Face the Big Black Dog

When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear because of them. (Joshua 5:1 NLT)


A children's book "Black Dog" written by Levi Pinfold tells the story of the Hope family. Mr Hope spotted a black dog in their yard and was struck by how large it was. Soon every member of the family saw the dog and each one began to describe it. With each one's description, the dog grew larger and larger. At first it was the size of a tiger, then someone said it was as huge as an elephant, on and on everyone described it until it was the size of a Big Jeffy. Everyone was scared of the black dog and would not go out into the yard. However, Small Hope, the baby of the family, who didn't understand what was going on, saw the dog and decided to go out and play chase with the dog. Small and the dog played together and by the time she returned to the house with the dog, everyone saw that it wasn't as big as they had thought. It was just a lovable little hound. They all now saw that all their 'big fears' were just silly. There was really nothing to be afraid of.

This story illustrates the power of confronting your fears. Fear is often caused by an over-exaggeration of the issue or thing feared. When fear is confronted you discover that the real issue was not what you feared but your fear of it itself. In a 1933 speech, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, addressing the nation during the Great Depression and the start of America's involvement in World War 2, made the famous statement "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear is the real enemy. Everyone faces fear regardless of background, race or status. Yet there are some who appear to be fearless, doing things that other people cower before. These people have learned the secret that fear is the real enemy and that the biggest battle they face is not what they fear but facing it and overcoming their fear of it.

To understand our text today, you need to think of it in context. All the Canaanite kings were paralyzed with fear as a result of what they heard about what God was doing with Joshua and his followers. Now go back a little bit in history and think of the time of Moses. In Numbers 13 and 14, Moses sent out spies to scout out the same lands and they came back with the following report.

This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! ...“We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” (Numbers 13:27, 28, 30-33 NLT)

Then the response of the people:

"Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!” (Numbers 14:1-4 NLT).

The people were paralyzed not because of the giants but because of their own perceptions of the giants. Similarly, most fear is not rooted in fact but in feelings and wrong perceptions. Majority of fear is unfounded. It is only the anticipation of evil which may never even happen.

Now fast forward to the Joshua generation. The previous generation was scared of the inhabitants of the land so they refused to go on in and possess it
them. But for the Joshua generation, things were reversed, it was the inhabitant of the land who were paralyzed with fear because of them . What made the difference? While the previous generation allowed their perceptions to immobilize and paralyzed them, the Joshua generation decided to act in spite of their fears. They stepped out in obedience to God. They faced their fears and as they put some wins under their belts, the table turned - what they were afraid of now was scared of them.

You can also turn the table on your fears if you would dare to confront them. Inaction breeds fear. Action breeds confidence. Get busy! Look that thing, task or person that has kept you paralyzed before in the face and deny them of the power to hold you down. Get out and play with the Big Black Dog in your yard. You will discover it is only a cute little hound.


Decision of the Day

I choose to confront my fears. I choose action over inaction, faith over fear.