It has been my observation for years that many Christians make their message of none effect because of the life they live. While they proclaim that FAITH is their message, their lives proclaim that FEAR is their motivation. They do things based on some fear of something that "might happen."
When asked about their action, I usually get something along the lines of, "God gave us common sense," or, "Well, you have to be careful."
I have no problem with caution or common sense.
My problem is with the fear that masquerades as caution.
If we tell people that we have faith in the Lord, yet most everything we do is based on fear, how can we expect people to believe us? Just "believing in Jesus" is not the complete faith that we are to live. It must permeate our lives.
QUESTIONS: WHEN DOES CAUTION BLUR INTO FEAR? HOW DOES FAITH FIT IN WITH AN EXERCISE IN CAUTION?
Your comments will definitely help all of us to understand this phenomenom of an apparent dichotomy within the believing community.
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12 comments:
If I knew with certainty that I was to do something, it would be no problem for me to do it with regards to fear/caution.
The bigger problem for me is knowing what to do. If I am not sure, which is usually the case, then I proceed with caution.
The past is over and forgiven, therefore, dwelling on it only hinders the present. We are not promised a future, so, dwelling on the future is also futile. God’s gift to us is the present moment. What we do with it is our choice and our gift back to God. We need to give our prayerful attention to the moment as God gives it to us to enjoy. We need to be aware of God’s presence in our lives and follow the leading of His Holy Spirit moment by moment throughout the day. If you think about it, in actuality, the present moment is all we really have.~kat
I know from just plain experience and my walk with Jesus that sometimes God's plan isn't revealed to us in one giant moment. More often, it is revealed to us in steps and stages and in God's own perfect timing. In the moments when I have not known exactly what to do...I have spent my time reading in the scripture and praying without ceasing to be guided in attitude and direction. That keeps my focus on God and off of my "own" way of solving problems. (Which by the way...has a small success rate. My human nature has a way of just complicating the problem.)Sometimes what some may see as inability to live by faith is just the opposite. Many times God asks us to wait on him...his perfect timing. Just don't forget that reading scripture and baring your heart to Jesus is the action to take during this time of waiting. And that takes a great amount of faith in a time of crisis.
I beleive faith is a process. One of the hardest things to do is to trust. I also beleive fear is one of those emotions we are born with. A baby has a reflex to jerk their arms out to their sides if they are alarmed. It is said this reflex is to help them be caught by an adult if they are falling etc...
We are instructed in the Bible to not put our trust in man, but in God alone. I have a tendency to put the human elements (emotions, reactions etc...) I've seen and experience onto God. So...if I can't trust a human than how much harder is it for me to not trust God whom I've never seen and am still learning who He is?
One goal I had when I fully gave myself over to the Lord, was to pour over the Bible to learn who God was; His personality, emotions, how he reacts to humans. What I've learned has changed my life, and strengthened my trust in God.
I beleive that when I let fear lead me is when I forget who God really and truely is. That He did not give a Spirit of fear, but of power! He also gave us the Holy Spirit to help us exercise caution by testing Spirits. This helps when we are not sure of the path to take. Using caution to me, is STILL MOVING FORWARD, BUT with my Spirit listening to God for any warnings or turns I need to make.
One other thing I learned about fear in my life: Until I was able to identify the fears in my life, I couldn't confront them and move forward in faith.
*A sister still learning*
Could you be more specific with instances where action was apparently based upon fear rather than caution? How can you judge the point from which someone is actting?
Could you be more specific as to when someone is acting out of fear rather than faith. How can we judge someone's point of reference as being from fear or caution without the fear, rather based upon knowledge.
If one lives in a neighborhood of high crime, it is common sense to lock the door, not fear of being robbed. If one is walking alone at night in a place where several rapes have been commited, it is not wise to be alone, common sense and knowledge of the danger states one should at least have a companion. If one is walking alone an icy sidewalk, it is common sense or caution to walk carefully and not recklessly. None of the above mentioned acts of caution or common sense are based on fear. However, if one is afraid to go out alone and so stays in rather than have companionship or otherwise, that is acting on fear, real or irrational and the Lord is not in it.
gracie hill
Oh Gracie, I must wholeheartedly disagree with you. If you live in a neighborhood that is high in crime, it is common sense that you are aware there is crime, but it is fear of being robbed or harmed that causes you to lock your door. If you are forced to walk in an area and cannot get someone to walk with your and you have no ride, it is common sense that tells you the area is dangerous, but it is fear of being raped or harmed that causes you to extremely careful and watchful. If you are forced to walk alone on an icy sidewalk, it is, again, common sense that tells you that it is dangerous, but it is fear of falling and harming yourself that tells you to be extremely careful. Every single one of the above mentioned circumstances actually tell you that the common sense tells you it is dangerous, but it is the fear of harm that actually makes you be aware and more careful. Sorry :(
Fear does not make me lock the door. If I value privacy, for instance, I don't want unwelcome intrusion-- knowledge that for some a closed door is not a message to knock first is not fear that makes me latch the door. gracie
Outside doors (bad neighborhood) and inside doors (interuptive family or friends) is not the same thing. Fear locks outside doors, frustration of lack of privacy locks inside doors.
To anonymous, sorry Gracie:
I found two approaches to the word 'fear'. Beginning with Genesis 20:11...no fear of God in this place. The note below stated that form of the word means reverential trust and commitment to His revealed will. They called it 'true religion.'
From there I went to Deuteronomy 10:12, Psalm 34:9, 15:4 with another note, honor god and order their lives in accordance with his will. From there I went to the New Testament. IJohn 4:18 There is no fear in love...I wrote in response to this, When we are acting in God's love we have no fear of God's judgment. Here fear = to be afraid rather than fear=reverence for God.
I believe we sometimes confuse fear of something with being or acting responsibly. Thank you for your response.
gracie
I'm responding to "Anonymous, sorry Gracie"....
I think Gracie is right here, we have to use Godly wisdom ~ skill for living ~ and when He puts a "fear" in our hearts, we need to pay attention to it. God gave us the emotion of fear to protect us.
It's when we allow fear to control us instead of the Holy Spirit that we get into trouble! ~ kat
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