Fear

Our church is one of many that sponsors a Trunk-R-Treat event in the parking lot of our church as an outreach ministry to the community. We participate gladly giving pretzels, candy or other treats to the hundreds of kids who come all dressed up. No one has measured the effectiveness of this event at our church, but I know that people have come to our church for the first time as a result of this event. So, in my mind it is worth all the efforts if just one person comes to a right relationship with the Heavenly Father.

Halloween is big business. I was appalled at reading this: “According to the National Retail Federation, spending on Halloween-related items is expected to reach $10.14 billion, up from $8.05 billion in 2020 and an all-time high. Individually, Americans are anticipated to spend an average of $102.74 on Halloween this year.”

Then there is the horror movie industry—I read some stunning figures on the amount of money made on horror movies because they are so wildly popular and compared to other movies, they are much less expensive to produce. Good news for investors in horror movies: huge ROI.

Horror movies, horror features on TV, buying costumes, decorating houses and paying for spook venues—all that money to scare people.

We are fortunate to live in a country where we don’t live in fear. So, we pay money to get frightened! So many people around the world live in fear every day. I have traveled in 130 plus countries over the years, and the most frightened people I have ever seen were in North Korea. Walking down the street people don’t even look into the face of other people. You never see smiles on their faces. Everyone is suspicious of others. The government rules by fear.

Albania was the last of the former communist European countries to renounce communism. My first trip to Albania was in 1995. As the Lufthansa aircraft landed at the Tirana airport the noise from the tires rolling over the pavement was alarming. The runway was so rough and the cracks in the pavement were so wide that the jet was required to halt at the end of the runway so a crew could come out in a truck to examine the tires of the jet. After a few minutes of inspection, the jet taxied to the point of disembarkation.

Driving from the airport to the city, I was amazed at the proliferation of concrete bunkers that looked like igloos scattered across fields. The bunkers were built all over the country because the leadership of the country instilled a fear into all Albanians that the Americans were going to invade their country. Hundreds of thousands of metal spears pointing upward were mounted on farm fence posts to kill the invading paratroopers from America.

The government of Albania strong-armed people of the country and ruled the hermit nation through fear. This is another example of how many nations have been ruled by instilling fear in the citizens of the country.

Even though we do not live in a country that intentionally instills fear into its citizens, fear is something we all face every day, and it can steal our joy and peace if we let it overwhelm us. The Bible is filled with stories of people who overcame their fears with the strength of God.

Rolfe Dorsey, one of my mentors, told me this when I was 19 years old: Preach Jesus. Hate nothing but sin. Fear nothing but God.

Godly fear isn’t the same as fear of a tyrant or a dictator. We don’t need to fear God’s anger unless we have an unrepentant heart because of sin. The act of fearing God is absolute reverence and awe for the Almighty God, the creator and sustainer of all things.

During my treatments for my second bout with cancer, Joshua 1:9 was my verse: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” I am not afraid because the Lord has planned every step of my life, and I trust in Him as He directs my journey.