andidote to fear

​In the last century, the predominant news source was paper, arriving once a day, or, in larger markets, morning and evening.  Eventually, this form of news was eclipsed by news radio, then by TV news programs, TV dedicated to news, and, in our day, smartphones.  New York news radio once proclaimed, "The antidote to fear is facts: tune in 3, 4, 5 times a day."  I remember thinking that this was bunk, and the subsequent decades have shown it to be.  We have access to more news, consume it more voraciously, and are more fearful than ever.

The antidote to fear is in God.  Paul writes to Timothy: God gave us a spirit not of fear but of Power and Love and Self-control (1 Timothy 1:7).  Later this week, we will celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the first disciples, granting them Power to proclaim the Good News of Jesus in a hostile culture, Love to reach out to people from all nations, tongues, and tribes, and Self-control to steward the Fire of The Holy Spirit so that He is neither quenched, grieved, nor counterfeited in unruly passions.  Though these followers of Jesus were at times afraid, on the whole, they were remarkably fearless, with their opponents being stunned that threats, violence, and even murder failed to keep the Jesus Movement from moving forward.

This pattern is meant to be repeated in the lives of followers of Jesus today.  As we come to believe in Jesus and The Word of God which leads us to Him, and as we receive The Holy Spirit He promised to give us, we will stand out from our fear-filled culture.  Though we will not be ignorant of the disturbing facts of life in our world, our focus will be on how the World to come and the world as it is are both under the Control of The God Who is Himself Love and Power.  Let's receive The Holy Spirit afresh, adjust the ratio of our consumption of Word and Spirit with that of the news, and look to God as our ultimate Antidote to fear.