In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, March 3rd, a tornado ripped through north Nashville, Mt. Juliet, Lebanon, and western Putnam County. I, like so many, was asleep as the tornado went through its path of destruction. Around 1:30, my mom and sister came into my room and woke me up. I was shocked to hear the tornado sirens going off in downtown Cookeville, as the weather report said the storm wouldn't reach Cookeville and Putnam County until the hours of 5 and 7 am. The radar, to say the least, was scary, and the wind, rain, and hail, as well as lack of daylight just made the entire event even scarier. After about thirty minutes the wind died down and the hail subsided and the rain slacked up. We looked outside the windows of our house and there was no damage to speak of. After another thirty minutes or so to "get our wits about us," we all went back to bed. It wasn't until we awoke a few hours later that we realized how serious the storm had been.
I'm not going to go into detail about the storm, the specific path it took, nor the scientific aspects of it. We need to spend this time in prayer for the victims and those that were lost. However, these last few days have gotten me to thinking about fear. Fear is inevitable, but how do we respond and deal with it? Do we let it control our lives or do we use it for good? What kinds of fear are there? In this week's blog, I want us to look at how to deal with fear and use it for good.
1. We are commanded to have a "healthy dose" of fear when it comes to our relationship with God. In 2 Timothy 1:7, we are told "God has not given us a spirit of fear." God doesn't want us to fear Him, instead He wants us to respect Him. If we were afraid of God, would we ever pray to Him or worship Him? No, we would be terrified to think of doing such things. God wants to be our source of refuge in both good and bad times, not someone we run from. Think about if we lived during Old Testament times. God hasn't always been as lenient with His people as He is now. If you made God mad, He would strike you dead on the spot. In Lamentations 2, we read of God's anger with the city of Jerusalem. In these twenty-two verses, the word "anger" is used four times. God is upset with the Children of Israel for the way they had been acting. The book of Lamentations was written after the fact, and is a record for us of God's anger. The word "lamentation" means "an expression of sorrow, mourning, or regret." The anger of God got through to the Israelites and they expressed their sorrow here in the book of Lamentations. Likewise, when we mess up today, we should have enough "fear" or "respect" for God to "lament" when we are wrong. We should thank God that He sent His son, Jesus, to die for us so that we can have forgiveness of any sins we might commit.
2. Do our fear(s) keep us from following God? Do you fear going out and talking to others about the Gospel? Do you fear teaching Bible class, leading public prayer, or visiting with fellow members of the church? Do natural disasters like Tuesday's make you so scared that you can't bring yourself to do anything to help those affected by them? Do natural disasters make you so scared that you allow your faith to waver? Friends we have to learn to overcome our fears. If we dwell on them, then we will go throughout life and be miserable. In Isaiah 41:10, we are told to "fear not." Why? Because God will strengthen us. Friends, we can overcome any fear, no matter how big or how small, with our faith in God.
Friends, I challenge you this week, and every week, to strive to overcome your fears. Will there be nights like Tuesday where it will be hard to? Of course, but we must rely on God to help get us through those times. No matter the struggle, God will get you through it. Paul said to the church at Philippi, in Philippians 4:13, that he "could do all things through Christ who strengthened him." Isn't that true for us today? No matter what we face, no matter what fears come along, we can do anything through God who strengthens us!!
In Him,
Carver Moore
We were blessed at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ, that none of our members nor our broader community were affected by the storm Tuesday morning. We ask that you keep the Double Springs, Echo Valley, and surrounding Putnam County communities in your prayers as they recover and put their lives back together. We also ask that you pray for the families of the eighteen individuals that lost their lives in the storm.
We would be honored for you to join us for worship at the Chestnut Mound church of Christ.
Our service times are as follows:
Sunday Morning Bible study: 10 am
Sunday morning worship: 11 am
Sunday evening worship: 5 pm
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