What things scare you? (Week 8)

November 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Filed under: 50 fridays, Marriage

Feed your fears and your faith will starve. Feed your faith and your fears will. – Max Lucado, Fearless

What things scare you? When you look ahead to the next few months, what things are you afraid of or concerned about?

I spent a few minutes this week on the internet looking up different kinds of phobias. According to one website, there are over 530 different phobias! Here are some of the common ones:

Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
Claustrophobia – fear of being trapped in small spaces
Acrophobia – fear of heights
Atychiphobia – fear of failure

A found a few fun ones too:

Ephebiphobia – Fear of teenagers
Dentophobia – fear of dentists
Elurophobia – fear of cats (If you were in church last weekend, you know Lloyd must have this one!)
Phobophobia – Fear of phobias

We may or may not identify with any of these phobias, but for all of us, fear is a real part of life. When we embrace fear in a healthy way, it becomes a warning light that tells us we need to trust God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of a specific situation. When we ignore our fear, it can paralyze us or lead us toward destructive behavior.

Fear is a topic that the Bible is quick to address and does so frequently. As you may know, the command “fear not” is the most common command in the Bible. Many times that command is linked with a phrase like “for I am with you.” In other words, along with the command to “not fear,” God offers us the promise and comfort of His presence with us in every situation that we face or fear.

As you answer this week’s question, spend time together reading out loud the following passages: Isaiah 43:1-2, Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:9, 1 Peter 5:7. Let God’s Word guide you in a time of prayer to surrender your fears to Him and to celebrate the truth that His presence is with you in every situation.

Jeff Helton
Marriage and Family Pastor
+ Fellowship Bible Church
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