Bill Johnson - Is Fear Misplaced Worship?
I reveal what I value by what captures my attention. If a problem leads me to fear and anxiety, it is misplaced worship. Learning what is within us is not merely introspection; it is through the Scriptures. We sang it tonight: «I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me.» As I have said many times over the years, the Holy Spirit is in us and He wants out. He exists in us like a river, not a lake. He flows from us to alter the geography around us. From the beginning, the Father has set His heart to find those made in His image who would co-labor with Him. My hand is stretched out in obedience to Him, which is then covered by His hand, stretched out. That is what makes it powerful. It’s like a child trying to loosen a nut on a bolt: it’s too hard, and then Dad’s hand covers the child’s, and suddenly that nut comes loose. The point is that our obedience and co-laboring attract Him into our environment to display who He is. The resurrected Christ—the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead—dwells in us and looks for opportunities to flow through us.
We see the streets lined with sick people when Peter walked by; we see the shadow touching them. There is no substance to a shadow; your shadow will always release whatever overshadows you. What you set your affection upon will affect the environment you invade. If that affection and attention of the heart are on worry and fear, I will carry anxiousness into any environment I enter. Fear is misplaced worship. Fear is, in fact, the enemy touching the strings of our hearts, which were designed to express affection and trust to God. They are now directed away from Him toward circumstances that are inferior to Him—this is dishonorable. It is not a reason for shame, but it is a reason for repentance. When I embrace anxiety and fear, I have misused the tool God gave me for worship, putting my affection on the lesser thing.
Affection might not be the best term here, as we often think about a child. Our affection is stirred when we just want to hug a child, and we find ourselves making faces at an infant that we would not make toward any adult. That connection is precious. When I’m with my wife, watching a TV show together, I turn to her frequently, expressing my love with «Honey, I love you so much.» This burning affection needs expression, but it’s not that simple. You can tell what I value by what I think about. If a problem has captured my attention and taken me into fear and anxiety, it is misplaced worship.
How many of you have had something trouble you so much that it kept you awake at night, making it hard to sleep? My hands are raised too—we know how to meditate; we just need to shift what we focus our hearts on. God’s economy transfers His currency—His word and presence, which are two sides of the same coin. He spoke everything into being that exists, with one exception: He didn’t speak man into existence; He fashioned man from what He spoke into being. Sometimes, He prefers to work with what already exists. Loaves and fishes could have created new food, but He wanted to co-labor. He would rather work with what He has made than start over. He could have manifested to Mary, the virgin about to bear the Christ child, and explained everything, but instead, He sent Gabriel, the messenger angel. God delights in what He has made operating in its design; He is glorified when every facet of His creation functions as intended.
Fear keeps us from functioning in our design, and the Lord desires to cooperate and co-labor with those who have embraced their design. What I ponder reveals what I value; what I think about reveals what I will worship. There’s an interesting story in Judges where the Lord spoke to Israel, saying, «I told you not to fear the gods of the Amorites, but you did not obey.» How was this manifested? They worshiped the gods of the Amorites. He told them, «I said don’t fear the gods of the Amorites, but you disobeyed.» Their disobedience manifested as worship of false gods. The point is that what you fear determines what you worship. You may claim not to worship money, but if you fear going broke, while you may not bow down or sing songs to money, the effect on your heart is misplaced worship.
He said in Matthew, «Either you will love the one and hate the other, or you will hold to the one and despise the other.» This defines two relationships: devotion to God or devotion to a false financial standard of the world. He says, «You will love the one» concerning God. I love the one; I hate the other. Or I hold to one—that shows how people who cling to what they have have their worship infected. Whenever money is discussed in church, they hold to the one while despising the other.