The Eight O’Clock
News August 2018
8 am Service, Christ Church, Kenilworth 021-797-6332
In Hiding ‘Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate’ (Carl Jung). I.o.w., until we become vulnerable and acknowledge our fears, we will be limited by them. On some level we are all facing fear. We may hide behind masks and appear fully functional but in so doing fail to live authentically. Hiding is hard work. To maintain a constant façade requires effort. How do we in community discard our masks, make ourselves vulnerable and reach out to others who are still in hiding? We fear because we dilute our trust in God and then rob ourselves of peace and joy. Let’s pray that God will help us become aware of how our masks look; recognize the costs of wearing a mask and how that affects relationship; realize that the mask we wear is not our real self; commit to take it off and drop the act; take action and begin to live authentically. The most exciting and precious realization is that none of the above has to be accomplished on our own. By God’s mercy and grace, He will day by day help us grow into our perfect selves. But still we are human and vulnerable and some may say, it is even not easy trusting Him because we may fear disappointment… Jessica Kastner in her book ‘Hiding from the Kids in My Prayer Closet’, shares with us her Top 5 Scriptures that Banish Fear: Deuteronomy 31:8: ‘He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged’. She says when facing a situation or emotional challenge, ‘Really envision God saying this. He is on your side, no matter who leaves after promising forever. When friends, family members or co-workers disappoint you’. Romans 8:28: ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose’. Combat fear by believing He will turn your situation around for good, simply because He has a wonderful purpose for your life, which blunders cannot hinder. August 2018 Eight O’Clock News
Isaiah 43:1: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine’. God actually commands us not to fear or worry. The phrase ‘fear not’ is used 80 times in the Bible, most likely because He knows that the enemy uses fear to decrease our hope and limit our victories. By focusing on Him and how He considers us prized, redeemed ones, our focus naturally shifts from fear to faith. 1 John 4:18: ‘Perfect Love Casts Out All Fear’. Jessica recalls how her youngest child asked her, ‘How could love fight fear, Mom?’ She says she was kind of stumped as this verse is rather vague or difficult even for adults to grasp. When she thought about it— God’s love has made her less fearful because it is simpler than we realize. God is Love. Perfect Love. The closer we come to Him, the less power fear has over us. Psalm 18:2: ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer’. I love the way the Jessica puts this: ‘Choosing a favourite psalm is like deciding on a favourite ice cream flavour’. In using the Psalms we speak the words over the cause of our fear. God is our HIDING PLACE. For David this meant sitting in a cave praying whilst trained warriors bypassed him. For us, it’s more like sitting in the car during lunch break with worship music blasting, refusing fear and praising instead. We weren’t saved and redeemed only to limp through life riddled with fear and anxiety. God can only be our rock if we let Him. As Corrie Ten Boom wrote: ‘The centre of His will is my only safety’. - Cheryl Anderson