Student Ministry March 2018
Dear Church Family,
When it comes to our daily lives, it seems to me like there are two main ways to live. One is by faith, and the other is by fear. Every Christian knows that we are supposed to walk by faith in the Lord. We are supposed to trust Him with everything that is happening in our lives or could happen in our lives. We believe that He is in control over all things, and that He is working all things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. We have nothing to fear because God is for us and He will guide us through any valley or mountaintop. Jesus is our great shepherd who will give us the refreshing water of the Holy Spirit through His word to calm our souls when we are weary of the demands of the world. The Lord constantly takes the things in our lives that were meant for evil and brings good out of the ashes. Can any of you testify to this truth in your own lives? Have you seen God work in your life as you have looked to Him in faith?
While most of us have witnessed God’s faithfulness firsthand, we all have areas of our lives that, when threatened, make us revert to fear. We fear: the prospect of losing a job; the defamation of our character; the estrangement of a friend; the inability to meet expectations; even the death of a loved one. And on top of those there are many more things that we fear even though we know that God is in control and we can trust Him. So as Christians, why do we fear so much? This simple answer is that we control very little in our lives. Fear has to do with lack of control. Just think of the things you have little to no control over and ask yourself if they ever cause you to fear. You might find that there are lots of things that you have no control over which don’t affect you at all! So why do some of these other things illicit fear when they are threatened? Think now about the things that cause you to fear. Do you notice that the things that make you fear are much more precious to you than those other things that you don’t really fear? So, what’s going on here?
When God exposes fear in our lives, it is not time for us to despair. It is time for us to repent and give those fears to the Lord. He is exposing our idols. Those things that are so precious to us that we could not fathom losing are the very things that God is shining light on to say: “look at this part of your life that you have not given to me yet. Don’t you know that you can trust me with this?” Of course, we know that we can trust God! But how deceiving it is for us to know this truth, but then constantly keep pieces of life tucked away from His reach (as if that were possible). God wants us to see where we are deceived. Don’t be deceived! Grandparents, parents, students, and teachers; No mass shooter can end your life early. And no amount of fear can make your life longer (Matt. 6:27). We must live in wisdom and take action to prevent evil. But we must not live in fear of evil (Psalm 23:3-4). Let us all strive to give the idols of our life, which cause us to fear, to the Lord. While this is not easy by any means, it starts with a simple prayer of repentance. Turn to the Lord and ask Him to help you trust Him, not with just the easy stuff, but also with the precious stuff.
Sincerely,
Brian Van Doren