Roaches & Chickens

Recently, I was reading in Genesis 26 and want to share some thoughts.  I am a fear conquerer.  I used to be scared of all kinds of things.  I was scared of the dark, scared of death, roaches, chickens, spiders and especially scared of my husband dying.  And yes, I admit, I am still scared of chickens and roaches.  You know the kind of roaches that we have in South Georgia.  The ugly ones, the ones that make your toes curl up and shivers run down your spine!  Some call them Palmetto Bugs but I call them for what they are ROACHES!  I am certain roaches have a plan to take over the world and chickens want to peck my legs just to see me do a crazy dance/run/jig just to get a good chicken laugh.

All that aside, Genesis 26 has some great insight on the stupidity of fear.  Isaac was given a promise from God!  HELLO .... how many of us have a promise from God??  Yep, all of us - read His word to find them.  However, in Gen. 26:6 we see that out of FEAR Isaac lied to try to protect his wife.  The craziness of this is there was never a real threat to him OR his wife.  It was just something he made up in his own mind, kind of like the chickens having a good chicken laugh at me.  As we read further, we see that this lie and his fear held up the promise (check out verse 8 - he was there a LONG TIME).  Fear is something that is so real yet so made up all at the same time.  Once we really evaluate the thing we are afraid of and stack it up against the promises of God we begin to realize that fear is kind of like the chickens that my husband likes to let roam around our yard.  They are going to run once something greater, stronger and more powerful comes along.  Even the most stubborn rooster will eventually learn there is only one boss.  As I read further in Gen. 26, I noticed that in verse 10 Abimelech got angry with Isaac because of the lie Isaac told.  The fear of Isaac not only held up the promise of God but it also could have caused problems for Abimelech.  Think about it for a minute.  Have you ever told a lie out of fear only to learn that it has not only caused you problems but others as well?  Let's go back to the roaches for a minute .... While I have never lied about my fear of roaches, it does cause an inconvenience to those around me.  I will call my husband from a project to come and rescue me from the evil plot of the icky, South Georgia pest.  I will spray them dead with hair spray until the drown in alcohol and then have to be pried off the floor with a sheet rock knife once the sticky spray dries (true story).  The reality is fear and roaches are both conquerable.  The promise is greater than the fear.  In verse 11 Abimelech gave a charge and protected not only Isaac's wife but also Isaac.

I just want to encourage you to stand on the promises and do not allow the roaches and the chickens to rob you your victory.  While the roaches and the chickens provide some funny stories, they are just that ... stories.  Be encouraged and stand on the PROMISES not the FEAR!