Monday, September 27, 2011 - Satan's Playground

"God has not given us a spirit of fear, 

but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  

2 Timothy 1:7

"Great is our Lord, 

and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."

Psalm 147:5

"The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, 

to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."

2 Chronicles 16:9

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Hebrews 11:6

     Has your mind ever served as a playground for fear for Satan? As a young wife and mother I struggled with letting unwarranted fears rule my mind. If Tom took Julie off to shop for music equipment in order to give me time alone, I panicked if they didn't get back when I thought they should. In the day before cell phones, I conjured up grisly horror stories of car accidents which led me to call all the area hospitals.  My mind wreaked havoc on my emotions so that when Tom arrived home carrying Julie, he wished he hadn't come home at all. Fear transformed his usually quiet wife into a merry-go-round of outbursts: relief, anger, frustration, affection, and tearful wails. It took a while for the truth that my family was safe to sink in and erase the scenes I'd imagined. The two of them were fine, but fear made me a wreck.

     Fear should serve us like a smoke alarm. We don't search for the alarms and trigger them on a consistent basis. They stay quietly and discreetly close by IN CASE of an emergency. When a waft of smoke triggers them, we locate the cause, put it out, shut off the alarm, remove the cause, repair any damage, and continue with our lives. We don't  destroy the alarm, but we certainly don't camp out underneath it imagining what could set it off next time.

     Thank You, God, for designing us to break out in a cold sweat as we face danger and risky actions.  Thank You that fear is related to concern but doesn't define it. Thank You for this protective, temporary response that motivates us to teach our children not to play in traffic, too near the edge of cliffs or to keep company with those who do. You gave us fear as a healthy response to immediate danger and if we're of sound mind, we'll adjust our next choices prayerfully.  

    Praise Your Name, You didn't use fear to pave the path of Your will, but as the electric fences lining that Path. May we faithfully move to the middle of Your Will instead of faithlessly playing too near the fences.  May we trust Your Heart. Fill us with Your Spirit of Power and make us faithful from the center of our souls to the words that come out of our mouths to the actions our hands perform.

In the Name of Jesus Who taught by His example we can live without fear when we trust God the Father fully