No Fear Hear = No Fear Here

Mark 5:36 (AMPC)

^36 [a]Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing.

In these early months of 2020, fear has become a companion of daily living for both the unbeliever and even for many believers.  Whether it be watching the news or going out in public and being surrounded by people wearing masks and rubber gloves, what we see and hear definitely has an impact on our emotions.  If we don’t get our emotions under control what we may be experiencing now is going to last much longer than it should.

What we see and hear is filtered through our soul, which houses our emotions. Our soul’s basic response to everything consists of “I think, I want, I feel.” A soul renewed by the Word of God responds according to the Truth of the Word; an unrenewed soul responds to the emotion of the moment.

The Bible is very clear that fear should have no place in the life of a believer. One of the most repeated phrases spoken by both the Father and His Son throughout the Old and New Testaments is, “Fear not.”  In Mark 5:36, Jesus gave us the answer on how to live free of fear. The backdrop of His directive was that a ruler of the synagogue – a man by the name of Jairus – had come to Jesus asking Him to heal his daughter. But as Jairus approached Jesus, someone came and said that his daughter was already dead, so there was no need for him to bother Jesus.  Jesus actually heard the conversation and said to Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe.” In only five words, Jesus gave us the answer to not fearing; that being, only believe (to trust).  Jesus’ response to Jairus also gave us the key to helping us believe.  The Good News Translation says, “Jesus paid no attention to what they said {in saying Jairus’ daughter was dead}, but told him, ‘Don’t be afraid, only believe.’” One key to helping us believe is, “pay no attention” to any voice but the voice of God’s Word.

We can’t always control what is going on around us, but we can control how we respond to what we see and hear.  The more we know the Word of God and the more we have a revelation of the Goodness of God, the easier it is to not pay attention to what is going on around us.  As a result, our emotions can get on the “God-side” of things and stay there.  That’s what Jairus did. He didn’t deny his situation was desperate, but he refused to let the desperation of the situation define his emotions.

Likewise, we don’t deny there is a pandemic all around us, but we can choose how much of it we let get on the inside of us.  Jairus did not let his situation control his emotions, and, as a result, Jesus was able to do what He always desires to do – to bring life in the midst of death.  Jesus went with Jairus to his home and He didn’t leave Jairus until the storm in his life was over. Jesus will do no less for us today!

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