Dr. Ron Sumners
September 25, 2005
What are you afraid of? As a child, I wanted a night light in my room because the darkness conjured up all kinds of dread for me. Monsters under the bed and ghouls in the closet could be held at bay with that tiny glow of light. Some people are afraid of tight places. I remember once on a 7th grade field trip to Rock City in Chattanooga, Tennessee that a teacher had a panic attack in "Fat Man's Squeeze" because she was claustrophobic.
On the internet there is a site called Dracon's Phobia List. If any of these phobias relate to you, just respond by lifting your hand. If you have acrophobia, you are afraid of heights.
Arachnophobia: the fear of spiders.
Aerophobia: the fear of flying.
Claustrophobia: the fear of confined spaces.
Dentaphobia: the fear of dentists.
Glossophobia: the fear of speaking in public.
Hamartophobia: the fear of sinning.
Liaophobia: I made that one up!
Pentheraphobia: fear of your mother-in-law.
Ecclesiophobia: fear of the church.
Pteronophobia: fear of being tickled by feathers.
Musophobia: is the fear of mice.
Venustraphobia: fear of beautiful women.
Xanthophobia: fear of the color yellow.
Anuptaphobia: the fear of staying single.
Blennophobia: the fear of slime
Gamophobia: the fear of marriage.
Luposlipaphobia: You won't believe this one. Luposlipaphobia is the fear of being
pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a freshly
waxed floor.
I didn't make these up. I saved my favorite for last. I want to see if any of you raise your hand. Homilophobia: is the fear of sermons!
Fear is a fascinating subject because it affects all of us to some degree. Fear can tyrannize and even paralyze our lives. It can keep us from being all that God wants us to be. But there is also a positive side to fear. Fear can also stimulate and motivate us to greatness. For the next six weeks we will talk about dealing with various fears. We will talk about the fears that are common to all of us. We won't talk about Luposlipophobia, but we will explore "Fear of the Future," "Fear of Commitment," "Fear of Failure," "Fear of Loneliness," "Fear of Death," and "Fear of God." If you say, "I have no fears," chances are you are living with a deep level of fear that you are not understanding or dealing with.
Today we are talking about "Fear of the Future." The reason that I chose the future as the first discussion is because all the other fears have a futuristic aspect to them.
God's Word is not silent on the subject of fear. 2 Timothy1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear. The word "fear" comes from the Greek word "phobia'' which means timidity or aversion. God knew that we would have to deal with fear as human beings. That is why the phrase "fear not" appears 189 times in the Bible. The Spirit of God does not produce negative fear. The spirit of God produces love and power and a sound mind.
Some of you here today have reason to fear the future. I have to tell you that. I would be untrue to my calling if I did not. If you are here today without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you have great cause for fear. The future is not your friend because your eternal destination is in peril. Also, if some of you continue with your low level of commitment to your marriage, your job and other commitments, the future could hold dire consequences for you. Some of you know that if you continue with your present level of commitment in your friendships those friendships can't survive.
Some of you have good reason to fear the future because you are remaining in your cocoon of comfort, not taking risks, not stepping out into service, just remaining in your safety zone. And you know that you are less than you ought to be and less than you promised God you would be. Unless something changes in your life, the future is not your friend.
Some of you fear God and we will talk about that in depth in a few weeks. Some of you know that your lifestyle is not up to God's standards. You know that your vocabulary reflects that you really don't have a personal relationship with Christ. You know that one day when all accounts are settled with God, your balance sheet isn't going to look too good. That causes a lot of people to fear death. The statistics on death are pretty staggering. It is 100% certainty that we will all die (unless God returns soon). And when we breathe our last breath on this planet, we enter eternity. We will go to one of two places. What we do with Jesus Christ on this side of death determines our eternal destiny. Some of you have great reason to fear the future!
Now that I have presented that sobering truth, let me make several suggestions about dealing with the future. First of all, we can look to the past to deal with our fear of the future.
There seems to be a trend to look to the past with fashions, car styling and numerous other things today. The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a retro looking automobile. My daughter informed me the other day that 70's "big hair" is now back in vogue. We borrow things from the past and bring them into the present.
