fears

THE MEG

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

It’s painful to watch someone be controlled by “fear!” It can eat them alive, destroy their life, or worse, their faith. The Bible says the things you fear the most will come upon you. I witnessed that verse play out. A mother once shared what her worst fear was, and it actually came to pass almost with the exact details she shared.

But what if one’s “fear” affects others? What if their acting in “fear” caused a divide, a riff, in another family? That is what happened last week in our home. One of April’s friend’s “fears” affected me, and I displayed my anger concerning the matter. I thought it was silly, and I, in turn, decided I did not want to be around that person. Then April got mad. Fear is like a shark attack. Many times, sharks don’t just take one bite and then leave!

It took a couple of days, but we worked our way through it. And the thing is, God controlled things so their “fear” wouldn’t come to pass anyway. They forgot about God. They forgot to give their “fear” to Him. Some allow their fears to get to megalodon proportions!

F orgetting
E verything
A bout
R edemption

Redemption means: the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.

Fear can rise in anyone at any time. Some fear is healthy. For instance, having a fear or respect for a poisonous snake can keep you alive. But when you allow your “fears” to control your behavior or, perhaps worse, control others, then it is wrong! People get hurt, including the one who manifested the “fear” in the first place.

Remember to give any and all “fear” to God. Be honest with Him and tell Him what is bothering you. Then trust Him by remembering that you have been redeemed and that He can protect you from evil coming upon you.

The worst of my fears has come true,
    what I’ve dreaded most has happened. Job 3:25 (MSG)

 There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
    I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. Isa. 41:10 (MSG)

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 (NIV)

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears. Ps. 34:4 (NIV)

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

2023 Survey

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

The title makes it sound as if I conduct a reader’s survey every year, but the truth is, this is the first time I have ever done this. Every week, I share with you what I sense God would want to say to you if He wrote a blog. Now, I was hoping you could share whatever you want me and others to know. Post your concerns, fears, testimonies, or anything else in the comment section. Here are some possible comment starters:

  • What I ask God for the most.
  • What I wish others knew about my relationship with God.
  • What I fear the most in life.
  • What I face every day.
  • What I am most thankful to God for.

I think you get the idea. Your comments will help guide this blog site, and I promise to pray with you about what you face. The Bible instructs us to rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn.

Share the happiness of those who are happy, the sorrow of those who are sad.
Rom. 12:15 (Phillips)

Thank you! As your comments come in, I will review and approve them to post as soon as possible, and if they are appropriate for this website.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

He Did it For Me

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

My father came from a large family.  At an early age he learned how to catch fish, and not just go fishing.  He realized he was helping to put food on the table for his family, but he also discovered how much he enjoyed it.  He became a good fisherman.

When I got old enough to go with him he started teaching me.  One of my father’s favorite places to fish was on a creek.  You wade in the water from fishing hole to the next fishing hole.  Along the way nature is all around you, including the occasional snake.  I watched as my father remained calm and deal with them, so though I learned which ones were poisonous I also learned how to stay safe.  I respect snakes, but I do not have a fear of them.  Now, I come across a tiny spider in the house, I’m squealing like a school girl and yelling for my wife to come kill it!

One night, while we were in the creek catching our bait I said, “Dad, I’ve got a snake up against my left leg.”  “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” he replied as he continued picking up crawdads.  He moved in behind me and grabbed the snake by the tale and gave it a good toss.  It was not poisonous and the ones that were, he killed.  My father was my hero, my deliverer.

Several years later, we were on the creek, and dad was in some deep water when a snake came at him.  He tried like crazy to push the snake away with his fishing pole, but the snake kept coming and getting closer.  Dad started screaming while I remained safe on the bank laughing.  After he got the snake to go away from him he expressed his displeasure of my reaction to, according to him, “his close call with death”.  (The snake was not even poisonous.)

“Dad, why are you so angry?  You’re not afraid of snakes,” I said.
“Are you kidding me?  I hate those things.  I am horribly afraid of them!” he replied.
All those years I had no idea.  My father faced one of his greatest fears.  He did that for me.

God, my Heavenly Father, doesn’t fear anything at all, but He too had to do something He didn’t want to.  He allowed his only son, Jesus die on a cross to take on the sins of all of humanity.  It grieved him, and in the final hour, because God is Holy and cannot even look at sin, had to turn away from his son while he was dying a horrible death.  He did it for me, but He also did for you.  That’s how much God loves us.  Here it is, in its simplest form:

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.  John 3:16-18 (MSG)

God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are my heroes, my deliverers.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.