PARALYZING FEAR
In Philippians 1:28 the Apostle Paul encourages us not to be frightened by those who would oppose us. The word he uses (ptyromenoi) actually has the sense of an overwhelming panic, likened to the power and speed of stampeding horses. I remember an instance where I experienced this feeling of overwhelming helpless panic. At the time my wife and I were living in an area where several burglaries and violent crimes had been committed during the previous year. One night after we had gone to bed, my wife nudged me and in an alarmed whisper said, “I think someone’s downstairs.” So I reluctantly got up to investigate. Sure enough, through the dark I could hear shuffling, and could see the moonlight coming in through my open front door. It was at this point I became frightened with an overwhelming panic. For you see, I realized that we were helpless, there was no escape, the phone was on the first floor with…
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