Proverbs 29:25
(NIV)
Fear of man will
prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.
It is written time and again in the Scriptures that
followers of God through Christ are always to fear (reverence) God, but never
fear man. Yet, our human nature does the
opposite; we have great fear of man and little, if any, fear of God.
The fear of man will prove to be a snare. The Hebrew word for snare is “mowqesh” that
means “to bait or to lure”. Think about
bait and lure, what comes to mind? Being
trapped or captured. What comes to mind
when you think about being trapped or captured?
You have lost your freedom. That
is what the fear of man does to you, it causes you to lose your freedom;
freedom to be what God intended you to be and live the abundant life He planned
for you.
How is the fear of man manifested? You fear about looking or dressing
inappropriately because of what others might say or think? You fear speaking in public? You fear speaking up at meetings? You fear telling the truth, e.g. you didn’t
understand something but don’t want to appear ignorant? You fear disagreeing with someone? You fear disapproval? All of these and more are fears we have of
what other people might think of us.
The most disturbing manifestation of the fear of man is
the fear of being ridiculed or disapproved of or rejected by freely speaking
and acting in a Christian manner. Are
you afraid of being obedient of God’s Word because of what others might say or
think of you? Interestingly, fear of
others and what they think of you is strongly connected with the sin of
pride. Pride is putting yourself first
before God. You are afraid of what
others will say or think that will adversely affect your pride, your
self-image, and so you don’t say or do anything that will cause this problem
for you.
Pastor Dale Campfield of
Eastgate Community Church (http://www.eastgatecommunitychurch.com) wrote that
the fear of man comes from the following desires/preferences in our lives:
· needing
appreciation
· being
compensated
· wanting
that next promotion
· feeling
esteemed (there’s the pride issue)
· needing
to feel protected
· avoiding
confrontation.
You overcome the fear of man by claiming the promises of
God that He will be your protector, guide, and strength (Phil 4:13). He is your Father and you are His child (John
1:12). You can claim the promises for
standing firm against the potential thoughts and words from others (Psalm
37:23-24, Isaiah 41:10). Jesus promised
that if you know the truth (the Word of God), you shall be free (John
8:32). Freedom includes not being afraid
of other people that will snare you. Ask
God to enable you to overcome your fears and enjoy the freedom of being guided
and strengthened and encouraged by the Lord as you interact with others.
“The fear of man is being more impressed with
man’s reaction to our actions than with God’s reaction. That ís bondage. When we have the fear of God
upon us, we are impressed only with God’s reaction. We are freed from the
concern of what people think. That ís freedom! That ís release! That ís great
relief!”---Joy Dawson, “Intimate Friendship with God Through Understanding the
Fear of the Lord”, p. 33
No comments:
Post a Comment