This past month we have addressed fear from several different perspectives. Fear of literal things. Fear of circumstances. Fear of making choices in our lives and fear of our past. For our bonus blog this month, we are going to take one more look at fear when dealing with our lives and the potential for fear to get in our way. This is when we have a fear of the truth.
Now this kind of fear is not the same as the others. It is not running from spiders or snakes. It’s not the idea of your plane crashing, or a car accident. This kind of fear is still one that can hold you back and it can cause you to make unwise choices, or to not make choices at all for fear of something being made real to you or exposed for what it is. It is that shedding of light on the dark places and the things that you would probably otherwise not want others to know about you or your life. It can be that fear that leads causes you to sit paralyzed in your circumstances and not make a decision towards action because dealing with the truth seems way to difficult.
Right now, there seems to be a current theme when we turn on the Christian radio stations. It’s possible that this theme is always there, but since we have focused on it this month it stands out like a beacon calling to us. The common thread is fear, or rather, that we do not need to fear. We don’t need to fear our past, our present or our future. It doesn’t need to control us, enslave us or render us powerless as we deal with reality.
While in Walmart, Rob was looking for a new water bottle for our bunnies and he heard the siren of the whiney kid come around the corner. His mother was trying to soothe him by pointing out that she had already picked up something for him but he continued to whine, loudly. She then said, “Ok, you want this one instead, ok.” The whine simmered down a bit. As parents, we are sometimes afraid of what could happen with temper tantrums, especially in public. It isn’t like the kid is going to burst into a flaming monster until he gets his cookie. (Yes, we did just see Incredibles 2.)
If you or I are afraid of what could happen, then we may not handle our lives in such a way as to deal with whatever we face, especially not in a godly sort of way. It doesn’t allow us to live in the freedom of the promise of Psalm 118:6, which says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Here is a simple example. If I have children, and because of my past, I have have a fear of disciplining them, I can lead them astray as they grow older and do not recognize or acknowledge correction in their life. The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left [to himself] brings shame to his mother. – Proverbs 29:15 (NKJV) Correction and discipline are necessary for all of us according to God’s word.
When it comes to friendship, let’s say I really really want to have friends. Maybe I am shy or insecure, or possibly that I am just a people person and I like the contact with others. but what if the friendships are not good ones? What if they are leading me to make choices and act in a way that is contrary to my character? However, if I don’t fall in line I will probably lose the friendships. So the truth is, this person, or these people are not really my friends.
In our lives, we, Rob and Jenna, have also lived by the creed of fear. Jenna got married the first time because of fear. An unwarranted fear based on the lie that she would never be loved or wanted. Later, as her first marriage was imploding, she lived in silence as to the reality that was going on around her. Her fear of other people finding out that her life and her marriage were in question, she lived in fear and therefore was unable to see the truth or be able to get help. It became the pretty picture on the outside, yet no one 
could see into the windows of her heart. Not getting help led to many years of struggle and confusion until the truth became so blatant that she put the fears aside and put everything into the light. Bringing the truth out didn’t make the problems or the consequences go away, but it gave her the strength, the support and the faith to go forward in a new freedom.
Rob had made the choice not to marry Jenna and so she married someone else and moved our son 1,000 miles away. Rob wanted to keep in contact with our son, but a week would go by and then two. Then, he would get the idea that Colby would be mad at him for not calling him. That turned into fear and Rob let fear control him. But instead of 
giving Colby a call to correct it, it made him not call Colby at all. So that two weeks turned in to many more. Each time that Rob would talk with Colby, he never showed any anger or anything to the fact that Rob hadn’t called in so long. Our son had every “right” to be mad at his father, but when Rob moved to California to be close to his son, they instantly bonded and have been close ever since. It is almost like they never were separated. The grace that Colby showed proved that fear was indeed a liar that Rob listened to when he should have been looking to truth.
We have put together a list of some great songs that speak to fear. If fear is holding you back in your life, these are great reminders about who you are and how God sees you. Each song is a little different, so take a little time and check out each one. You may just find the strength to tell fear to hit the road because it has no power over you any longer.
Fear is a Liar – by Zach Williams
The Breakup Song – Francesca Battistelli
Bulletproof – Citizen Way
No Longer Slaves – Bethel Music (Jonathan David & Melissa Helser)
Fear – LeCrae
“When I said I pledge allegiance to the struggle
Then, I turn around and buckle
Under stress and under pressure
Bible on my dresser that could teach my pain a lesson
But I’d rather not address it
Address is in depression
I’m scared if I confess it
That you gone look at me like I’m somethin’ less
And I’m such a mess.” – LeCrae, “Fear”
Once you understand that fear is indeed a liar, you are then able to leave it behind, break up with it, and then you will be bulletproof because you are no longer a slave to it. But in all seriousness, the Bible tells us that we are to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. We are to be able to recognize fear when it shows up, but we are to be immersed in the truth and the light that is of Jesus.
But if you need just a little more boost to get fear to run away, we will just leave this one right here…
Run Devil Run – Crowder
Rob and Jenna Crenshaw 