When Jesus told us not to fear, it was more than just good advice. Just as He told us to love one another, He told us not to fear. And when Jesus makes a suggestion, we should take it as an order. He is our Commanding Officer. He knows best. He has the battle plan. So, although He makes it sound like a suggestion and He never shouts orders at us, as good soldiers, we should take His suggestions and advice very seriously.
DO IT! You'll be glad you did!
IS FEAR A CHOICE? Do we actually have a CHOICE to not fear?
Abolutely! A resounding YES on that one! Fear is a choice. It's the WRONG choice. We allow fear in when we stop trusting God. We invite fear in. We feed it. We nurture it!
But, what did Jesus say about fear? He said, "DON'T DO IT!" In other words:
"LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED, NEITHER LET IT BE AFRAID." (John 14:27b)
It's our choice. We can choose to allow fear to control our thoughts and actions and speak fear and doubt. Or, we can allow faith and trust to take the wheel and speak faith.
I have known several strong believers who indulge in fear. It sort of amazes me because these folks have so much faith and love the Lord but, it often seems that the fear has become a habit or an accepted weakness that some of us make excuses for. There are multitudes of different fears out there to assail us. It's like, "Choose your poison." But I choose none of it.
Ok, I admit, I am a little afraid of cock-roaches. As I confront them, the fear lessens, but the fear of cockroaches seems to be my Achilles heel. Because cock-roaches are ugly and huge, I have justified in my mind that fear. But, I know it's wrong and I know that the Lord can help me to conquer it.
Then, there's the fear of the future. THAT'S a big one! How many of us have a fear of the future? Someone starts talking about the progression of what's going on in the world in politics, the weather, earthquakes, floods, famines and diseases and it sets off panic bells. Right?
Without the Lord, I would be in constant panic. "How are we going to survive? We're all gonna DIE!" Which brings me to another fear: DEATH. And, yes, we're all gonna die... sooner or later. But, even then we should have no fear!
In Psalm 34:4, David says, "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."
Psalm 91:5 says, "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;"
Terror is fear. Terrorists are people who use fear to their advantage. Terrorism is the noun. Terrorism is the embodiment of fear. The Devil knows that when we are terrified, we are NOT TRUSTING GOD.
You can't do both! You either fear God or you fear the Devil. Fear of God leads to life. Fear of the devil leads to death.
IT'S TIME TO FACE OUR FEARS!
What are you afraid of?
Are you afraid of the dark? (Don't laugh I know believers who cannot sleep without a light on.) Are you afraid of snakes? rats? cock-roaches? germs? diseases? break-ins? poverty? accidents? failure? the opinions of others? teachers? Immigrations officers?
What is your biggest fear?
Psalm 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart , Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you.
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! "Not by (your) might, nor by (your) power but by My Spirit, saith the Lord." Zechariah 4:6
God said in Isaiah 41:10, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
Take it as a command that we must obey. DO NOT FEAR!
The fact that prophecies are being fulfilled should excite us. The fact that the end is near should thrill us. The fact that all these things are coming on the earth in our days means that our God is indeed in control and He knows way ahead of time what's going to happen. He is our God. It proves to us that we were right in believing in the One True God Who has told us thousands of years ago what is going to happen in the end time.
Every time that things line up with Bible prophecy, it increases my faith. So, therefore, if God loves us enough to tell us step-by-step and inch-by-inch exactly how the last days will unfold, doesn't it stand to reason that He loves us enough to prepare us for our individual destinies? In fact, Jesus told us in Luke 21:18 & 19,
"Ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish."
That's a verse I am claiming! It's ours to claim and it's according to our faith to ask God for what we want. So, what I want is that not a hair of my head shall perish! I mean, they fall out all the time and that's ok, but God is not going to allow my enemy to touch me! Hallelujah! I believe it!
God puts a protective bubble around His children!
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