Dr Paul Allen

Few things can cripple people like fear. Fear makes people shrink from doing what they know they ought to do. Fear can also make us do things we ought not to do. Fear is not simply self-protective or self-preserving; fearful concern for the well-being and protection of those we love can cause us to worry, lie awake at night, and even do things that could be perceived as either very brave or very foolish.  So, what overcomes fear? The Bible offers a clear and potent solution—faith in God's promises. “By faith, he left Egypt, not afraid of the king's anger” (Hebrews 11:27). This verse stands in the middle of Hebrews 11 and in the middle of the author’s commentary on Moses's life. It briefly reflects on Moses's faith in the face of a very real and present danger (humanly speaking)—the king of Egypt. Moses was like any other man; blood flowed in his veins just as in yours and mine. He was truly human and thus capable of knowing the reality of fear in the face of an imminent...

Grief is a strange thing. Months, even years after a loss, it can show up unexpectedly. Sometimes, we grieve the loss of a loved one. Other times, we grieve a broken relationship, a shattered dream, or a ministry failure. Loss takes many shapes, affects us in different ways, and often lingers longer than it seems we can stand. The Israelites had a liturgy and structure they followed during times of grief. They wept and wailed. They tore at their clothes. They covered themselves in dust and ashes (Job 1:20; 2:12). They cried out sorrowfully to God. They sang out in lament. In our culture, we’ve forgotten how to grieve. We rush through painful experiences to put them behind us. When others around us grieve, we are uncomfortable with their tears and do whatever we can to distract them. We might even altogether avoid the grief-stricken around us.  But grief is not something to be distracted from, overlooked, or avoided. There’s no timetable and no way to rush through it. Grief is not s...

2 Timothy 1:7 When we are facing troubles what is our default response? Do we look to God and his Word for our perfect and present help? Or do we succumb to the emotional roller coaster ride that swings between sudden distress and overwhelming panic? The Choice is Ours When life doesn’t make sense, God promises a priceless gift for the asking. When we go to him we can receive something better than relief from our distresses. It’s true. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7). Help is There for the Asking This verse in 2 Timothy helps us navigate some of life’s most difficult circumstances and instructs us as to how we should respond when life doesn’t make any sense from our perspective. Look at the bold statements used here. God has NOT given us a spirit of fear. Rather, God HAS given us a spirit described as powerful; and loving; and we have a sound mind to boot. Wow! What an amazing three-pronged promise. Power, Love, Soun...

Ghosts have long captivated the human imagination, sparking fascination and fear alike. But what is the truth behind these ethereal beings? Are they the spirits of the departed or something more sinister? As we delve into religion, history, and personal experiences, we will uncover the mysteries of ghosts and their true nature. The Many Faces of Ghosts Throughout history, accounts of ghostly encounters have taken various forms. Some claim to have witnessed the apparitions of deceased loved ones, while others have encountered restless spirits haunting specific locations. From dreams to unexpected appearances, the manifestations of ghosts are as diverse as the human imagination itself. However, understanding these discrepancies requires a deeper exploration of our religious backgrounds and beliefs. Religion and the Fear of Death Religion has often served as a solace for the human fear of death, offering explanations and reassurances about the afterlife. Different religious traditions pro...

By Dave Mathis Lightning can be majestic. That is, from a safe distance. Or from a secure shelter that frees us from the threat of electrocution, and allows us to enjoy the spectacular show. The concept of majesty first brings to mind great sights, like distant lightning. Whether it’s a scenic vista of purple mountain majesties, the skyline of a great city, the dazzling beauty of gold or precious jewels, or the grandeur of a royal palace and its decorum, we typically associate the noun majesty, and its adjective majestic, with stunning glimpses, panoramas, and sights. Majesty captures a greatness, power, and glory that is both impressive and attractive. And as with lightning, what is majestic from a safe distance can be terrifying when right overhead, without shelter. And so it is when the living God showcases his majesty at the Red Sea — his enemies panic with fear (Exodus 14:24), while his people, whom he rescues, know themselves safe and praise his majesty: In the greatness of your ...

War has been at the forefront of many minds in the past fifteen months. War has impacted us all, no matter how close or far we are from the front lines. Of course, Jesus said we can expect to hear of "wars and rumours of wars" and that "nation will rise against nation," which are "but the beginning of the birth pains" (Matthew 24:6–8). Jesus said this in the context of his return to earth and what we can expect before he comes again. Matthew 24:6–8 mentions that war makes many appearances, especially in the book's second half.  My question is for Christians -do you have a healthy expectation that the second coming might actually bring stability to a person's mind who is feeling psychologically fragile and vulnerable and off-balance — maybe because of personal circumstances, losses, tragedies, pain, or because of upheavals in society that disorient people and pull them this way and that and make them feel fragmented and shaky, maybe even agitated an...

