E65 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - FEAR - When it comes after you - Part 2 of 3
Hope’s Harbor
Gritty Bible Devotions
Episode #65
Title: Fear – recognizing when it is unreasonable when it comes after you – 2 0f 3
Date: August 1, 2022
Contact: info@hopesharbor.net
Key verse(s): 2 Timothy 1:7 – ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’
Hebrews 13:6 – ‘So we may boldly say: "THE LORD IS MY HELPER; I WILL NOT FEAR. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?"’
Intro: Last episode, #64, focused on fear of GOD and His wrath against sin, and fear as reverence for GOD. Christians, and not those who think being Christian is being born in a Christian nation, but Christians as children of GOD having been adopted into GOD’s family… these don’t fear GOD’s wrath.
This episode examines unreasonable fear, the kind of fear that hinders us from living normally.
Devotion focus: Recognizing unhealthy fear –
There is healthy fear which serves us and enables us to survive. Take the fear of snakes. This is a very common fear as it should be. I don’t have a phobia of snakes, but I have a healthy fear of poisonous ones.
I was camping in Fort Clinch State Park sometime back in the 1970s and a park ranger stopped by my campsite. As we talked I told him of my desire to work in law enforcement someday.
He laughed, telling me I was in store for a career that can have weird encounters with people. At some point, he told a story of a man staying in the campground who was a photographer. This man spotted a snake, a rattlesnake, that was coiled and rattling out a warning.
Now, most of us know what it means when a rattlesnake is acting this way. It means leave. But not this man. He reached down to move the snake’s tail so the rattler was in a better position for a photograph. What do you think happened? That’s right; he got bit in the fleshly part of his hand between thumb and forefinger.
Y’all, I wouldn’t try to touch a rattlesnake for love or money, but this guy did it for a photo op.
I have a healthy fear concerning snakes. Most of us probably do.
But now, there is unhealthy fear affecting many of us and for me, it manifests itself as chronic anxiety.
When we have constant anxiety, in my experience with it, this is a symptom of fear and it has taken counseling to identify the cause of such fear.
One such fear was of testifying in court. Not a good thing for a police officer. This fear kept me from ever becoming a detective because they spend a lot of time in court. On the other hand, I was on the bomb squad, no problem and no fear.
Here is a list I found on the Mayo Clinic’s site of causes for fear or phobias:
Situations, such as airplanes, enclosed spaces, or going to school
Nature, such as thunderstorms or heights
Animals or insects, such as dogs or spiders
Blood, injection, or injury, such as needles, accidents, or medical procedures
Others, such as choking, vomiting, loud noises, or clowns
This is a very general list of causes and I can identify with all of them but one – a fear of clowns, called Coulrophobia. But it is not uncommon to hear people say they don’t like clowns.
The point to understand here is that fear is a common fact of life. Now, how to recognize a fear hindering you from living normally.
Go through this list from the Mayo Clinic of symptoms and see if you recognize anything (you’ll find it in the show notes on hopesharbor.net - also at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/symptoms-causes/syc-20355156
:
An immediate feeling of intense fear, anxiety, and panic when exposed to or even thinking about the source of your fear
Awareness that your fears are unreasonable or exaggerated but feeling powerless to control them
Worsening anxiety as the situation or object gets closer to you in time or physical proximity
Doing everything possible to avoid the object or situation or enduring it with intense anxiety or fear
Difficulty functioning normally because of your fear
Physical reactions and sensations, such as sweating, rapid heartbeat, tight chest or difficulty breathing
Feeling nauseated, dizzy, or fainting around blood or injuries
In children, possibly tantrums, clinging, crying, or refusing to leave a parent's side or approach their fear
Summary: Even though this episode doesn’t have as much Scripture as normal, the key verses are a good place to start with preparing for the final episode on fear, episode 67.
Action to consider: After reading through the Mayo Clinic’s list of symptoms and identifying any unhealthy fears, slowly read the key verses of 2 Timothy 1:7 & Hebrews 13:6 with that fear or fears in mind – and think about how these Scriptures may help begin with tackling fear.
For Christians, keep in mind the fact Almighty GOD is your father and you a beloved child.
Next week’s devotion: Fear – How to lessen the effects – 3 of 3