My family loves Chicago. In 2018, we made three trips to the Windy City. Our first trip was actually our family vacation for the year and initially we planned to buy a City Pass. This would have included the SkyDeck at the Willis Tower. I remember discussing with the kids if their fear would stop them from stepping out onto the glass.
Stepping out
Has God ever asked you to step out in faith? Or, has God ever asked you to give up something and trust Him? It can be scary, and Paul addresses this kind of fear in Romans 8:15-16.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
A discourse on fear would be incomplete without addressing one of the Bible’s best known fear verses, 2 Timothy 1:7.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2nd Timothy is a completely different kind of fear than Romans 8. Timothy equates the word fear with faithlessness. Romans uses the word phobos. Our word phobia comes from this original Greek word.
A slave to fear
I’m going to make a confession: I have an unrealistic phobia of retail shelf hangers. Honestly, I’ve had it for a long time and when the phobia hits me, it makes me physically ill. I’ve had to walk out of store aisles in the past when I have an “attack.”
That’s fear. An unrealistic fear, but it’s a fear nonetheless. My phobia to shelf hangers controls my actions. In fact, I took this photo as I was having an attack. I walked into this isle, saw the rows of empty hangars, and immediately walked away. My eyes hurt that badly! I became a slave to these stupid things, and it inhibited my ability to function.
Sound familiar?
Let’s loop back to my original question: has God ever asked you to step out in faith? This website is a step of faith. If I’m being completely transparent for a moment, I’m apprehensive. Is it going to work? Will people read or watch what I have to say? Am I going to get lost in all of the internet noise that’s already out there?
I’m a planner. My desk and workflow are highly organized. Efficiency is my model and knowing the next step is my goal at all times. It is challenging for me to trust in the unknown.
However, trust is exactly what God wants me to do right now. While shopping, the noise — the fluorescent lighting, the shelf hangers ready to poke my eyes out — might distract me. Subsequently, I’ll miss out on a great clearance deal or that elusive Transformer I’ve been searching for. Likewise, I could allow the unknowns with the website to stop me from pursuing this phase of my ministry.
Fear can be debilitating in any situation. However, Paul offers the solution in this same verse.
God adopted us into His family
Think back to your childhood. Were you afraid of what was going to happen next? Probably not: you trusted that your parents had it under control.
I love the word choice in Romans 8:15. Paul reminds us that God adopted us into His family. Most adoption definitions highlight that it’s a choice.
God chose to bring us into His family. We received God’s Spirit when we accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as atonement for our sins.
God reaffirmed this to me, literally, as I was writing. I texted my best friend to ask his opinion on whether He and Him should be capitalized when referring to God. He said yes, but later clarified his reasoning.
“For the same reason you capitalize Dad when referring to the specific person”
Dad. Father. Adopted.
Abba, Father
Did you know that Abba is only used three times in the entire New Testament? The closest word we have is Daddy, something we probably stopped saying as we grew up. The first usage of Abba appears while Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” — Mark 14:36
I want you to imagine Jesus crying out in agony, “Daddy, please take this away!” followed by His acceptance that God had a plan. It’s an emotional moment, and Paul reminds us here that our spirit cries out to God in the same way.
God had a plan to adopt us. This plan joined our Spirit with His and affirmed that we are a child of God.
Therefore, why should we let fear stop us?
The Perfect Blend
Bethel Music turned Romans 8:15 into an awesome worship song. If you have a moment, look it up and listen to it. Let it remind you of God’s choice to adopt you into His family. Cry out to your Father when circumstances scare you. Finally, if there is one thing I want you to remember, it’s today’s Perfect Blend.
Don’t give in to the Spirit of Fear. Trust in your Father. He chose you and has a plan for your life.
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