Fear as it Relates to Idolatry

There are millions of pages of counseling helps that have been written on overcoming fear. Here are a few more, but in this contribution, a different aspect of fear is addressed as it may relate to succumbing to the temptation of an idolatrous heart.Phobias and anxieties are not just focused and centered around one particular aspect of life for us, i.e., “going out”, “new jobs”, “facing exams”, being alone, etc.If that were the case, then once the new job became familiar, or the exam was complete, or once I was out and about, then the fear of such things would never confront one again.BUT… Fear is a perpetual state or disposition of the soul. It is a scarred lens through which we view and perceive all of life. Regardless of the “thing(s)” one fears, the soul will latch onto something else once the other thing is diminished or curtailed by some manipulative means that we use to keep it under control.A fearful soul will always keep itself occupied by “nourishing” itself with something else to fear.Why…Because Fear is a “covert” self-love that creates a preoccupation to over-protect oneself. If one has nothing at hand to pre-occupy self, then self will find something else onto which it may grasp.Possibly unaware to the fearful soul, phobias and anxieties may become cherished and dear because they draw all energies of oneself to a central point – “ME”.The reason we latch onto phobias of things and circumstance is because they are so very intense. The intensity is exactly the right prescription for nourishing a self-absorbed soul.Even if one has found some way to “keep the phobia at bay” or to manage the anxiety by manipulating the world to where one can regulator the phobias, one will always keep it near in case one needs another surge of self-absorption. A fearful soul endears fear.Things and circumstances that cause panic in us may be “controlled” in our minds and we’ve done everything we can to “protect” ourselves from that next attack, but we treat them as we would treat a supply of emergency food – close, and in reach…just in case.This is IDOLATRY. Idolatry is a self-focused life.A fearful soul does not just “yield” to the temptation to be self-focused, i.e., occasions that stir phobias, panic, anxieties, we actually calculate and subtly seek out the next swell of fear because we cannot tolerate a time when we are free from self. The more intense the fear, the more absorbed we are with self and the more satisfied an idolatrous heart becomes. It is a dreadful place in which the soul dwells to be nourished.In that we yield to the temptation to nurture the soul by our fleshly drives we construct phobias or fantasies that ought to be resisted when one realizes that it is nothing more than idolatry.1 Cor 10.13-14 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.14* Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. YIELDING to the TEMPTATION to be overcome by fearfulness is IDOLATRY.What is that “way of escape”?The way of escape is “TIME” with Christ.There is no pill or word or sentence that will “Fix” the self-absorbed state of the heart.A “fearless” soul, on the other hand, fears God. The fear of God will set one free from ten thousand other fears. A heart that fears God is “God-focused”.What does it mean to fear God? People who have “irrational” phobias--fear of heights, small places, crowds, loneliness, elevators, telephones, water, darkness, exposure to uncontrollable circumstances, or even bugs--often seek out psychological help to overcome their unnatural and debilitating fears. They go deep into the abyss of a heart that knows no bounds of darkness in order to gain personal insight; but, not for deliverance, rather, for control. A trickle charge of panic or phobic reaction is just what a self-absorbed heart needs when it senses emptiness.On the other hand, the fear of God is not an irrational state of the soul. It is a godly lens through which one views life. It makes logical sense when you focus on the facts about who God is and what He is like.The biblical concept of the fear of the Lord involves recognition of the power, greatness, authority, and holiness of God. It is a healthy fear. It means we respect Him, shudder at the thought of His righteousness against our sin, hold Him in awe, reverence Him, recognize Him as absolute Lord, and honor Him. The right kind of fear, the fear of the Lord, drives us to the Lord--not away from Him! It will never dive deeper into self, but freedom and deliverance from self. Our eyes are on Him, not ourselves.To be God-Focused, we must spend all the days of our lives absorbing Christ through:His word and obedience to it,Fellowship with the saints,Life consuming prayer,Sharing with others the goodness of the gospel by word and deed, and inSensitivity to the Holy Spirit with whom we were sealed until we acquire possession of our heavenly estate. It is the Holy Spirit that fills an empty soul and nourishes it with His presence.This abiding journey with Christ spans over our entire life; whereby we live in self-abandon and we are Christ-absorbed.It takes TIME – It takes a lifetime, but that is the way God does what He does – over time; and given time, our self-absorption will be destroyed.2 Cor 10.3* For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.4* For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.5* We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,2 Cor 5.15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.2Ti 1:12* which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.Heb 7:25* Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.So, recognize that my fears are not something that happens to me.Recognize that I am the culprit that initiates and possesses an active phobic, fearful, anxious response to events, things, and circumstances in my world. It is I who create and nurture a feeding ground for an idolatrous soul to feed. I become the center of the world and these fearful responses to which I yield provide an intense self-absorption that nourishes an idolatrous heart.But, as I fear God and draw close to Him, my idolatrous heart loses its power and allure. I am able and willing to set aside the sin that so easily snares my soul as I fix my eyes on Jesus and I will begin to live and thrive in freedom from the tyranny of an idolatrous heart.1Co 15:57* But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.2 Cor 2 14-15* But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing…