Do Not Fear, Only Believe

 "I have seen (as far as it can be seen) many persons changed in a moment from the spirit of horror, fear, and despair to the spirit of hope, joy, peace; and from sinful desires, till then reigning over them, to a pure desire of doing the will of God."  - John Wesley

We're all familiar with fear. It's a perfectly natural emotion that has enabled us as a species to survive throughout time. Most of the time, whenever we think of fear we associate it with frightening, even life-threatening situations.

But fear can also arise in normal circumstances, such as speaking in front of an audience, asking someone out on a date, walking into the dentist's office, meeting your in-laws for the first time, taking a test, and so on...

The Bible talks a lot about fear. And why not..? The men and women in scripture were made of flesh and blood, and they had the same hopes, dreams, and emotions, as you or I. Even Jesus' own disciples were no strangers to fear (Matthew 26:56).

The lesson about fear, both, for the people in the Bible and us today, is that we don't have to let it control our lives. Fear is natural and we can't do anything about that. However, we can change how we deal with it (Psalm 56:3).

When Joshua took over the reins of leading Israel from Moses' hands he certainly had much to be afraid of. After all, he was given a pretty big responsibility! In fact, he knew it was too big to handle by himself, and so did the LORD (Joshua 1:1-3).

Moses knew too well what Joshua would be in for, so he encouraged him thusly, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8).

We never have to face fear alone, either. The LORD will help us, too! "I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." When we find ourselves weak in the knees, stumbling, trembling, and fainting with fear, He reassures us to, "Be strong and courageous" (Joshua 1:6).

In life, it's one thing to promise, and another thing to follow through. We don't ever have to worry when we let the LORD help us with our fears. "The LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you," especially... when you need Him most (Numbers 23:19).

Scripture: Isaiah 41:10; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:6; Proverbs 29:25; 1 Peter 5:7 

Prayer: In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Amen.  - Psalm 56:4 (ESV)

Stay blessed,

Kate