Hungry for God; Starving for Time
“And then the ugly, old troll said to little Billy goat gruff, ‘Who is that tripping over my bridge?’”
Determined to entertain my granddaughters without turning on the television, I was retelling one of their favorite stories. I raised my hands like claws and contorted my face into my best ugly, old troll impression as I rasped out, “Whoever it is . . . I . . . am . . . going . . . to eat you up!’”
My youngest granddaughter, Caroline, had been watching my face with wide eyes during the whole story. When I crouched down to imitate the scary troll, however, my dramatization was simply too realistic for her tender little heart.
Her bottom lip poked out, and her smile turned upside down. When her eyebrows scrunched up, I knew she was just seconds away from bursting into tears.
“No, no, no.” I said, scooping her into my arms. “Don’t cry. The ugly old troll isn’t going to eat little Billy goat gruff. His big brother’s going to come along and rescue him!” I hugged her tightly and planted a kiss on her head. “And they’ll live happily ever after in the meadow eating grass and growing fat.” Another hug and a few more kisses calmed her fears, and soon, all was right with the world again.
As I reflected on the experience, I realized Caroline isn’t the only one who’s frightened by scary stories. I am, too.
Every day I hear of acts of terror, heinous crimes, and unforgivable sins. News streams churn with graphic details and up-to-the-minute coverage. Facebook posts share sad stories of loved ones battling cancer, marital break ups, and local crimes. And if that’s not enough, Live PD provides “entertainment” by riding along with law enforcement officers as they patrol my city. Just what I need – irrefutable evidence that criminals are alive and well and stalking my neighbors.
We live in frightening days, but we don’t have to live frightened lives. And we are not victims to the things that make us scared. With a little planning, we can not only conquer our fears, but avoid most of them.
Here are three suggestions:
1. Filter your news coverage.
Don’t watch continuous news coverage. You don’t have to click on every video that comes across your feed. While it’s important to be informed, we don’t have to allow ourselves to be inundated with scary stories or graphic film footage. Most of us are over-saturated with information and would do well to limit the time we spend watching the news. For me, the five-minute radio news on the way to work in the morning is plenty. It briefs me on the top stories in the world and in my area, but doesn’t give too many details.
2. Choose your recreational reading material carefully.
Some of my friends like psychological thrillers and murder mysteries for bedtime reading. “I was so scared after reading that book,” one friend told me, “I slept with the light on for a week.” Filling our minds with sadistic, gruesome tales provides rich material for our subconscious (and conscious) minds to work with. Before we know it, we’re checking behind the shower curtain and seeing intruders in every dark corner.
Philippians 4:8 provides a plumb line for what we allow into our minds. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things.”
3. Skip the horror movies, graphically-violent, and dark-themed television shows and movies.
My husband enjoyed watching NCIS when it first came on Netflix. Sometimes I’d watch it with him. While I found the investigation/mystery component fascinating, I noticed I tended to worry a lot more about my naval officer son-in-law after watching it. I know his assignment puts him in harm’s way, and I pray daily for him, but watching the show planted a whole new set of fears in my mind.
Romans 16:19 tells us to be wise about what is good, and simple concerning what is evil. This verse, paired with Philippians 4:8, confirm that we don’t need to know everything about the dark deeds people commit against one another to stay safe. Some education is necessary to protect ourselves, but graphic details breed fear rather than enlightenment.
If you, like me and our little Caroline, tend to be frightened by the things you read and hear, why not try a Philippians 4:8 experiment? For one week, filter your news coverage, choose your recreational reading material carefully, and skip the scary movies and television. Choose instead to fill your mind with things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Read a Christian novel, watch an inspiring movie, or spend some time in God’s Word. At the end of the week, assess your fear level. I’m confident you’ll see a positive change.
Now it’s your turn. Do you struggle with fear? What steps do you take to combat it? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
I could make a very long list if I jumped on that train. I started to list what frightens me most, but it was too scary. Seriously. My goal today is to help you conquer fear, not give in to it.
