Fear or Lack of Faith?

This is a different Easter Message.

What are you afraid of? We recently had a Friday the 13th in March. The fear of the number 13 is Triskaidekaphobia. The fear of heights is Acrophobia and the fear of spiders is Arachnophobia. All of these are called Phobias. A phobia (from the Greek: φόβος, phóbos, "fear"), or morbid fear is an irrational, intense, persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, or people. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive, unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. When the fear is beyond one's control, it can interfere with daily life. It can overtake your life.

Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.
There was an email floating around about God versus Science. Rather lengthy email, which I won’t bore you with the details. But, there was a quote in there that I found remarkable. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and its called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'

So if we go on the premise that some things are defined, like darkness, due to the lack of something, then let’s look at Fear.

Mark 4:40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
With God fear is the lack of faith.

Fear is always the result of ignorance, a lack of understanding, a lack of knowledge, education and/or experience. We are afraid of what we do not understand.

For me, fear is the lack of faith in God. Let me show you with scripture.

Do you recall the story of when Jesus and the Disciples were crossing the lake and Jesus fell asleep and a large storm came up? The disciples were afraid and woke Jesus up.

Luke 8:25 He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" He asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him."

John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
So what do you think? Are you still afraid to follow Jesus and trust in Him?

Peter even had enough faith in Jesus to step out on the water and walk to Him. Only when Peter took his eyes off Jesus, did he begin to fail and be afraid of drowning.

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

God telling us here, He’s got our back!

I can remember when Jayne and I were first married that we made just enough money to pay our bills and eat. There would be times when unexpected things would arise and those needs would somehow be met. I know now that it was God that provided for us, whether it was a part time job on the weekends or Mom and Dad shopping for us at the commissary and then finding a few extra items in the bag.

Just like your parents God wants you to do well and all He asks is that you have faith in Him to provide at His time. I know that this is frustrating at times, but He will provide, even though it may bring a little uncertainty or fear into your life.

Acts 27:25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.

So have faith in God that He will relieve you of your fears and then you will not have Zeusophobia- Fear of God or gods.

One of my favorite songs is from the David Crowder Band: Never Let Go, which sings of the faithfulness of God.

Listen here: Never Let Go