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Tract Number 11
Audio download at bottom of page
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A SINISTER, GERM-RIDDEN SPLINTER
This editorial has been written after a great deal of thought and experience in the United States as well as on several continents in many mission fields involving a wide range of Christians. I am convinced of this truth and present it without fear or favor.
There is a sinister, germ-ridden splinter festering in the hearts of a multitude of God’s people today. It is so unrecognized and undiagnosed that few sermons have been presented on it and one seldom reads an article prepared on the subject. Yet its harassment is as real as a cobra in one’s backyard.
This thing is---“THE SPIRIT OF FEAR” (2nd Timothy 1:7)---and let me tell you what it has done. It has caused hundreds of thousands of Christians in our present generation not to become soul-winners, and thereby millions of people have perished because of the inaction produced.
Let me tell you how it operates. Let’s say the impression or conviction comes to witness to a neighbor or a friend. Immediately a stifling of action arises and the thoughts, “What will they think of me? Suppose I make a mistake? Don’t be a fool! I don’t know what to say.” We soon talk ourselves out of obedience. This repeated process over a period of time allows “the spirit of fear” to place its handcuffs on you.
I’ve seen congregations of several hundred Christians, with a goodly number attending prayer meeting reduce to a mere handful when a night of house-to-house soul-winning was announced. There are Christians would rather mow a lawn with their teeth than walk up to a house and deal with a man about his soul. There are those who would even stick out an all-night prayer meeting … whom you couldn’t get to face a lost soul. Why? THE SPIRIT OF FEAR!
It can be found in those professing deep experiences in Christ and those feeling the shallows. It is prevalent in the churches emphasizing the pure heart as in those teaching the power of God. It is also present where the grace of God is emphasized. It has its grip on two-fisted “he men” and renders mute the most talkative women. It can take an eloquent man in the pulpit or pew and put a clamp on his jaw when alone among the unsaved. I believe that it is chief factor hindering world evangelism...the world that begins in: neighborhood.
The “spirit of fear” has an interesting language. It can often be heard to say, “I let my light shine in my neighborhood and they know where I stand. They often see me carrying my Bible as I go to church!” This can be likened to a doctor entering a hospital, where he has patients, with his medicine kit in his hands. He goes through the ward, smiling, and walks out without opening his kit. The patients could admit that he was a good doctor and his smile was genuine, but the unopened kit cannot supply the needed medication. Neither can your unopened Bible.
How does one get rid of the “spirit of fear”? First, recognize that it is a “foreign agent” within the Lord’s property and that which God hasn’t given to us… but Satan has. Upon your knees renounce it and command its departure in the name of Jesus, and ask God to fill this void with the spirit of power. Secondly, obedience is the best sealer to any faith transaction; so take the earliest opportunity to go talk with a person about his soul. Do the same in other areas of your Christian walk where fear has hindered, until the habit of boldness is established. This two-fold plan has aided many to step out of their paralysis to become active, productive Christians.
Try it! It works!
Author Unknown
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