Fear is common and comes in many flavors and colors. I found a website that lists "phobias" alphabetically. There are hundreds described there...everything from "Ablutophobia", which is the fear of washing or bathing (pity the roommate or spouse), to "Zoophobia", the fear of animals. There are some humorous fears, like Linonophobia. This is the fear of string. I wonder what has to happen in someone's life to cause that one to surface. More seriously, people can be paralyzed by fear. It seems to me that all fears have something to do with our inability to know the future and to control our environment. Recently I saw a passage in Isaiah that helped me understand the secret to dispelling the many fears that can rob our vitality. The prophet helps us see that if we carry one fear, the fear of God (which is really appropriate, because He is the one who does know the future and does control our environment), we can escape the other phobias.
Isaiah 8:12-14 "Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,
and he will be a sanctuary;"
Fear the Lord and fear nothing else!
blessings,
Rob Smith
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