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[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2016_03_23|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]]
[[topics_collection_viii|| Topics Collection viii ]]

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======Fear of Terror and Overcoming Fear ...======


Wednesday, March 23, 2016. Fear is an important feeling. We all know fear, and it
is good, since it keeps us being careful and aware of risks. Fear can also block
us and keep us from doing what is needed. And some people try to play with our 
fear and use it for their purposes.

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**Terror Attacks ...**

When you do not have enough power to directly attack some enemy, you can use very
special attacks and generate fear. In particular western societies are vulnerable, 
since they are built on freedom and trust. They are built on rights of the individual.
Terrorists have used this vulnerability for many years. 

With the wars in the Islamic world today, we experience terror attacks in many parts
of the world. The terrorists try to generate fear, they kill innocent people - for 
them everyone is guilty. Even if this might be true on some level, they follow 
a weired and inhuman philosophy. We are witnesses of
the result of long years of decline of humanity in the mind and hearts of some of
our contemporaries. 

It is, of course, important to think about what measures our societies can take to
prevent people from killing others. It is important to have a working system of
security, which at the same time keeps individual rights active and social life intact. 
It is important to keep the balance, otherwise we generate the next risk, with 
destabilized social structures in the middle of our own country! Let us stay calm 
and sober-minded.

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**Spirit of Jesus ...**

And let us stay in the spirit of Jesus. As all others, we share the danger of living
in these times. But we also share the joy of knowing the living God. The bible 
provides deep insight into what mankind is capable of - all the evil and all the good
things as well. In Romans 8, the apostle Paul writes about living in the spirit: 


14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.6 And by him we cry, “Abba,7 Father.”
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 
(Romans 8, 14ff)  

We are invited to be children of God. We are invited to trust him, to be with him, 
to let all fear go and live with his goodness. We are not free of the suffering in
this world. We suffer from structures, from various things. And some of us see
pain and death, we all have a limited life-time. Yet there is him as well, in the 
middle of all this. His spirit, and his power, shows itself where darkness is 
strongest. We are called to overcome fear by faith and trust, by truth and love.
It is a far reaching challenge, yet he wants to help, to be our strength, to be
our center.  
(RWEP)
[[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_viii|... more texts]]
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