Fear Not! A Guide to Living a Fearless Lifeનમૂનો

Which Wolf Will Win?

“Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow” (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13, NIV).

If you’ve been around a while, you probably watched The Andy Griffith Show. In one episode, Barney gives Gomer a traffic ticket for an illegal U-turn, and when Barney makes the same mistake, Gomer yells, “Citizen’s arrest, citizen’s arrest!” Wouldn’t it be fun sometimes to arrest the bad guy, especially the ones who seem to always get away with meanness? Sometimes, it seems like crime does pay. Solomon, however, assures us that it will not go well with the wicked in the end.

Truth be known, we all struggle with the good and bad inside us. In the Cherokee legend, “Two Wolves,” an old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil — he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you — and inside every other person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

When you fill up your car with gas, you see an octane rating showing the quality of gas you are putting into your vehicle. What kind of octane rating would be reflected by the food you’re putting into your spirit? Are you running on premium, or are you running on something below the minimum standard?

If you put good stuff in, you’ll produce good fruit, and good fruit will eventually win out over fear and wickedness. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:22-24, NIV). The apostle Paul says we are to die to self daily, and in doing so, evil, fear, and wickedness will die of starvation.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be always cognizant of what I feed my spirit. May I run on high-octane spiritual fuel. Help me to die to self daily, crucifying earthly desires of the flesh. Replace those earthly passions with the fruit from Your Holy Spirit. May fear and evil die of starvation within me. In Jesus name, amen.