Last night, or rather very early in the morning, I went to battle with a terrorist. At the time I wasn’t aware of who I was fighting and the attack was unexpected as he entered quickly through the back door before I knew what was happening. My home in the woods feels so safe and protected and I rarely have cause to feel threatened. If I’m honest though, I knew he was coming. I’ve seen him lurking around recently, but like a child at night that uses a blanket as both weapon and shield I have been pretending he wasn’t there- thinking he would just leave. I actually recognized him from a few years ago but he’s left me alone for a while. And last night at 2 am, he finally made it in the house and I felt completely paralyzed. I remember his voice because he only whispers- oh and his name- I remember his name. I believe he has quite a few aliases, but I have known him for years by only one…. What If.
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear. ~Gandhi
Courage is fear on its knees. ~Beverly Lewis
Perfect love casts out all fear.~1 John 4:18
What do we as people do with fear? A terrorist by nature is one whose primary goal is to strike fear into the heart of its enemy. As we are quickly approaching the Monday morning that our family of five boards a plane to Brazil to share Christ with the nations, my enemy has amped up his tactics. Mr What If is very keen on his understanding of my fears so he sat next to me for over an hour whispering in my ear things like, “What if theres a bomb? What if someone takes your daughter- what if theres an attack on the stadium- what if your baby gets sick with something?” On my bad days I worry and watch the news and try to plan ways to keep my world in order. On the day-to-day I try to ignore these questions or dismiss them as thoroughly improbable or unlikely. On my good days I speak out loud that Jesus will go before us so we have nothing to fear. On my best days I look fear in the face and say, “Yes, there are things to fear. I accept that and walk forward in faith.” I haven’t had many best days as of late.
I read an article a few days ago about helping your children conquer their fears. My children are fine- they’re brave little warriors, in fact they often speak deep truth that I marvel at the spring from which it flows.
I read it for me. Sheesh. But it got me thinking about how often I come at fear on the defense and so rarely on the offense. A philosopher once wrote, “You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.” How does the enemy frighten me? With What If. You see What If is simply a field agent- he has no real power. He takes his commands from a larger general, one who is deeply frighten by What If himself.
What If people listen? What If that man stops fighting God? What If their prayers see her healed? What If they believe in miracles? What If the Church realizes its power? What If there is revival? What If I can’t stop them? What If more people go? We have an enemy that is terrified of us, but as he is too prideful to believe this, he tries to terrorize us with fear in attempt to lessen the potential blow to his pre-failed plan to paralyze believers. Death did not stop Christ from victory, neither can it stop His followers. Perhaps some of you, like me, feel like you have to conquer your fears in order to be brave and courageous. Right now we live in an unsettled world that breeds fear and uncertainty. I don’t believe that will change before Jesus comes back to change things around. But maybe getting on that plane with a few fears hovering over me will stick it to mr What If even more. Truthfully- I think he’s a double agent anyways. I wonder if the enemy knows that…
My sweet daughter got it- Go Tell the World Church. What if they listen?
