The one thing that holds us back from all-out surrender to God is fear. Fear that He won’t give what we desire most. That’s why we stubbornly refuse to take our hands off the wheel of control. We think that we’ll get more out of life and relationships if we demand our rights and maintain control. But the Bible teaches that we get a lot more blessing (happiness) when we trust God and do things his way. The biggest challenge however, is getting over the fear factor. There’s a passage of Scripture that talks about doing what is right and not giving way to fear:
"In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master (Which, in those days, was a term of respect). You are her daughters when you do what is right and do not give way to fear." (1 Peter 3:1-6 NLT/NIV)
According to this passage, the woman who wins over her husband is pure, reverent, and has a gentle and quiet spirit. In the end, she achieves a whole lot more than the one who is loud, brash, and demanding. This was something that Sarah knew. It must have been scary for her to agree to leave her home and all the people and places she loved to follow Abraham when God told him to up-and-go. It couldn’t have been easy. It’s scary to give things up. But Sarah chose to surrender and trust God. And as a result, God fulfilled the deepest desire of her heart. “You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear...” In verse 13, the passage continues,
"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord."
The passage instructs us, “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” Who is the “they”? People who don’t understand the goodness of God. The Bible instructs us that the only way to conquer the fear factor is to trust that God the Father will “bless” us—that is, give us joy/fulfill our desires—when we bow our knees and acknowledge Christ as Lord.
What about you? Do you believe that when you do things God’s way He will bless you? Have you been able to conquer the fear factor? Are you a daughter of Sarah?
