Spiritual Networking

Spiritual Networking - Chapter 9

You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ “Behold,all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.  For I am the LORD your God,who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

Did you know, that the word fear is mentioned in the the Bible 365 times?” A picture of a calendar flashed up on the screen, “That means that the Bible mentions the word fear at least once a day.

“Sometimes fear is a good thing. For example, we should fear God. Yes, he is a loving Heavenly Father who wants what is best for us. However, if we reject Him, he will reject us and we should fear his wrath. But God is a loving and just God. Once we have accepted him and choose to live our lives with him in charge, we have nothing to fear.”

Paul looked up at the calendar on the screen, “Fear is not easy to overcome. As a matter of fact, it is difficult. Why do you think the Bible talks about it so much? Overcoming our fears, overcoming our doubts, overcoming obstacles that seem like mountains.” A picture flashed on the screen that showed a man hanging from a cliff.

“I am sure each of us has at some time faced something that frightened us. Sometimes the problem that we face is big, sometimes they are small. Fear is fear no matter what it is. But, God is God. In the scripture it said, ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

As many of you know, I like extreme sports. One of my passions is rock climbing. The higher the better! I remember as a child my father taking me out to climb. First we started at an indoor club that had various degrees of difficulty. The first time I climbed right up the wall and hit the buzzer. Then I made a mistake. I looked down.

Now for a boy that was eight, that was a major mistake. I was scared. No matter how many times my father assured me the guide was holding the safety harness, and that I would not fall, I was afraid.  Finally, my dad climbed up the wall and showed me how to repel and come down.

After a few more tries, I was good to go. Excited about climbing and the bug had bit. Every Saturday I was begging my dad to take me climbing. I wasn’t stopping on those little walls either, I wanted to climb the walls my dad was climbing. I feared nothing.

Then about six months later, my dad took me to Morgan Falls. Not a difficult climb, but not what I was used to. Instead of having hand and foot holds placed for me, I was having to look for my own.

The mountain was much bigger than the walls I was accustomed to. At one point I was half way up and I could not see my dad. I felt my fingers and a foot slipping. I knew all about the safety harness and that I shouldn’t grab hold, but when you are afraid you will do what you can. Needless to say, I was afraid.

I called out to my dad and he had seen what was happening, but waited to see what I was going to do. How I would react. When I called out, his voice came strong and sure over my shoulder, ‘I’m right here Paul, reach up and put your hand there.’ He was guiding me and directing me. I had nothing to fear because he was right there with me.”


Paul had been scanning the crowd as he preached. Suddenly someone in the back shifted allowing him to see the person sitting behind them. Under the black hoodie, he spotted blonde hair peeking out. Millie! Millie had come. The change in Paul was evident by those that knew him. The corners of his mouth formed into a small smile and his steps as he walked on the stage had a little more bounce. Some sitting close might even say that his eyes twinkled.