Fearful or Fearless?

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity [fear], but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”  2 Timothy 1:7

It is a presidential election year. Have you noticed how many people are driven by fear in their choices for a presidential candidate? The constant messages of nominee front-runners feed on the fears of people because they know that people are often manipulated by the candidates’ abilities to use forceful, charismatic appeals to both real and imaginary fears. We are seeing more and more votes driven by emotions and fear rather than thoughtful evaluation of a person’s character and qualifications to lead this nation.

Fear is a strong motivational force, but it can also paralyze so that appropriate action is not taken when action is needed. In my travels and conversations with grandparents, it is not uncommon to encounter those who are paralyzed by the fear of inadequacy, or the fear that the generation gap is so huge we could never relate to one another. After all, why would either be interested in what the other has to say?

Such paralyzing fear restricts involvement and inhibits the release of God’s transformational power in and through grandparents who could make a difference. Grandparents do matter. It is how God designed families. While most of us can relate to feelings of inadequacy, allowing those feelings to detain us from proactive involvement is nothing less than unbelief.

Peter says that God, through His divine power, has given us EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness. If that is true, then to believe otherwise is to say, “I don’t believe God.”  When Peter says everything, he does not mean we will have the ability to understand every nuance of the trends around us, or that we will have all the answers.

He means that God has already given us everything we need to show and tell the next generations what it looks like to live Life with a capital ‘L’ in Christ. It means He will give us all the tools we need to meaningfully engage with today’s culture as conduits of His grace and power.

We do not have to fear the unknown. We do not have to fear foolish politicians or the hostility, godlessness, and lies of the world. God has given us the spirit of power, love and self-discipline. We are equipped to train another generation to walk in the truth without fear.

The practical implications of this truth—that we who know and follow Christ already have EVERYTHING we need—removes both the fear of adversity and the pressure to change others, including our grandchildren. Now we may rest in the knowledge that God has supplied all the tools we need to live effective and productive godly lives so that another generation may know the truth and walk in it. We are free to fearlessly be His agent of blessing for our grandchildren and their children after them.

Choose today where you will put your trust—in those who would lead us through fear and false promises, or in God who calls us to freedom from fear and into His divine power where we are already amply supplied with everything we need.

Show your grandchildren what it means to live without fear in that freedom.

GRANDPAUSE:  To know that nothing happens in God’s world apart from God’s will may frighten the godless, but it stabilizes the saints. –J. I. Packer