Fear is knocking at my Door

Colossians 3:6

Often, very often of late I ask myself what is wrong; fear is knocking at my door.  Now, before you whose faith is much stronger and your walk with the Lord is much deeper, tell me that to fear is sin and that it is contrary to faith, let me be quick to agree with you; fear is a tool of the enemy of our soul and it causes great harm in the kingdom of God.  A good example would be the Jews coming out of Egypt, and not trusting God to protect and provide for them even after the Red Sea was parted and the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night protected them.  Are we the American Church that much different from those Jews leaving Egypt?  By their actions we can surmise that only a few of them believed that God would do it all for them.

Here is a list of things that come into my mind to be fearful about; the deflation of the dollar, the ignorance of the voter in America, the government of the United States, the loss of freedom, and that is the short list.  But is that what we should fear?  As a child I was more secure when dad was at home, he was big and strong, he was our provider and protector, but as I got older and left home I was not under that protection, in fact I took a new position, the role of husband and dad.  And soon very soon it became clear that the job was beyond my scope, I needed a Father who could do it all for me.  Over the years I have learned to seek my Father in heaven, I’ve found Him to be faithful; I am still learning to trust Him, to seek His face and not just His hand.  So with that said, what should I fear?

I fear what Isaiah the prophet said, “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” (Isaiah 29:13)  If you go back and read Colossians 3:5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”  Now verse six, “On account of these the wrath of God is coming.”  Is it not clear, that the wrath of God is coming, because the church is putting on a good outward show, but the heart of the church often seems far from God?  Yes, it has many programs that sound good, many that are designed to draw people to the building, but for what reason?  Verse five is addressed not to the lost world it is addressed to the Church of the living God.

Judah was not that much different than America, they had followed the wisdom of this world, and God’s hand was very much against them.  But God, in His mercy and love sent an eight year old king named Josiah, and this is what Scripture says of him: “And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.”  (2 Kings 22:2)  It seemed that these chosen people of God had gone so far from God that His written word had been lost to them.  Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the Law in the house of the Lord and he gave it to his secretary and after reading it he took it to the king.  When the young king heard the words of the book he tore his clothes, an act of confession and humility before God, and gave this order: “Go inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all of Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” (2 Kings 22:13)

But that is not the case with the American church is it, no we read the book, but by our actions, our hearts are far from the Lord.  Yes, I fear a lukewarm Church that God is going to spit out of His mouth, or in our modern language we would say, withdraw His hand.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice