Watch out for that tree!

When I was younger, there was a movie (I’m not sure how popular it was?), called “George of the Jungle.” I’ve seen it numerous times, and it really is a silly movie. There is this guy who doesn’t really fit into normal society and normal, person-to-person interactions and relationships because he was basically raised by wild animals.

He is similar to Tarzan, but in the movie he is brought back to civilization by the first girl he sees whom he just happens to fallen in love with (but that’s a different part of the story). When he is in the jungle, he swings from vines but he constantly has this problem of running into trees. Even in the theme song, they warn George multiple times to “Watch out for that tree!”

I was reading Proverbs 29:25 and the comparison to George of the Jungle struck me. Here is the verse:

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”

Our “tree” is the fear of man. We fear what people will think of and say about us. We worry about our popularity and about just getting along through life without too much difficulty or push back from the people we go to school with or work with. I think too often we, me included, put more effort into just getting through life without too much difficulty than living for the LORD.

The fear of man lays a snare; it lays a trap. “Watch out for that trap!” Living in fear of people is just slavery to popular opinion. This is far from the abundant life, the joyful, Spirit-filled and Spirit-empowered life we are offered through Jesus Christ.

Why is there a lack of Christian leaders? Why do too many Christian leaders and pastors and churches look more like the world than Christ? Why do so many first think of what someone else will think and then think about what God thinks? Why do we live in a rather powerless form of Christianity?

I could be wrong, and I could be oversimplifying the issue, but I think a large part of the problem is that we have fallen into the snare of the fear of man. Here is my challenge: “Watch out for that trap!” Don’t be afraid of people, but trust in the LORD. Put your faith in Jesus Christ. Trust and surrender to Him.

After all, the Bible says in the second half of the verse in Romans 8:31, “… If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is for those who are His. You have an opportunity to become a child of God (John 1:9-13). Why not take Him up on the offer?

What are you leaving behind?

Reputation. Family name. Legacy.

There is one thing that we all have in common. No matter what your age, race, socioeconomic status, living situation, family situation, country of residence, job, we will all die. Death has even been called “the great equalizer.” When we go, we will be leaving something behind. What is it that you will be leaving behind? What kind of legacy will your life leave? When your name comes up in conversation, what kind of reputation will you have left?

These are all good questions, and sometimes very difficult to answer. We all know we are often not in the exact place we want to be. We all have more to learn and have room to grow.

There is one person who lived who left behind one of the greatest reputations and one of the greatest legacies ever recorded: Jesus Christ. He didn’t accidentally leave behind a legacy or reputation; He very purposely lived His life and John 14:27 even records that He chose what He was going to leave behind. He left behind more than just this one thing, but to His disciples, here is what Jesus said He was going to leave:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Jesus is getting ready to be taken away from His disciples to be delivered over to be crucified. But, before He leaves them, He encourages them.

The disciples don’t have to be afraid when Jesus leaves this earth because of what He is leaving behind. He doesn’t leave behind money or fame or high social standing. Jesus Christ leaves behind peace. This may not be an external peace, because the disciples experienced a lot of turmoil and crazy harsh circumstances after this point, but I think Jesus is talking here about an internal peace.

A peace that, no matter the circumstance, no matter the hardship, no matter the struggle, no matter the pain, no matter the confusion, can bring joy and comfort. A peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) that then guards our hearts and our minds so that we can relentlessly pursue Jesus Christ and stay faithful to Him.

Jesus left behind quite the legacy. We are still talking about Him, falling in love with and following after Him thousands of years after His life, death, and resurrection. It is in the legacy of Jesus Christ that we can live fearlessly victorious over the power of sin, death, and hell and live a life of joyfully abiding in Jesus Christ (John 15).

Don’t be afraid of what you may or may not leave behind. Live in the truth of what Jesus left behind for those who follow Him.

Tunnel Vision

Something happened. We didn’t expect it. We didn’t plan it. We didn’t prepare for it. But it happened. There is no denying that. But what do we do now? What is our response?

We don’t like it when things come out of the blue and happen without our consent. We don’t like it when things come up that we didn’t budget for or that don’t fit into our life plans for ourselves and our families.

When something like this happens to us, it is way too easy to develop tunnel vision. We can only see the problem. We are too close to the traumatic event. Emotionally and physically we are too close to the situation that it is nearly impossible to keep things in perspective.

This could be a sudden illness or death. It could be a divorce. It could be losing a friend. This could be an injury that keeps us from playing the sport we’ve always loved and won’t have many more chances to play in this context. It could be a criticism or critique that comes unexpectedly when we thought things were going really well. It could be a sudden job loss when we were already hard pressed to make ends meet. It could be a friend or family member walking away from his or her faith.

The “somethings” are endless, aren’t they? But, if we respond with tunnel vision, our response will most likely not be tempered with godly wisdom, discernment, or good attitude. Tunnel vision restricts our ability to put things in perspective, like the Israelites in Exodus 14.

