Fear – You’re Not Welcome Here!
As part of the first inaugural address by the newly elected President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, he included the phrase, " we have nothing to fear but fear itself". Now mind you the country was still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression of 1929. President Roosevelt’s bold steps have been attributed to ushering this nation out of the depression, but how much of it was programmatic and how much was it philosophical? The scripture tells us that "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"(Proverbs 23:KJV). What we believe to be true, and what we reject as false has a great deal to do with how we govern our behavior.
We have now crossed over to a new year, a new decade – what did we bring with us? Did we bring hope for new and better things, or has the disappointments and failures of past days so clouded your thinking that you fear that there will be repeats? Are you envisioning new things, or has the memory of disappointment made you afraid to dream? Let us look at something that can give us hope:
Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son!
31 So, what does all this mean? If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us? 32 For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give.Romans 8:30-32 (TPT)
What a promise! Not only did God see us when we were entrenched in our sin, but He offered up a sacrifice for our sin, before we even asked. Then after we were drawn into His love, "He transferred His perfect righteousness", to all of those He called. He wasn’t through then, He has "given us exceedingly great and precious promises"(2 Peter1:4), that if we believe what we read above, "He certainly won’t withhold from us anything else He has to give".
Franklin Roosevelt was a man who couldn’t walk to a bread line to offer comfort to a starving people; he couldn’t stand on any front line during World War II. He was confined to a wheelchair. Yet, his optimism inspired both the starving poor, and the military efforts of a nation at war. Roosevelt was only a man limited in what he could do, yet we have a promise from a Father who can do anything but fail!
As I got my bearings this morning, I heard the words of a song that expresses this sentiment. Here is a portion of the lyrics:
The Break-Up Song
Sick and tired of being sick and tired
Had as much of you as I can take
I’m so done, so over being afraidI’ve gone through the motions
I’ve been back and forth
I know that you’re thinking you’ve heard this before
I don’t know how to say it
So I’m just gonna say it, yeahFear, you don’t own me
There ain’t no room in this story
And I ain’t got time for you
Telling me what I’m not
Like you know me well guess what?
I know who I am
I know I’m strong
And I am free
Got my own identity
So fear, you will never be welcome here…
Songwriters: Bart Millard / David Garcia / Francesca BattistelliThe Breakup Song lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Capitol Christian Music Group, Spirit Music Group
Happy 2020!
Maria