BY GREG CRUM
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7
As if you needed a reminder after the chilly mornings we’ve had recently, we’ve entered into a new season here in Eastern Kentucky. For some, the changing of the season from summer to fall brings joy; for others, not so much.
Those that embrace the cooler weather, and the eventual coming of winter, usually do so because they also know that soon the Holiday season will be upon us. They love the season of all things food and thankfulness and the season “to be merry” especially, and so do I. But before we get into these wonderful times of year, we all must navigate the season that the world and our archenemy design to be scary.
It seems that, in increasing measure, the world has tried to take over the month of October and devote it as a celebration of all things scary and, unbeknownst to some, demonic. Now, you might be thinking, “Come on. Really? Halloween is harmless; it’s a time for kids to dress up and eat some candy. What could be wrong with that?”
Well, I’ll spare you the origin story of our modern celebrations of Halloween. You can look that up on your own, but know this: In this life, evil is often camouflaged in popular culture and can be found precariously close to us unawares.
Unfortunately, this is the case with much that goes on under the guise of wholesome fun during this time of year. For quite some time, the world has subtly dressed up satanic activity in children’s costumes and sugar in an attempt to instill fear into our lives. Sadly, many of us have played along, watching their movies and participating in their rituals, all the while unknowingly giving the devil a foothold in our lives.
Friends, fear should never be celebrated by a believer. It isn’t fun, and those that promote fear aren’t our friends. Fear is an enemy of our faith and should be treated as an adversary. Think about the instruction given in II Timothy 1:7. There, it tells us that God has not given us fear. What can we deduce from this? That fear, in any of its negative forms, can’t come from God. Where must it come from, then? From our enemy, Satan, of course.
Now, some would refute this claim, believing that fear is just a natural human response to certain external stimuli. They embrace fear as a gift as if it helps them in this life. Additionally, some actually find excitement in fear because of the chemical response it can induce in the body and because of its intoxicating side effects. Yet, according to II Timothy, fear is not “natural” to man. It is a spiritual force, demonic in its origin, and while it can have some “feel-good” side effects, we should be aware of who is inducing the high! It’s not God on the other side of that adrenaline rush!
What’s more, and very important for people trying to live by faith in the Lord Jesus, fear is anti-faith. It’s the opposite of faith, a mirror image in its working, which brings curses instead of blessings. Fear is an enemy of the faith of every one of us, will short-circuit our trust in the Lord if we allow it to, and can hinder the blessings God desires for us to have. It has been said by some that fear is faith, in fact, but faith in the devil and his ability to harm us. With this particular assessment of fear, I couldn’t agree more.
Brothers and sisters, what reason more could we have to reject fear in all its forms? After you’ve come this far and worked so diligently to shore up your faith in the Lord, why would you allow the devil to gain the least of footholds in your life? Let’s use wisdom as we enter this season and strive to celebrate the things of the Lord, not the influence of our ultimate enemy.
(Greg Crum is pastor of Calvary Temple Church in Lovely.)