Prudence Or Panic

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Benedict Arnold, when fighting for the American cause, had a small force that was opposed by a much larger force of Oneida Indians and their allies. Knowing that his opponents feared him, Arnold was able to get two people, whom the Oneida Indians would respect, to independently share the same story with the Indians. He even provided a jacket with bullet holes in it as corroboration that their story was true: Arnold’s large force was nearby and about to savagely attack them. Most of the Indians believed their story, panicked, and fled with the rest insisting that their allies withdraw with them.

Do we have any Benedict Arnold’s of whom we are afraid? What problem scares us? Arnold tricked his enemy. How many times, though, do our problems loom so large that we abandon a strong position without a fight? Are there people in our lives who intimidate us? The story told by the two individuals could have been quickly checked out but those who heard it didn’t think it needed verification. Fear took over. It often does with us also. Fear causes us to shrink back from a position of faith (Heb 10:39). We need to not quickly give in to fear (2 Tim 1:7).

Let us avoid haste in making major decisions, panic, esteeming those whose counsel we should not be following, and, when possible, let us verify information for ourselves. Didn’t Peter look in the empty tomb for himself (Jn 20:1-8)?

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