The third load is the weight of fear.
Some feelings are like heavy weights. A little of them can make us stronger. But our bodies were not designed to carry them all day long. That is why we need to learn when to lift heavy weights and when to put them down. What feelings are you carrying? What feelings are you holding on to?
Your feelings need to follow your decision, not make the decisions for you. If we make our decisions based on our feelings, we will be slave to them. Letting go of heavy loads will help you regain your strength in the Lord. Otherwise you will become weak, not stronger.
Fear is a helpful feeling. It warns us from danger. For example, when walking close to the edge of a high cliff your mind will help you remember how dangerous that is. It focuses your attention on what could happen. Fear is a learned feeling. Young children are fearless.
Elijah became afraid. In 1 Kings 19:3 we read that “3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life.” Elijah held on to the feeling of fear.
In Psalm 1 we have the best advice: “1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
We can include in this list of elements, of which we should not walk away from, or feelings. Blessed is the person that does not counsel with their own feelings. Do not allow fear to dictate your life. Let fear be the last resource for you to counsel with. Let the weight of fear go. It is time to place that feeling down so you can walk humbly before the Lord.
Fear of cancer, illness; fear of acceptance, belonging; fear of financial stability, job success; fear for our children, their salvation. All these fears may cause us to freeze and be stagnant in our walk of faith.
Aren’t we wanting to be strong in the Lord? Fear will only make us weak. The greatest causer of fear is the unknown. Make sure you know the Lord. God never intended us to fear. Adam and Eve feared God for the first time when they were far from Him. Walk next to him and trust that he will take care of your needs. Whenever you are in bed ready to go to sleep, give the Lord all your worries. Remember, God is awake all night long so we don’t have to. Let go of your fears in the hands of the One who can handle the heavy weight. God is so strong, mighty, and powerful that He can lift allies in the midst of enemies. There is nothing impossible to God.
Baby Moses is a great example. He was laid in a basket and placed in the river in order to escape from the Pharaoh who ordered to kill all the Israelite children. But where did he end up? Right in the chambers of the Pharaoh’s daughter. God transformed this impossible situation and made Pharaoh pay for his education, food and toys. God makes a lemonade with the lemons of this life. So, why do we fear?
Elijah became afraid of Jezebel; he became paralyzed. After the event on mount Carmel and the slaying of all the false prophets, it was Jezebel the one who should be in fear; not Elijah. But why is Elijah afraid? Your enemies (the worries of life and the evil spiritual forces) need to be afraid of you, not you of them. Why is Elijah trusting the word of Jezebel more than trusting in the word of God? Fear is faith in the wrong god! Fear is idolatry.
You need to believe that God is greater than any fear, any threat, any problem, any disease, any offence. The feeling of fear can be destructive if we hold on to it for too long. When you hold on to fear, you are destroying yourself. Let go the weight of fear. Conquer all your fears in the Lord.
Pastor Lincoln Nogueira