“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” (Proverbs 29:25, ESV)
Fear is such a driving force in the world that many people and organizations and governments use it to control and manipulate the masses. Open any news page and you will find articles that stoke the fear of climate change, fear of violence, fear of war, fear of job losses… the list goes on and on. A politician was recently interviewed. She said that any good politician should never neglect to make use of a good tragedy… essentially using it to drive fear into the populace and manipulate their response.
Healthy fears, like the fear of putting a finger in an electrical socket or the fear of getting a finger caught in a spinning blade on the table saw, are necessary to preserve life. But the fear that is often used to hurt others spiritually is never there for good. It is not meant to preserve life but instead fill a mind and soul with insecurity and anxiety and depression. This kind of fear is meant for evil. Satan is good at stoking fears. It is one of the tools he uses to prop up one’s insecurities or drive people to do something they would not normally do.
“A salesman, driving on a lonely country road one dark and rainy night had a flat. He opened the trunk—no lug wrench. The light from a farmhouse could be seen dimly up the road. He set out on foot through the driving rain. Surely the farmer would have a lug wrench he could borrow, he thought. Of course, it was late at night—the farmer would be asleep in his warm, dry bed. Maybe he wouldn’t answer the door. And even if he did, he’d be angry at being awakened in the middle of the night. The salesman, picking his way blindly in the dark, stumbled on. By now his shoes and clothing were soaked. Even if the farmer did answer his knock, he would probably shout something like, “What’s the big idea waking me up at this hour!”
This thought made the salesman angry. What right did that farmer have to refuse him the loan of a lug wrench? After all, here he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, soaked to the skin. The farmer was a selfish clod—no doubt about that! The salesman finally reached the house and banged loudly on the door. A light went on inside, and a window opened above. “Who is it?” a voice called out. “You know darn will who it is,” yelled the salesman, his face white with anger. “It’s me! You can keep your blasted lug wrench. I wouldn’t borrow it now if you had the last one on earth!” (“Bits and Pieces”, May, 1991, p. 23)
Like the salesman in the story above, many people drive themselves into a frenzy with pent up fears. They magnify their fears, propping them up with other emotions. It’s all too easy for these magnified fears to control your actions, fuel nightmares, eat away at your peace, threaten your peace, and force you into a corner. Sadly, even Christians who should have great trust in the strength of God, can become deluded by magnified fear. Then, no good will come of it.
A building committee at a church in Illinois was told to investigate the cost of renovating the building. The church building was almost a hundred years old. The leaders of the church thought that a perfect goal for their hundredth anniversary was to renovate and add to their sanctuary and meeting areas. The church membership had grown by fifty percent since the last building addition. Something needed to be done.
After meeting for three months, the building committee realized that they needed to come up with half a million dollars to build the required additions. They brought a proposal to the leadership of the church and the leaders were frightened by the high costs. The leaders brought the proposal to the congregation and asked them for guidance, figuring that the congregation would vote it down. After a lot of shouting and worrying with people arguing where the money would come from in their blue-collar church, an older gentleman stood up to speak. He was a retired math teacher from the local high school. He said, “Based on my calculations, if each member of the church gave just $20 extra dollars every month to the church, we’d easily have enough money.” People were shocked… only $20???? They voted for the proposal and went ahead with the building addition. By the way, the addition was paid off early, last I heard. What would have happened if the fear of the leaders asking for that half a million dollars had hijacked that meeting? Nothing good!
The scripture for today comes from the book of Proverbs. This verse is just another one of the wise sayings found in this Old Testament book. It teaches two things. First, it explains that the “fear of man lays a snare” (Proverbs 29:25a). Fear traps people. It catches them and holds them, keeping them from being free. Fear can trap people in the past. It can trap people into bad financial decisions. It can trap people into false beliefs. It can make them believe lies. To counter evil fears and insecurities, the second half of our scripture gives us hope. It claims that “whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25b). Essentially, trust in the Lord counters irrational fear. Faith in the Lord causes people to see the truth and see through the lies. Trust in God drives away insecurities that Satan would otherwise use to rule over you.
