The Absence of Fear

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “fight or flight,” which speaks to the built-in reaction God placed inside us to either leave a frightening situation or stay and face whatever comes our way.  I don’t know if there is truly an absence of fear when a person stays, or if they simply know how to handle fear in such a way that they use the adrenaline produced to their advantage.  Risk-takers do not know what the final outcome of their bravery may bring, yet some individuals are compelled to remain rather than run.

Fear can produce two results—fight or flight.

I was raised in churches where sermons about “the wages of sin is death” got pretty heated from the pulpit.  Hell was presented as the consequence non-Christians would endure for eternity—a scary message for young ears to hear.  Listening intently, the words were certainly compelling for young minds and adults alike to grasp.  I could almost feel the flames singeing the blond hairs on my skinny little arms as I scooted closer to my dad for protection.

Sitting quietly in the pew, I was ready to take flight and vacate the place—or call the local fire station to come save me—but there were no cell phones back then.

With all kidding aside, the message of the gospel is serious regarding salvation.  It is still presented in the church I attend today as an adult, and the message remains the same—Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the sins of humanity.

The sermons I heard years ago from inspired and anointed preachers often scared people into repentance, whereas today the Good News about Jesus is frequently preached with love and tenderness.  Both styles of preaching produced results, but I wonder how many people chose the “flight” reaction and left rather than the “fight” response of staying to see what would happen.  I also wonder how many pastors still preach hellfire and brimstone, with a touch of damnation thrown in for good measure.

I’m certainly not belittling, condemning, or mocking men of God—shepherds of their flocks.  That’s simply how sermons were delivered in the churches my family attended years ago.  Powerful and vivid messages, for sure, captured the attention of the parishioners.  I know this because it got my dad’s attention the night he gave his heart to the Lord.

But we have to remember, it has always been—and still is—the working of the Holy Spirit that quickens and draws sinners to God, usually without the fear factor.

As it says in Scripture, “No one comes to the Father unless the Spirit who sent Me draws him.”

The message of salvation has not changed.  It is still Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the sins of humanity.  I believe, for the most part—though I’m not completely certain—that the manner in which salvation messages are presented has changed.

Talk about fear—before I became a Christian, I remember walking in fear constantly.  I knew that if I were to die without a reservation in heaven, what the preachers warned about would happen.  “No Jesus; no life.”  Even when I went to bed at night, that worry lingered in my mind.  It must have been those hellfire sermons from my childhood embedded deep within the gray matter of my brain.

Whatever the reason, and whatever it took to get my attention that I was lost and needed a Savior, I’m glad it happened.

I am now a child of God.

Because of Jesus, my reservation has been made in heaven—no more fear.

Written by,

Papa Boyd