has begun. Because of this short coming it's easy for me to have an unhealthy fear of God as opposed to a healthy awe-ish fear that reminds me of my need for forgiveness. Thankfully, His promises are true and He is dedicated to showing us they are-Ummm by any means necessary. For example, if ever one starts feeling a bit too much like they want to become like God...preach it...He has his way of bringing us back to reality. Perhaps He lets you break your ankle and prevents you from gaining others approval by doing things for them.
Thank God, He doesn't let us stay as we are. Thank God His mercies are new every morning!
Man I wish more of the church would read this and chime in. We really could have a growthful dialogue here.