Palette Day 1 Fighting The Fear Tactic

Exodus 1:8-22
Proverbs 2:1-15
Ephesians 5:1-16 

Adolf Hitler was an incredible leader, he had to be in order to obtain the mass following and overwhelming support he received from other Germans. Propaganda tactics of preaching unity among Germans and a “utopian” society, boosted his approval among the Germans. Soon, Nazis began telling German citizens that Jews carried diseases, believed themselves to be superior, and an array of other lies, to gain support and unify German citizens against the Jewish population. Other people groups that didn’t fit in Hitler’s utopia included: gypsies, people with special needs, citizens of other countries, people who were homosexual, and many more. Hitler’s plan led to the death of over 6 million Jews and millions of others.

Fear.

Adolf Hitler got an entire population to silently sit back and watch their country crumble while he worked on his idea of a perfect society by doing one thing:
instilling fear in the hearts of German people.

Jews spread diseases.
Jews want to take over the country.
Jews believe they are superior.

Fear.

Thousands of years ago, another leader used this same tactic.
Joseph, the one from the Bible with the amazing coat of many colors, ended up in Egypt with his family of 11 brothers and their families in an incredible turn of events (Genesis 37-50) Joseph held a high position, was loved and honored, and his family was welcomed. Joseph and his brothers had children, their children had children, and those children had children. Eventually, there was a new king in Egypt who didn’t know Joseph. He told his Egyptian people that there were too many Israelites and that they were stronger than the Egyptian forces. If there was war, then the Israelites could fight against them. He convinced the Egyptians that treating the Israelites as slaves was necessary, though it was a complete fabrication.

Fear.

So many Egyptians were filled with a false fear of the Israelites, that there is no documented record of any Egyptian going against Pharaoh’s orders. They went about their daily lives, raising their own children, preparing their meals, and cleaning their homes, while a mass genocide of baby boys was occurring.

They did nothing.

Sisters, right now great acts of violence, injustices, and hatred are happening all over the world and many of us are doing nothing. Some of us are full of fear. Fear for our safety, our children’s lives, or a disruption in the daily routine we live by.

Whether we are full of fear, or not, if we are doing nothing, we are being ignorant.

We read about human trafficking, child slaves, riots in Georgia, shootings on school campuses, Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, and we’re sad…
but we’re removed.
We keep scrolling our Facebook feeds, forgetting about the lives impacted as quickly as it came and went on our screen.
It’s scary to think that this really is the world we live in.
Ignoring our fears is easier than declaring that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear! (2 Timothy 1:7)

We are ignoring what is happening in the world around us, by choosing to have no depth of knowledge and understanding. Ignorance.

Maybe “ignorance is bliss”, but it’s not only dangerous, it also goes against what we’ve been called to as Christ-followers.  We have not been called to live in a dome of protection, blissfully living safe lives, while our brothers and sisters are anything but safe.

Proverbs, a book overflowing with gaining knowledge, pursuing wisdom, and opening our eyes to truly see the injustices playing out before us, opens with,

“…If you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding…”
(Proverbs 2:3-6)

Friends, the beginning of learning what is happening in the world around us, is gaining wisdom. Wisdom comes from the Lord, and is gained by reading the Word.

When we saturate our lives with the Word, we become more like Christ.
And when we begin to reflect Christ more and more, the fear in our lives dissipates because we are rooted firmly in love.

Radical love.

Love that
refuses to believe lies about others who are different. (Like Corrie Ten Boom).

Love that
tears down racial barriers and the falsehood of lies of supremacy. (Like Martin Luther King Jr.)

Love that
won’t let heartache and loss overshadow the fact that everyone needs Jesus – even a murderer. (Like Elisabeth Elliot).

Love that is so compelling,
it moves beyond fear, ignorance, and complacency
to do something.

Because, without Jesus and His love,
we’re all sin-wrecked people who believe that we are indeed “better than”.

Together, we can fight the fear tactic.
We can be rooted in transformational love.
We can do something!

Reach out to someone whose skin color is different than yours.
Begin something new, something that flows from love instead of fear!

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