The Fear Killer-How to Dismantle Fear in your Daily Living, Dreaming and Doing.

When I was in High School I had a car radiator explode on me, causing 2nd and 3rd degree burns on most of my back. Because of some good medical care and a patient mom and dad, I do not have scar one from that experience. But my memory is scarred. The burns were searing and excruciatingly painful, pain that I will never forget. Fear is like a burn, it’s experienced at many levels or degrees.

First level fears are like first degree burns, they hurt but are tolerable. With a little salve and time they quickly dissipate. First level fears are the common phobias we deal with everyday, i.e. fear of being late, of being early, of lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my! First degree fears are common, universal, and are usually absent of long-term side affects.

Second level fears are more serious and are usually more painful. Second level fears are more disturbing and painful than first-level fears, i.e. relational issues, family concerns, job security, and political circumstances. Second level fears are more disturbing and painful because they call into question the very framework by which we order our lives. Such fears call into question our values and principles that we depend on to make decisions. Second level fears are more serious and take longer to deal with than first level fears.

But third level fears are the most serious of all fears. Like third degree burns, third level fears are so painful that words fall painfully short in describing just how painful they are. After that radiator blew up on my back, I remember lying on a hospital emergency room gurney face down as my mother would place an ice-cold towel on my back, take it off, place it in a tub of ice water and then place it on my back again and again. The ice-cold towel felt cold for only few seconds and then I would yell for her to remove it. My mother did this repeatedly for hours until I simply went to sleep.

Third level fears are primal fears, unspeakably painful. Such fears are core fears deep in the soul of the human heart. They are the fears that emerge from having no real purpose, no real hope, no real future, and no real answers for any of the temporal and eternal issues of life. So primal are these fears that there is a mystery to their nature and meaning. Words fall short in describing the pain, the fear, the depth of the anxiety.

It is to these fears that the gospel of Jesus Christ speaks. Jesus entered the heart of the beast called sin and ripped its heart out in his own death and resurrection. Faith in Jesus Christ is THE step that crushes fear and begins the process of eliminating third level fears, worry, and anxiety (Mt. 10:28). Jesus Christ is the only spiritual salve that can heal these primal and painful fears. Look to him. He will save!

Also, For those of you in Nashville, We will be finishing up a 2 week Fear Killer Series, Leading in Fearful Times, at CEO Fellowship. Come out if you can.