It’s not easy to initiate gospel conversations in a secular age. There can be various reasons: perhaps unhurried interactions are rare, the vibe isn’t conducive to profound moments, or we fall into relational and conversational ruts that make the thought of going there seem painfully awkward. But what if the reasons for our silence go deeper? One way to become reinvigorated for a task is to reflect on what keeps us from doing it in the first place. Here, then, are three common reasons we keep quiet. 1. We ignore our context. In a post-Christian age, we can’t presume any basic assumptions in those we’re trying to reach with the gospel. So we must lean in and listen well to climb into our neighbour’s way of seeing and inhabiting the world. Otherwise, we’ll speak about terms—even biblical ones—that’ll be misunderstood or rejected outright. “God loves you” is great news but meaningless if you don’t understand the nature of God (or, for that matter, love). “You are a sinner” is true, but me...

What can we learn from Elijah’s struggles? 1 Kings 19:1-4 – Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” Despite seeing God bring fire down from Heaven, and then rain, oppression came over the man of God, Elijah, when the demonic queen Jezebel threatened his life and put a curse on him, and he was gripped with fear and anxiety, running for his life for several miles. Laying in the woods, he told God he just wanted to die. This is...

April 16, 1521, Martin Luther arrived in the city of Worms to appear before the imperial court of the Holy Roman Empire. The previous year, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull against the German monk for his writings.  Now Luther was summoned before Emperor Charles V and the electors, princes, and nobility of the empire to renounce his views. The following day, in the presence of the whole court, he was asked two simple questions:  “Do you, Martin Luther, recognize the books published under your name as your own? Are you prepared to recant what you have written in these books?”1  To the first question, Luther answered yes.   To the second, though, he wavered. Offering an answer to this question was more than he could handle at that moment. He realized that if he did not recant, there was a very good possibility that he would be condemned as a heretic, taken to Rome, and burned at the stake. Feeling in over his head, he asked for some time to think about how he should answ...

What is your greatest fear? There’s no doubt about how David, Israel’s mighty king, would have answered: “Lord, do not cast me away from Your presence. And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11). Does that ever happen? Can we ever lose the Holy Spirit? David’s worst fear of losing the Holy Spirit was based on both positive and negative experiences. When he was a young man he had been anointed by Samuel. With that anointing, the shepherd was given the supernatural power of the Spirit.  He became a charismatic leader of others.   His personality became magnetic and inspiring. He did spectacular things as a warrior and king of Israel. Reading his psalms of praise and supplication, we know David gave God the glory, and therefore, the flow of the Holy Spirit was persistent and consistent in his times of deepest need.  Why, then, would he fear that the Spirit would be taken from him? It was an educated fear. David had observed the tragic thing that had happened to ...

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6: 33-34).  These Bible verses from the New Testament are comforting — but how do we apply them to our modern lives, which can be full of stress and anxiety? Jesus Christ’s words in this Bible verse are "the very key" to addressing an issue that "troubles men’s hearts" most today: anxiety. Before Jesus stated this, he enumerated [in prior passages] the things of life that trouble us, from scarcely having enough to eat to possessing such an overabundance of things that it burdens us. Regardless of the situation, anxiety and fear are debilitating and terrible masters worldwide. Over the past several years, fear "has robbed people" of "reasonable thinking, hope, peace, love and vision. Think about it for a mo...

What’s the big deal with fearing man? What’s the problem with trying to impress one another? The desire for peer approval, that dopamine hit we get when we impress others, that desire to be admired — what’s the problem with it all? Well, on Monday we looked at 1 Peter 3:15. There we saw the commission that we honor Christ or revere Christ in our hearts. It’s a text about fearing God. And it brought to mind a sermon Pastor John preached 42 years back in the fall of 1980. I wanted to share a clip from that old sermon today. Here’s 34-year-old Pastor John to explain this connection between revering to Christ and dying to the approval of others. What is this reverencing the Lord Christ in our hearts?   What’s this amazing thing that has the power to turn the fear of men into hope and the power to always give us a reason for the hope that is in us that we can speak to others? Now, to answer that question in accord with the immediate context, what we need to do — instead of importing our...

There are two ways in which my fellow Italians are trying to handle the fears that the COVID-19 emergency is spreading around us. The secular way is to use the phrase Tutto andrà bene, meaning “all will go well.” It is obsessively written in blog posts, pictures, and messages that people exchange with frenzy. It is used as a secular mantra in an attempt to exorcise the worries of the pandemic. The hope that all will go well is grounded in the promises of medicine to cure the sick and in science to quickly find a vaccine. Of course, we are extremely grateful for the help of doctors and nurses, for whom we pray. Yet, we know that not all of the sick will survive even with the help of modern medicine. Ultimately, sooner or later, we will all die. Yes, we are also hopeful in the new discoveries of scientists, and we support medical research, but we know that COVID-19 is just one of the threats to our lives. For all its wonderful achievements, even science will capitulate to the inexorabili...

In the presence of God, everything trembles. The earth trembles, according to Psalm 114:7: “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” The psalmist trembles in Psalm 119:120: “My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.” Indeed, the one who trembles at God’s word, that person catches God’s attention, according to what he tells us in Isaiah 66:2: “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” And in the New Testament, Paul calls us in Philippians 2:12 —Christians — to “work out” our salvation “with fear and trembling.” So why do Christians tremble?  Here’s Revelation 19:15: “From his mouth comes a sharp sword [now, this is describing Jesus at his second coming] with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” Now, that last sentence is exceedingly ter...