Moses had just brought them out of Egypt, out of slavery and imprisonment, because God was freeing them. As Moses leads the people as God’s representative, the Israelites start freaking out. As soon as they got out of Egypt, the Egyptian army then started coming after them. The army is closing in behind, and there is a huge sea in front of them. They have nowhere to go, and they think how much better it would’ve been to remain a slave than to die her in the desert. They had tunnel vision. All they could see was what was physically in front and behind of them.

Moses had other plans. Moses sought out God’s plans. Moses had confidence in God’s ability, even though on the surface things looked hopeless:

Exodus 14:13 – “And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.'”

Maybe you are in a hopeless situation. Maybe you are lost and confused and don’t know where to turn or what to do or what to say or what to think. Maybe you are paralyzed by your situation right now. There is only one place to turn: the feet of Jesus. Turn it over, lay it down, trust in Him.

The situation or circumstance or choice may not immediately go away, but your tunnel vision can. And once your tunnel vision goes away, you can begin seeing things through God’s eyes, God’s purpose, God’s plan. You can begin to see that life with God is better than life without God. He makes all things new. He restores and gives purpose. He redeems and provides freedom and eternal life through faith Jesus Christ.

All of these things are available to you. God transforms tunnel vision into truth vision. You can begin fighting your situation with the Truth of God’s Word, and Truth will always triumph. Don’t give up hope. Give in to God and trust Him. He’s got a better plan than us anyway (Prov. 3:5-6, 16:25).

Freed from all my fear (Psalm 34:4-7)

Day number 2 of living a fearless life, and we are in a passage of the Bible that describes the tension between fearing the wrong thing and fearing the Lord. Fearing the Lord is really being so deeply in awe of His power, His strength, His ability, His love, His creation… it is being so overwhelmed by who He is that all we can do is keep our eyes and our focus on Him, waiting in expectation for what He is doing and will continue to do in us, through us, around us.

“I prayed to the LORD and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; He saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the LORD is a guard; He surrounds and defends all who fear Him” (Psalm 34:4-7, NLT)

This verse seems pretty straightforward. David is writing and speaks of simply praying to God, and God answered him. Not only did God answer David’s prayer, but God also freed David from all of his fears! I’m not sure what all of David’s fears were when he wrote this Psalm, and I’m not sure what all of your fears or anxieties or worries are either. But guess who does know? Exactly, God does!

And what should our response be? We have another example in the New Testament of what to do with our fears and anxieties. David prayed and was freed from his fears. Agreeing with this, 1 Peter 5:6-7 says,

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you” (HCSB)

So here we have David saying to pray, and now Peter saying to cast all your cares on God because He cares about you! God cares—He hears our prayers, hears us talking to Him, and responds! Maybe not always in ways we understand or even really like…but God always responds to prayer. As you pray, casting your fear, your anxieties, worries, and cares at the feet of Jesus Christ, God will respond.

He has the power and ability to free us from whatever our fear or worry is. Then, as we are freed from fear, we look to Him for help and we experience radiant joy! Then, God surrounds and defends and protects and provides and saves those who trust in Him, believe in Him, and follow Him.

So, pray, be freed from your fears, believe in Jesus Christ, and follow Him every day of your life. That is what it looks like to live fearlessly.

 

Do not be afraid, Abram (Genesis 15:1)

The first passage on this journey will be Genesis 15:1 (the verses will not always go in order from Genesis to Revelation).

“After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great” (HCSB)

This passage comes after God called Abram and his family out of the land they had lived for many years, to a brand new location that Abram would not know of until he arrived there. God called Abram out of his comfort, away from his friends and parents, leaving with his wife, possessions, and nephew Lot. Abram and Lot separate, then Abram rescues Lot and is blessed by Melchizedek. After these events, then, means that after God had called him and these tumultuous times have happened, God comes to Abram and says, “Do not be afraid, Abram.” God promises protection for Abram and God makes a covenant then with Abram that describes the reward that will come through his line of descendants. The passage in Genesis continues on:

“But Abram said, ‘Lord God, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ Abram continued, ‘Look, You have given me no offspring . . .’ Now the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.’ He took him outside and said, ‘Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then He said to him, ‘Your offspring will be that numerous.’ Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:2-6, HCSB)

Abram trusted God, believed in Him, even when there was no physical evidence in front of him that told him God’s promise would come true. In fact, with the age of Abram and Sarai, the physical evidence all pointed to the absolute impossibility of what God had promised. However, Abram does not have to be afraid, God will protect him and God will provide for him in ways Abram could never even imagine.

God does the same thing for us. As God tells Abram not to fear, it reminds us that God is with us. God is near to us, cares for us, and desires relationship with us, through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, God does incredible work in and through us that we could never have imagined.

Open your heart to the things of the Lord. Join Him in relationship. Surrender your will to His will and live with purpose for Jesus Christ. Those who live for Christ have nothing to fear in this world.