without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.
Philippians 1:28
Have you ever thought about what really terrifies you? What are the things that just reach out and push the scared button on the keyboard of your life? I’m not talking about just being a little bit worried but being totally frightened out of your skull.
When I was growing up, I was left alone a lot in the house while my parents went out. And that was fine. The house was locked up tighter than a drum. There was more than enough food and snacks to munch away on. And because my dad had installed a rotating antenna onto the top of our chimney, we could get eight channels on the TV instead of the normal three!
So, I’d fix myself a big bowl of ice cream followed by a large glass of ice-cold milk and beer pretzels. I’d turn on the TV and settle in for a quiet evening. Every once in a while, I’d get up to change the channel, looking for something more interesting. And then it happened.
There were these noises down in the basement. It sounded like someone not just walking, but they were moving stuff around. These bangs frightened me more than I can describe. I crawled into the corner of the sofa, curled myself into a ball and just cowered there.
Now, in my head I knew what it was. It always started with the sound of the furnace going on. After a few minutes a fan came on to force hot air throughout the house. This was followed by the air ducts going “bang” as they heated up and expanded from the hot air.
That’s the way it is with fear. It normally starts someplace familiar. Someplace that we know well. And then there’s that sudden thing that upsets the applecart of our life. It suddenly moves in and just overwhelms us and what’s in our heads. It overtakes what we know to be true and kicks it to the curb.
There’s very little that’s logical about being frightened. If it were logical then that’s what they’d call it. But it’s frightening. It’s emotional. It touches a part of us where little thinking takes place. The only way to fight fear is with a three-pronged approach.
First – Know what’s coming. Think about how an animal immediately reacts to someone coming up from behind and touching it. That’s the way most frightening things come up. From out of the blue. Completely unexpected You need to be expecting the enemy to do something. You have to be on the lookout for them. You have an enemy that’s crouching at your door[1]. It’s foolish to think that they’ll not do something to attack.
Second – Know who’s against you. You have an enemy that’s not going to just sit there while you live for God. They’re not interested in your wellbeing. They’re only interested in your downfall. They’re coming in like a flood[2]. They’re out there, making noises like a roaring lion[3]. They want to trip you up by putting a stumbling block in your way[4]. There’s nothing passive about them. They’re out for blood. Your blood.
Third – Know who’s on your side. You have to know more than just your enemy. You need to know who’s on your team. Who’s got your back. And this doesn’t just happen by accident. You need to be on the lookout for them.God is on your side[5]. He will never leave you or forsake you[6]. You have a cloud of witnesses surrounding and cheering you on[7]. Christians are to encourage each one another and build each other up[8].
Frightening things and people are headed our way. So, we need to get out there and prepare for when it comes. We need to get out and find the people that will stand with us when those overwhelming fears come crashing.
Now, I’m all for running to Jesus in times of terror. We absolutely need to do this. But we also need to have people that can support us in our fight us against our enemy. We need a few close friends that we can depend on to will stand shoulder to shoulder with us when the enemy comes in like a flood.
These people don’t grow on trees. You won’t find them in Walmart or even on Amazon. They’re not in some little boutique store in the next town either. You’ll find them in your church and small group. You have to go out and find them. Become friends with them. You need to nurture and grow a handful of special relationships that you can turn to when the terror with your name comes. And it’s coming. Are we ready? Are we willing? Are we open to giving ourselves over to the one who loves us?
Noodling Questions
Describe a recent time that you were absolutely terrified.
Name some friends that are on your team, on your side.
How much effort do you put into finding people like this? Why?
[1] Genesis 4:7
[2] Isaiah 59:19
[3] 1 Peter 5:8
[4] Romans 14:13
[5] Psalm 118:6 ESV
[6] Hebrews 13:5
[7] Hebrews 12:1
[8] 1 Thessalonians 5:11