Proverbs 29:25 (New International Version)
"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever
trusts in the Lord is kept safe."
If we cultivate fear of any kind, it will eventually
dominate us. It will become a snare to the soul and it will rob us of any
possible peace. Fear can be conquered, but you have to really fight it!
This reminds me of the history Belgium … Although Belgium
wasn't founded until 1830, as far back as 54 B.C., Julius Caesar referred to
the "Belgae" as ""the bravest of all Gauls". And brave
the Belgians are, and have been throughout history. But their bravery hasn't
stopped other nations from invading them!
First there were the Italians, under the leadership of
Julius Ceasar.
Next, in the 13th century, the French set up rule in the
Flanders, which is the western part of Belgium. Local merchants and craftsmen
were unhappy with the takeover, and bitter conflict arose. One of the most
intriguing of their quarrels was the Battle of Courtrai. It is also called the
Battle of Spurs, because the Flemish went out collecting the spurs of dead
French knights as trophies.
But this didn't result in ridding Belgium of the French.
In fact, by the mid 15th century, France, under the dukes of Burgundy, ruled
most of Belgium.
In 1549, through a series of marriages and unforeseen
events, the Belgians came under the rule of Spain, which eventually entered
into war with the Netherlands and France. Being caught in the middle, the
consequences of the war were huge: Belgium lost Dunkerque and Lille to France.
Though this region is still considered part of the Flemish dunes, it remains
under French rule to this day.
At this time, the rest of Belgium came under the rule of
Austria.
After being occupied twice by the French revolutionaries,
the country was ceded to France In 1797. This lasted until the defeat of the
French in Waterloo, which, by the way, is in Belgium, and the country then came
under the rule of the Dutch.
But the Belgians were no longer content to sit around and
let someone else rule their land. Inspired by the French Revolution, in July of
1830, Belgians took arms to drive out the Dutch. They succeeded in August of
that same year, and on October 4, 1830, Belgium was finally declared
independent. And other than the brief German occupation in the 1940s, this is
how it has remained throughout modern history.
And you thought you may have had a bad day! The above
history is like a ping pong match between the poor Belgians and the obscure
unknown. Reading it nearly gives you a kink in the neck! I can imagine darkness
whispering to them: "You are defeated! You are just miserable! You are
doomed to your destiny! You deserve it and you can't do anything about
it!" But they didn't succumb to this darkness. Instead, they rose up and
conquered the darkness.
The same is true when we listen to the whispers of fear
in our hearts. That fear will eventually dominate us, and if we don't do
something about it, it will dominate us for the duration of our lives. But
remember: These evil thoughts CAN be overcome.
It makes sense. If we listen to our illegitimate fears,
we let them take root in our lives, and the more we listen to them, the more
ingrained in our existence they become. What happens is that we begin to trust
them instead of God, and this leads to sleepless nights and utter despair.
If we choose to listen to our loving Heavenly Father
instead, and let Him come into our lives, our trust will be in Him, not in our
fears. This will lead to utter inner peace and divine tranquility, even amidst
the worst circumstances.
Dear Lord we pray that we would not let our fears take
over our life. We pray that we will turn them all over to You. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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