The Stepping Stone of Fear

There's something spiritual about running. I don't know if it is because we were created to run to our Father or if it's a focus that helps narrow the rapid pace of world moving too fast anyway but whatever the case, I know that it's in those moments of pure exhaustion, because I can't run any further and yet He keeps me on my feet, that God really likes to speak to my heart. There was nothing I could do to hide from what He was speaking to me tonight. I think it's a warning for all of us in modern words. I want to call it the stepping stone of fear because that's what He called it. Most of us have heard it before but it needs to be said again, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 We were not created to live in fear. I hope that goes without saying. But far too often, many of us let ourselves be dragged into fear of the unknown. And as I was having this thought, another popped into my head. Imagine you are in the middle of a lake. You are directly in the dead center. It looks too far somehow to reach the other side and you begin to worry if you can get out of this. Water's up to your waist. You take a step back. You're standing on something but you've sunk a little deeper into the water. You think to yourself, "Now I'm further away then when I started!" You take another step back and another step down submerging deeper into the water. What you are experiencing are the stepping stones of fear. They don't bring you up, they lead you down. Is it any wonder that every time God speaks to humanity in His word, it's almost always accompanied with "Fear not"? God does not desire for us to live in this fear. I think in large part, it's because when we fear, we start to forget who He is. He is the one who protects us. He is the one who comforts us. He is the one who has promised good to us. He even tells us in Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." We are not suppose to fear because He's commanded us not to! He's given us every reason not to fear! Our God is smart enough to know what happens when we start to take those steps backwards and descend into our own fears. But there's a flip side. You've become mostly submerged in the water and you begin to realize, God's in control and He is strong enough to take care of this. You take a step forward. And instead of grabbing ahold of that stone you just walked on, there's another in it's place. It elevates you. You begin to rely on Him for your strength. You take another step. He becomes your deliver and He is the one who vanquishes your fear! You step again and soon enough, you're walking on water. There's another kind of fear that He wants us to cling to. It's the fear of the Lord. This isn't us being scared of God. No, this is us being awed in reverence in the knowledge that our God can do all things! Proverbs 19:23 says, "The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble." Why is there no trouble? Why can we live and rest in contentment? It's because we know that our God is is strong enough to overcome anything we could possibly face. 1 John 4:4 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater then the one who is in the world." You have overcome the world Father, and as for me....I will trust in You.