DON’T BE AFRAID
Wendy gave us a beautifully framed Christmas present. It says: “The phrase: ‘Do not be afraid’ is written in the Bible 365 times. That’s a daily reminder from God to be fearless every day.” With the things we are seeing and experiencing in this first month of 2018, this mandate from our Creator is the encouragement we cling to with all our heart, for survival and the more abundant life. There is normal fear, and then there is a spiritual demon called “fear.” That’s when fear gets a hold of us, and influences just about every move we make. Fear wants to rule our lives and keep us from living a happy life, doing the will of our Lord Jesus and His father, God.
After someone broke into my house, the demon spirit of fear confronted me, whispering things like, “He could come back,” “He might tell his burglar friends where my house is, and they’ll get in before you fix the door,” all kinds of crazy stuff like that. The spirit of fear wants to take over our lives by putting all kinds of “what if” thoughts into our brains. The Word tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” A sound mind thinks what the Word of God says about life, not what circumstances say.
Fear must be a very big weapon of Satan, for God to have to tell us 365 times not become prey to it! Fear not. Fear not. Fear NOT! Why not? Because God has our back, and our front, and our side, and above, and below. Isaiah 54:17 tells us: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.”
Romans 8:37 says: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” God intends good for us, no matter what. So, when fear confronts us, we are not to capitulate, but to go to our Lord Jesus for wisdom concerning the thing we must believe, say, or do to shatter the mirror of fear into such tiny pieces that we can blow them away in one breath, GONE!
Jesus showed me how to stop any further attack of fear regarding my break-in. He gave a strong urging that I couldn’t ignore. He gave me an instruction I knew I couldn’t refuse: “Go to the court case of the burglar.” I obeyed. When I saw the burglar in person, a 17-year-old teen, and heard the judge sentence him to a year in juvenile prison, I wasn’t afraid anymore. I knew from the Word of God that only Jesus could save him, and I pray that he will find Jesus while he is locked up. That is seriously his only hope as he goes into adulthood. Besides going to the court case, the Lord also let me know I’m important to Him and I need to get more security in my house, so I did it.
For every fear, Jesus is the answer. His wisdom is undeniable. James 3:17 tells us: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
Let’s make 2018 an exceptional year of intimacy with Jesus and His wisdom. Let’s wipe away fear in our lives and help others to do the same. We have a loving God and the closest friend in Jesus. 365 days of FEAR NOT.
Love, Carolyn
EMPOWERING LIFE LESSONS FOR 2018:
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