The Fear Factor
mark 4:36-41

Although this is the name of one of TV’s worst reality shows, the Fear Factor is very real in all our lives. A woman in Arkansas was sitting in her car in a parking lot last year when she heard a loud bang and felt a sharp pain in the back of her head.

She was holding her hands behind her head when someone walked by and asked, "Are you OK?"

The woman answered, "I’ve been shot in the head, and I’m holding my brains in."

Well, it wasn’t her brains. It was dough. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded in the back seat, apparently from the heat, making a loud explosion and shooting the dough into the back of her head. Although in no immediate danger, she assumed the worst! She was afraid to move.

Often our time can be divided with:

• 40% spent worrying about things that never happen,
• 35% spent worrying about things that cannot be changed,
• 15% spent worrying about things that turn out better than expected, and
• 8% spent worrying about things so petty they don’t matter at all.

That leaves only 2% of our time spent worrying about things that really matter!

Fear is the feeling we experience as a result of anxiety, the presence of danger, or the presence of the unknown. Charlie Brown stated, “I have a new philosophy. I’m only going to dread one day at a time.”

Often we fear suffering, but are reminded in Scripture (Matthew 5:45) “Into each life some rain must fall.” Suffering is inevitable. Fear often pounces on us when it arrives. The situation seems intimidating. Satan uses our fears not only to intimidate but also to ultimately overcome us.

This is why 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us the Lord has not given us a spirit of fear. When a Believer becomes fearful, there is a lack of trust in the Lord. We would do better to fill ourselves with faith than leave space for fear. If we feed our minds with fearful things, we will become fearful. If we watch all the mishaps prevalent in the 6 o’clock News and watch all of the unhealthy TV shows from 6:30 to 10:00, by the time the 10 o’clock News comes around, we will be candidates for fear.

Having said all of this, there is a good kind of fear such as the fear of the Lord. In Ps 111:10, we find, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…”

After a long day of ministry, Jesus and His disciples went out to sea on a small ship. They needed rest. Rest enables us to avoid much of the stress caused by fear.

Jesus went into the lower portion of the ship and went to sleep. While He slept, a storm arose. This was not unusual for the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is below sea level, with mountains rising to the east. On the west, the Judean hills bend and twist, creating narrow wind tunnels. Violent storms erupt very quickly in this area, known as the Golan Heights.

In our lives, we are surrounded by all kinds of situations, which cause us to fear. There are fears of companies closing, questions about national security, terrorists, kidnappers in our schools, and fears of unknown circumstances in life.

When these things hit us all at once, we can have a “fear storm.” And perhaps that is where the problem lies for most of us. We think WE are in control. We think WE can save ourselves. We think WE can fix our problems on our own. We think WE have all the answers. We think it all hangs on US.

But reality quickly sets in as we discover we really don’t have the control we thought we had. The Fear Factor sets in! We tend to keep one hand on the rudder, just in case God doesn’t know where He is going. But we learn we have to release it into God’s hands!

The disciples experienced a sudden storm. They didn’t have much time to arrange for their local Coast Guard to be there. There were no emergency helicopters to swoop down and rescue them. Sometimes life operates just like that. Unexpected test results come back and cancer has been detected. Certain changes in events can cause us all to become fearful.

We are not told how long the disciples waited before they sought Jesus. I would imagine they did everything they knew to do first. Our teenagers operate in much the same way. They really don’t seek our advice until they face a bad storm they can’t handle. Human nature is like that. We spend needless effort trying to resolve issues our own way before we turn them over to the Lord!

Once they were overcome with fear, the disciples awoke Jesus. Panic was in their voices as they asked Him, “Don’t You care if we perish?” If you really know the Lord, you ought to know the answer. 2 Peter 3:9 reminds every Believer it is not God’s will that any should perish.

Fear causes unnecessary panic. It will stress you out and wear you out! This is why the phrases “Fear not” and “Be not afraid” are found 365 times in the Word of God. That’s one for every day of the year! Zig Ziglar said, “FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real! We often run from the imaginary and as Job said, “That which I feared the most has come to pass.”

Our suffering is INEVITABLE. Our situation can be INTIMIDATING. Yet there is great news in knowing our Solution is INFALLIBLE!  Why? Because our Solution is found in the Lord. To overcome our fears, we find in the Word of God His promises, which are true:

• God will work all things out for good. (Romans 8:28)
• God will provide all the necessities of life. (Matthew 6:33)
• God will give you His glory in the face of insults. (I Peter 4:14)

This is just to remind us to keep our focus on the Lord.

Sometimes the Lord allows us to meet our fears head-on, so as we experience our storms, they teach us what faith in God can do. When our lessons are learned, A.W. Tozer said, “People who have ‘set apart Christ as Lord’ have three distinct marks:

1. They are only facing ONE DIRECTION – They are looking up!
2. They never turn back in the face of FEAR.
3. They no longer have PLANS of their own – because the Lord’s Plan becomes their plan!

There is no storm in our lives that puts us out of the reach of our God. There is no situation in our lives that is out of His Control. For when we walk close to Him, He will speak and calm the storm in our lives right on time!

An Arab chief told a story of a spy who was captured and then sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. This general had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between a firing squad and a big, black door.

As the moment for execution drew near, the spy was brought to the Persian general, who asked him, "What will it be: the firing squad or the big, black door?"

The spy hesitated for a long time. It was a difficult decision. He chose the firing squad.

Moments later, shots rang out, confirming his execution. The general turned to his aide and said, "They always prefer the known way to the unknown.”

The aide asked, "What lies beyond the big door?"

"Freedom," replied the general. "I've known only a few brave enough to take it."

Fear will cause you to miss the blessings of God. Fear will cause you to walk by sight when your God is calling you to walk by faith! It is a natural characteristic of people to be afraid of the unknown. Yet God gives us a choice.

When we are confronted with the unknown, our focus must always be on the Lord! We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we always know Who holds it!