Fear

By Wayne Harmon

Fear.

Read the headlines of any newspaper or news website. What do you see?

Fear.

Turn on any of the 24/7 news channels and there is it.

Fear.

Ebola … ISIS … Racial tensions …Drought … Bullying … Government surveillance … the Economy … Etc.  … Etc. … Ad naseum. … And the lists of things to fear grow hourly.

Why so much fear? Well, there are a couple of reasons that readily come to mind: Control and Greed.

CONTROL

A frightened person is a more easily controlled person.

Children are controlled with the fear of punishment if they disobey.

Peer groups control individuals with the fear of rejection.

Employers control employees with the fear of losing their jobs.

Governments control the populace with fears of conflicts and disasters.

Religion controls its worshippers with the fear of Hell.

We are so accustomed to being afraid of “something” that we don’t even realize we are being manipulated for the purposes and pleasures of others.

GREED

The more readers, listeners and viewers news outlets have, the more they can charge their advertisers. Therefore the purpose of “news” is not to inform, but to gain audience share.

This is why the lead story will always be about tragedy. It draws the audience.

Politicians are greedy for power. They use fear to get elected.

I’m not suggesting that we cut ourselves off from being informed. We need to know what’s going on in our world and in our communities, and participate wisely.

Be aware, but be unafraid.

Paul told Timothy in 2Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Those words apply to us as well.

There are some nasty things going on in this sin-sick world, but there are some incredibly good things happening as well. Power, love and self-discipline are still at work, because God is still at work.

The next time the “powers that be” attempt to inject us with fear, remember …

… God is STILL in control!

Copyright 2014: Wayne Harmon