Paul Simon has a song that goes something like this. I am a rock, I am an island,

and the rock feels no pain, and the island never cries. In many ways, he really speaks for our culture,

and he speaks for many people in our culture

who do not know how to conquer fear in their life, so they mask it.

And the way they mask their fear is by covering it up in variety of ways.

Some try to appear tough. Others appear courageous. Others,

they try to be strong and self-confidence. It's all kind of covering up for their inability or there may not be knowing how to conquer fear in their life.

In fact, I read this week about an army officer who was doing exactly that.

This guy actually got promoted to the rank of colonel.

His biggest fear was how I'm going to get my peers, former peers, to respect

me, how they're going to get them to respond to me and to my new position. And he basically

tried to cover up this inner fear by blowing a lot of smoke. And so with the promotion, came a big office and a big desk,

and first day he goes into his office, there was a knock on the door. He said,

wait a minute, just a minute. He picks up the phone receiver, and he starts talking big time.

Yes, General, I'll do that for you, General. I'll take care of

that general. I'll brief the president for you, General. All of that in a loud voice so that

whoever's on the other side of the door can hear him. And finally, after five minutes of that,

he hangs the receiver and tells whoever's at the door to come in and was a private.

And he said, what do you want?

He said, well, sir, I am really here to hook up your phone.

Trying to cover up our fear, trying to hang tough and look tough and act tough, really not very

helpful, when the Word of God shows us exactly how to conquer fear and to live in freedom

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