We need to remember all the times in the past when God has met our needs and where He has been faithful to His word. God has helped us and assisted us at various times in our lives. Often, He has brought us through heartbreak and trial. He will do the same tomorrow as He did yesterday. Often, we sit and wring our hands in worry and anxiety over the uncertainties of the future, all the while forgetting that God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.
God delivered the children of Israel from hundreds of years of slavery. He protected them, fed them, and defeated the army of Egypt. You would think that Israel would never forget the mighty acts of God bringing them out of bondage. But negative fear leads to whining and fearful speculation. "Oh, Moses, why did you bring us here? We were better off in slavery, Moses; better off like we used to be. We never should have followed you." What did Moses say to this whining? "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance hat the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14)
When you feel fear overshadowing you, immobilizing you and freezing you up; stand still. Be still and know God. Remember the way He has acted in your life in the past. He will do the same in the future. Do you feel like you are being pursued by your Egyptian army? Are you whining? Are you moaning? Are you afraid of what the future holds? Be still and hear the voice of God. The future holds nothing that you and God together cannot overcome. Hasn't that been true in the past? It will be so in the future also.
Here is a second suggestion: don't give fear power over you. Nehemiah is a good example of this truth. He was a Jew born in captivity in Persia. He was elevated to the position of wine-taster of the king. This was a position of power and prestige. The wine-taster sampled the king's food and drink to make sure he would not be poisoned. It was a position of much trust by the king.
The wine-taster was also a trusted advisor of the king. One day Nehemiah was praying, and he was burdened that the walls of Jerusalem still lay in ruins. He felt led to ask the king for permission to travel the 800 miles to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of the city. What if this displeased the king? Heads could literally roll!
In Nehemiah 2:2, Nehemiah said, "I was very much afraid." He admitted that he was afraid. We all experience fear at some time. Do as Nehemiah did; admit it. After Nehemiah admitted that he was afraid, he talked to God about it. He asked for strength. Finally, Nehemiah faced his fear and walked into the king's office. He broke through his fear and made the request of the king that God led him to. God granted Nehemiah, through King Artaxerxes the privilege of rebuilding the Jerusalem walls. The king even picked up the tab! Isn't that amazing? Nehemiah did not bow down to his fear. He did not give it power over him. He admitted it and then committed it to the Lord.
You must talk to God. Say, "Lord, I am afraid, but I am willing to let you use me." Who or what is your King Artaxerxes? Face that fear in the spirit of the Lord and His perfect love will cast out your fear.
A third suggestion is this: don't catch the "what ifs." The "what ifs" will keep you from being what God wants you to be. So often we look to the future and say, "What might happen? What if I fail? What if this-or-that happens." And we become paralyzed with fear of the unknown.
People like this seem to hang together. They are like the Israelites in the desert. They moan, wail, complain and see only the negative possibilities before them. Therefore, they are afraid to commit; afraid to step out; they are even afraid of God and death because they can't rely on the promises of God.
We need to follow the example of Miriam, Moses’ sister. She helped her mom rig up the floating basket to hide her baby brother from the murderous intent of Pharaoh to kill all the Hebrew baby boys. Miriam watched the floating bassinet everyday shelter little Moses.
When Pharaoh's daughter found the baby, Miriam overcame her fear and walked right up to the princess and said, "Do you need a nurse for that baby? I know just the person." And the princess paid Miriam and her mother to take care of Moses.
Miriam did not have the "what ifs." What if Miriam had said, "What if the princess doesn't listen? What if she has me and Moses killed? I am so afraid. I will just stay here and hope something good happens!" But she did not let fear paralyze her. She walked right in and did what needed to be done.
Jesus put this whole idea of the "what ifs" in a nutshell. In Matthew 6:34, He said, "Do not worry about tomorrow." No matter what happens, God will be there.
We have developed new words for old concepts in our politically correct society. Instead of being worried, today we say that we are burdened. Many of us ate so burdened about tomorrow that we are of no-good today.
Are you a victim of the ''what ifs?" Do you associate with people who create that attitude in you? Let those associations go. Find a Moses! Find a Nehemiah! Find a Miriam that can help you face and overcome your fear. Don't surround yourself with people who help cement you in your terror of the future.
Look to the working of God in the past. Don't let fear have power over you and don't become a victim of the "what ifs." If you will do those things, you can overcome your fear of the future because your confidence will be in the God of the past, present and future and you will have sufficiency for whatever the future holds!
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