Remember Bam Bam? He was the prehistoric cartoon baby who walked around with a bat.
Well, I feel like mean Bam Bam is chasing after me out of nowhere. He’s trying to make me go starry-eyed, hitting me over the head with questions.
What I you’re not really good enough for God? Bam.
What if you do things wrong and you eternally offend God? Bam.
What if you don’t save yourself from your problems and end up unwanted? Bam.
Bam Bam attacks. How is He attacking you? Make no mistake, although he may be sneaky, Bam Bam is our enemy. He is. He chases our heels with questions of what if.
What if God doesn’t really love you?
What if you really did mess up your kids forever?
What if you can’t ever change?
What if that person never changes?
What if you lose your house, your family, your dreams, your salvation?
We have to stand up to Bam Bam. It is the only way. We have to speak back at Him and chase him in the other direction with evil-repelling truth: God’s promises that make him run scared.
“His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” Ps. 91:4
If you have a personal Bam Bam, talk back. Fight back with promises, such as:
- “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Eph. 2:8
- “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 Jo. 4:18
- “So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” Ro. 9:16
- “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out.” –Jesus, Jo. 6:37
- “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned…” Jo. 3:17
- “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Jo. 10:28
Take whatever is fighting against you and be like Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness. (see Mark 4:1-11) Fight back with truth. Done. Period. Adios Bam Bam. We’re not listening to you anymore!
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Thank you for this post and these words. I definitely have a “Bam Bam” chasing after me with all the “what ifs?”…Here’s what I wrote a few days ago on Facebook about perfect love casting out fear, and yet my fears cast out love. 🙁
I was thinking about “fear” and the verse in I John 4:18 how “Perfect love casts out fear”, and I realize that the opposite is true also. I’ve talked about this before but it is on my mind once again…. how “fear can cast out love”. We may have it deep within our hearts to want to be compassionate, non-judgmental, loving, unselfish, and kind…and yet our layers of personal fears can hold us back from doing the “right ” thing. Maybe our essence, our soul is a lot more innocent and loving than our egoic defenses if we could truly operate from that center.
I’m thankful Paul was so honest when he said “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Romans 7:15
When I’m acting selfish and very unkind, it makes me angry at myself, and yet it seems sometimes my fears won’t let me “be the person I really desire to be”. The struggle is so real.
As I am going through some changes in my life, I need prayers for courage, and the willingness to surrender to God, and to really trust Him. I think there’s a part of me that for some reason…is too scared to truly trust Him. Not sure why.
The journey is so long on the road to spiritual maturity. If I could be more “spiritual” and trusting I wouldn’t be so fearful. I want to be like Esther who said, “If I perish, I perish”. (Esther 4:16) Or like the story in Daniel 3: 16-20 “Our God is able to deliver us, but even if he does not .. we will not serve your gods”. Even if….we will always serve our God.
Oh to have that kind of rock solid faith.
Until then, good to repeat: 2 Timothy 1:7 ” For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Kelly, it was a club not a bat. And throw Fred yelling in the mix, working in the rock quarry. Poor Wilma and Betty, make you want to get you feet in your car and run. Matthew 16:19, let’s bind our enemy, and loose assignments.( I used to wonder about losing salvation too, but thank the Lord eternal means just that. )
Perfect love casts out all fears.