"Knowledge not to Fear"

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but
 of power knand of love and of a sound mine.

2 Timothy 1:7

  Frederick William I, who ruled Prussia in the
early eighteenth century, was a fat, choleric
eccentric who stood on no ceremony at all. He
walked the streets of Berlin unattended, and
when anyone displeased him (and he was easily displeased) he did not hesitate to use his stout walking stick as a cudgel.
  Small wonder, then, that when the Berliners
saw him at a distance, they quietly left the
vicinity.
   One time, as Frederick William was pounding
down one of the streets, a citizen spied him, but too late, and his attempt to slide quietly into a doorway proved a failure. "You," called out Frederick William, "where are you going?" "Into the house, Your Majesty," said the citizen, trembling violently,
"Is it your house?"
"No, Your Majesty,"
"A friend's house?"
"No, Your Majesty."
"Why are you entering it, then?"
And the poor citizen, fearing he might be accused
of burglary and at his wit's end, finally decided on
the truth, and said, "In order to avoid you, Your
Majesty." Frederick William frowned. "To avoid
me? Why?" "Because I fear you, Your Majesty."
Frederick William promptly turned purple and,
 lifting his cudgel, pounded the others's shoulder,
crying, "You are not supposed to fear me. You're supposed to love me. Love me scum, love me!" The only fear that God encourages in a Christian's life is the fear of God 

(2 Cor.5:10-11; Heb.10:31). Fear of people does not come from God. The problem is that many Christian fear people more than they fear God. Their fear hinders them pleasing God because they waste their efforts appeasing other people. Fear causes us to stop and question what God has clearly told us to do. Perhaps we were confident in our obedience until persecution came; now we doubt whether we heard God correctly. Most fear is fear of the unknown. We do not know what lies ahead of us, so we become apprehensive. Our    imagination can magnify problems until insurmountable. We need a sound mind to see things in proper perspective. That is why God gave us His Holy Spirit, to enable us to see things as God see them.
   Fear is no excuse to disobey God. There is no
reason to live in fear when you have the mighty
presence of the Holy Spirit within you. Fear will
enslave you, but Christ has come to set you free. Ask God to free you from any fear you are
experiencing and to open your eyes. As He
reveals the reality of your situation, He will
enable you to continue in obedience.