What’s the most oft repeated
commandment in the Bible? If you were to
search every word in every book, every chapter and every verse to find the one
thing that God commands most often, what do you think it would be? “Have no other gods before me”? “Love one another”? “Repent and believe”? You may be surprised that none of those come
even close.
365 times in Scripture God says,
“Do not be afraid.” To the trembling
Virgin Mary the angel said, “Do not be afraid.”
To the disciples caught in a storm Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.” In a dream the Lord said to Joseph, “Do not
be afraid.” After His crucifixion as the
disciples were locked behind closed doors the risen Christ said, “Do not be
afraid.” God’s propensity to repeat
Himself here suggests that He understands something fundamental about the human
condition. We are intractably and
indefatigably prone to fear.
But “Why?” is the question. When the Lord is our rock and our salvation,
why are we afraid? When God has
conquered sin and death, why are we afraid?
When we’ve been given the Holy Spirit to guide, comfort and empower us,
why are we afraid? When the Lord has
promised to be with us till the end of the age, why are we afraid?
Nelson Mandela, whose 27 years
in prison for his work to abolish apartheid taught him much about fear, said
these words . . .
"Our
deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are
powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens
us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing
small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so
that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as
children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's
not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated
from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
What fears are keeping you from
shining as a child of God? What fears are holding you back from trusting God fully? What fears do
you need to hand over to God today? Ask
the Lord to uncover your fears and banish them forever.
Have no fear.
Fear
is evil and “perfect Love casts out fear.”
There is no room for fear in the heart in which I dwell.
Fear destroys Hope. It cannot exist where Love is, or where Faith
is.
Fear is the curse of the world.
Humankind is afraid – afraid of poverty,
afraid of loneliness,
afraid of unemployment, afraid of sickness.
Many, many are your fears.
Nation is afraid of nation.
Fear, fear, fear, everywhere.
Fight fear as you would a plague.
Turn it out of your lives and home.
Fight it singly. Fight it together.
Never inspire fear. It is an evil ally.
Fear of punishment, fear of blame.
No work that employs this enemy of Mine is work for
me.
Banish it.
There must be another and better way.
Ask Me, and I will show it to you.[1]
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Thanks so much for your input. I pray that this dialogue may be a blessing to you personally and to the ministry you exercise in Christ.
Michael