Facing the Tarantula

Facing the Tarantula
God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

I had an unfortunate incident years ago where as I walked into a spider web. The spider swung out on a single piece of silk like a pendulum only to return and land on my face. Since then, just saying the word "spider" would make me queasy. I dealt with my arachnophobia by facing the biggest and most ghastly spider I could find. My wife took me to a "Creatures of the Night" demonstration. After they displayed several nocturnal creatures such as an owl, a bat, a flying squirrel and a millipede, they pulled out a tarantula. The creature wrangler asked if he could let "her" walk on anyone. Every kid in the place screamed in horror. Moments later I realized I was one of the people screaming. After a brief prayer I lifted my hand in approval. As the spider man walked over to me, the children parted sort of like the Red Sea. He placed the spider on my leg and the children gathered around me. We all began to gasp as each of “her” eight legs began to edge her large hairy body up my leg and eventually onto my stomach. I called for our creepy bug guy and told him, "Man, you better come and get this thing! I am about to drop and roll!"

Fear is a powerful emotion. When it is rational, it acts as a protection device to keep us safe. But irrational fear entangles and imprisons us. I wonder if irrational fear is the tool that the devil uses to strangle the testimony out of the saints? While our salvation in Christ is the most exciting part of our lives, we oftentimes hide it away with a myriad of excuses. For some reason we tend to believe lies like, "I have not been called to witness to people" or "I don't have the intellect." And even worse, "What if I make them angry?" or "What if I mess it up?" More than anything else, I think that these excuses are based on irrational fears and less so on the power of God.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love. No matter if you are facing the big momma of arachnids or a person in need of Christ, there is no fear that has gripped you that cannot be overpowered by the Word and Spirit of God. Whatever you have to face, know that it has been overpowered and subdued by the blood of Christ. I faced my fear by literally coming face to face with a tarantula. I encourage you to take control of your fear and come face to face with those in need of Christ.