January 15, 2021 GOD HATH NOT GIVEN
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.”
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?”
1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
No doubt there are many things that can cause us to fear: sickness, death, loss of a job, worry about income, political unrest, crime, the well-being of our children, what the future may hold for us, broken relationships, being left alone---the list goes on. It seems that it is only natural to fear something. To live life with no fear in this upside-down world with all of its problems may sound like a ‘pipe-dream’-simply too good to be true. Fear takes a toll us; it robs us of joy, works against good relationships, and can have negative effects on our spiritual and physical health. If we believe what God has said in His word, then we have to conclude that we can indeed live life without fear. (Just for the record-whether we call it fear, anxiety, or ‘concern,’ it’s all the same.) We constantly face circumstances and situations in life that test, or reveal, in whom or what we trust-where our trust lies. If we are honest, we will admit that we all too often find ourselves trusting in our own ability, our own strength, and our own determination to do whatever needs to be done-but yet, there remains an underlying fear. The first step in conquering fear is to realize that fear is not from God as we see in the verse above; God has given us a spirit of “power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Even though God has given us these things, the problem is that they may not be experienced. When we are fearful, it is a good thing to let the fear we have prompt us to examine ourselves and determine where our trust lies. Also, as we see in 1 John above, if we are fearful, we have not “been perfected in love.” We may not understand it, but there is a connection between love and fear. It is amazing, but when we know and receive the love of God, we are set free from fear. That is true because we know that God is ruling, that He is near, that He causes all things to work together for our good, and that our eternal life with God is secure-and that nothing can separate us from His love. Even though we will face difficulties and have unanswered questions, we can put our absolute trust in the God who loves us and gave Himself for us. So---lighten up a bit-see life as a gift from God-be thankful-rejoice-have a little fun-enjoy your loved ones. Lay aside fear and put on confidence in God. Let us join with David and acknowledge that the Lord is the stronghold of our life.
1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Blessings,
Buddy
(Comment at [email protected])
RSS Feed