So let’s acknowledge, in a general sense, that there are aspects of this world that frighten the daylights out of us. Fear is a natural response. We become afraid when someone or something we care about is threatened.
You need to know two things about fear:
1. Fear, unbridled, can make us powerless.
2. Fear, channeled, can make us powerful.
God gave fear to protect us.
Healthy fear is good and necessary. We fear death, so we don’t jump off mountains, drive recklessly, or pick fights with gang members. We fear disease, so we exercise regularly, take vitamins, and use sunscreen. We fear financial ruin, so we save regularly, work diligently, and invest wisely.
Unbridled fear, however, can become a vicious captor. It locks us in a prison of our own vulnerabilities and throws away the key. It steals the sunshine from our days and the sleep from our nights. Fear knows we are most vulnerable when the house is quiet and the world is dark, so it waits beside our bed to whisper custom-designed what ifs into our trembling ears.
But while God has given us the ability to feel fear, he hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father, and unbridled fear is not a good and perfect gift. Unrestrained, it renders us powerless, but channeled, it can make us powerful.
How?
It depends on what we do with it.
Like the warning bells at a railroad crossing, fear can alert us to danger so we can take appropriate action to protect ourselves and those we love. It can also point out areas of vulnerability or concern so we can claim God’s promises and pray diligently.
Here’s an example:
One day Fear points out the statistic that 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. This scary fact causes me to think about six of my closest friends and their husbands. Fifty percent? That means three of my friends’ marriages could break up. Then Fear flashes another statistic in front of my eyes—that the second highest rate of divorce occurs during the empty nest years. Yikes! That’s where we all are. Now I’m really afraid. I’m convinced that three of the six couples I care about are doomed. Which ones will it be?
Because Fear loves a crowd, it motivates me to share my findings with my friends. They start thinking about their husbands’ cute secretaries, the long hours they spend on their computers, or the way they’ve been quiet and preoccupied lately. By the time Fear has clocked out for the day, it’s disturbed and distressed four women. Since its quota was only one, its bonus check will be rolling in soon.
But we don’t have to jump on the fear train. There is a better way.
“Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Fear and love cannot coexist. Because God is love, and, if we’re believers, God lives within us, his love can neutralize the fearful darts of the enemy.
Here’s an example:
One day Fear points out the statistic that 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. That scary fact causes me to think about my six closest friends and their husbands. Fifty percent? That means three of my friends’ marriages could break up. Then Fear waves another statistic under my nose—the second highest rate of divorce occurs during the empty nest years. Yikes! That’s where we all are. Now I’m really afraid.
But God’s Spirit, whose voice is more powerful than the spirit of fear, takes control. He reminds me of the couples’ Bible study I read about online. What if you invite your friends to meet once a week for a marriage Bible study? He whispers in my ear. I share the idea with my husband, who suggests that we invite another couple to co-lead the study with us. We pray about it, then propose the idea to our friends. They enthusiastically embrace it, and we begin our study.
Four years later, we’re still meeting together to study, support, and pray for our marriages—and all six couples are still married.
The next time Fear whispers (or shouts) in your ear, I suggest you take these steps:
1. Hold up your fear to the truth of Scripture (2 Cor. 10:5). Ask, is this fear legitimate?
2. If yes, pray about it. Place the burden on God’s broad shoulders, and leave it there.
3. Search the Scriptures. Is there a promise you can claim, a principle you can apply, or an example you can learn from? I guaranteed there is. God’s Word is applicable to all situations.
4. Ask God to show you if there’s any action you should take. If yes, do it.
5. Believe that God can and will work in your situation.
6. Every time Fear whispers in your ear, silence his voice with the Word of God and prayer.
Repeat steps 1-6 as often as needed until you banish Fear and win the victory.
Now it’s your turn. What are you afraid of? Don’t let Fear make you powerless. Instead, let it make you powerful.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Eph. 6:10).
