Letter 4, April 25, 2010

There is NO FEAR – only Power, Love and Sound Minds

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

When Adam and Eve sinned, death entered the world….everyone knows that. Sometimes we are told that shame entered, but what we aren’t always told is that FEAR entered the world.

SHAME
Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
FEAR
Gen 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself.

Fear and Shame….from listening to the enemy!
They had walked with God, enjoyed all the wonders of a perfect euphoric paradise. The lived in total innocence, and total freedom with only ONE LAW – so simple. So perfect. There were no other laws because they were totally protected by God’s perfection! There were no needs, because they were provided for by God’s total abundance.

But God created man with free choice, free will. God gave us the freedom to say NO to HIM, so that we would truly have the freedom to say YES, LORD with our whole hearts.

It was not God’s plan for us to live in fear…notice that nowhere does it say that Adam and Eve ‘feared’ God.
Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

They were used to the Lord walking in the garden….and speaking with them. But this day was different…..they HID themselves. This time, they were ashamed and afraid. This time, God had to call out and ask them where they were.

Fear and Shame separate us from God. And with sin, comes fear and shame.
Fear and Shame weaken us, so that we do not walk in the power, love and sound mind that God created in us.

Who in their right mind would give up paradise for one specific piece of fruit….when there was everything else, any other fruit you could ever imagine?

Who, in their right mind would harm a loved one, a young one, a child, a baby? There are so many other perfect outlets for such pleasure, or such release of anger.

Sin – choosing something other than God’s best.
And in that sin, comes fear and shame, and the desire to hide the sin. That’s where the blame comes in….
Gen 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

The woman dressed wrong, and I couldn’t help myself
The child was seducing me……
She wanted it, so I gave it to her.

And rather than stand up, and say You DID IT ON YOUR OWN ACCORD, the woman took the blame, and then pointed to the serpent.

“I shouldn’t have been walking home” – it’s the fault of the area, and our choice to walk home.
“I shouldn’t have worn those pretty clothes” – it’s the fault of the clothes, and the choice to wear them.
“I shouldn’t have been so physically fit and desirable.” – it’s the fault of working out, and looking good.
“Your dad has a strong sexual desire” – it’s the fault of their nature.

Sin is sin…and the sinner is responsible for their sin….not those sinned against.
God did punish each person for their participation in this earth changing event. But He didn’t blame the woman for the man….He gave Adam the harshest punishment. He should have known better….and he should have protected Eve, rather than taking advantage of her weakness.

Fear and Shame are part of the curse….and they are put upon victims in so many ways. But God says that HE did not give us a spirit of fear…..but of POWER, LOVE and a SOUND MIND!

Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Read Psalm 23

In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi

Bible References obtained from:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/index.cfm
(c) 2010 M. C. Wildman