The Solution to Fear

I went over and over chapter 5 today and was drawing a blank. I can see why it's slow and why my editors complained, but not how to fix it. I started to freak out, then thought I should go read my Little Blue Book, which is a compendium of notes excerpted from the notes I take in Bible class. Portions that for whatever reason seemed especially relevant to me at the time. Not surprisingly they continue to be so and I love the way the Lord uses them in my life.

So I picked up the book, which has no page numbers, no headings, no table of contents, little labeling of any kind and opened it randomly... to one of the few titled pages: "The Solution to Fear." Ha!

Here's what it said:

Courage is the ability to think properly under pressure. The brave man is the one who masters his fears and is willing to face his problems head on. The thing that will always calm your fears is doctrinal thinking.

As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves and on the way He said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the Chief Priests and scribes and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up." (Mt 20:17-19)

Our Lord was completely clear about what he faced. The pain, the degredation, the insults, etc. Yet He went forward. He also knew He'd be resurrected. His confidence in the Father's plan enabled Him to face incredible opposition.

"And they came to a place named Gethsemene... and He took with Him Peter, and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled." (Mk 14:32,33)

It's not the absence of fear or feeling troubled we're after, it's facing fear and mastering it: "Whatever your will is, Father, I'm embracing that, no matter what the consequences to my flesh."

Do you have a fear? We are here to honor and acknowledge the leadership of our Lord Jesus Christ... to take courage from His example and face that fear head on. Maybe knowing the outcome, maybe not knowing it but facing it and saying, "There's something more important to me than that problem -- it's the mind of Christ, the divine viewpoint... it's acknowledging the leadership of Jesus Christ and following in His footsteps."

That's who I want to be like. I recognize I have something in my way to face and until I do, I'm not going to understand the mind of Christ when it comes to confidence in God -- and true courage.

So I will trust Him. I am facing the blank wall, a major part of the book seems seriously flawed, I have NO idea what to do about it and, in fact, am tempted to think there isn't anything I can do. But when I am afraid I will trust in Him ... I know He will come through for me, just like He's always come through before...

Grace,
Karen