Today, search your heart and mind for any irrational or ungodly fears. Are there insecurities that play havoc with your soul or erode your peace? Do your fears ever run away with your emotions and ruin your day? Learn to trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Leave no room for irrational, evil, and manipulative insecurities and fears.
Healthy fears, like the fear of putting a finger in an electrical socket or the fear of getting a finger caught in a spinning blade on the table saw, are necessary to preserve life. But the fear that is often used to hurt others spiritually is never there for good. It is not meant to preserve life but instead fill a mind and soul with insecurity and anxiety and depression. This kind of fear is meant for evil. Satan is good at stoking fears. It is one of the tools he uses to prop up one’s insecurities or drive people to do something they would not normally do.
“A salesman, driving on a lonely country road one dark and rainy night had a flat. He opened the trunk—no lug wrench. The light from a farmhouse could be seen dimly up the road. He set out on foot through the driving rain. Surely the farmer would have a lug wrench he could borrow, he thought. Of course, it was late at night—the farmer would be asleep in his warm, dry bed. Maybe he wouldn’t answer the door. And even if he did, he’d be angry at being awakened in the middle of the night. The salesman, picking his way blindly in the dark, stumbled on. By now his shoes and clothing were soaked. Even if the farmer did answer his knock, he would probably shout something like, “What’s the big idea waking me up at this hour!”
This thought made the salesman angry. What right did that farmer have to refuse him the loan of a lug wrench? After all, here he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, soaked to the skin. The farmer was a selfish clod—no doubt about that! The salesman finally reached the house and banged loudly on the door. A light went on inside, and a window opened above. “Who is it?” a voice called out. “You know darn will who it is,” yelled the salesman, his face white with anger. “It’s me! You can keep your blasted lug wrench. I wouldn’t borrow it now if you had the last one on earth!” (“Bits and Pieces”, May, 1991, p. 23)
Like the salesman in the story above, many people drive themselves into a frenzy with pent up fears. They magnify their fears, propping them up with other emotions. It’s all too easy for these magnified fears to control your actions, fuel nightmares, eat away at your peace, threaten your peace, and force you into a corner. Sadly, even Christians who should have great trust in the strength of God, can become deluded by magnified fear. Then, no good will come of it.
A building committee at a church in Illinois was told to investigate the cost of renovating the building. The church building was almost a hundred years old. The leaders of the church thought that a perfect goal for their hundredth anniversary was to renovate and add to their sanctuary and meeting areas. The church membership had grown by fifty percent since the last building addition. Something needed to be done.
After meeting for three months, the building committee realized that they needed to come up with half a million dollars to build the required additions. They brought a proposal to the leadership of the church and the leaders were frightened by the high costs. The leaders brought the proposal to the congregation and asked them for guidance, figuring that the congregation would vote it down. After a lot of shouting and worrying with people arguing where the money would come from in their blue-collar church, an older gentleman stood up to speak. He was a retired math teacher from the local high school. He said, “Based on my calculations, if each member of the church gave just $20 extra dollars every month to the church, we’d easily have enough money.” People were shocked… only $20???? They voted for the proposal and went ahead with the building addition. By the way, the addition was paid off early, last I heard. What would have happened if the fear of the leaders asking for that half a million dollars had hijacked that meeting? Nothing good!
The scripture for today comes from the book of Proverbs. This verse is just another one of the wise sayings found in this Old Testament book. It teaches two things. First, it explains that the “fear of man lays a snare” (Proverbs 29:25a). Fear traps people. It catches them and holds them, keeping them from being free. Fear can trap people in the past. It can trap people into bad financial decisions. It can trap people into false beliefs. It can make them believe lies. To counter evil fears and insecurities, the second half of our scripture gives us hope. It claims that “whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25b). Essentially, trust in the Lord counters irrational fear. Faith in the Lord causes people to see the truth and see through the lies. Trust in God drives away insecurities that Satan would otherwise use to rule over you.
Today, search your heart and mind for any irrational or ungodly fears. Are there insecurities that play havoc with your soul or erode your peace? Do your fears ever run away with your emotions and ruin your day? Learn to trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Leave no room for irrational, evil, and manipulative insecurities and fears.