Isaiah 44:8
"Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any."
What's something your parents always told you when you were little? Was it "Don't touch that!" or maybe it was "Because I said so!" One for me is when I'm at the top of a slide or on the edge of a pool, and I see my Dad at the bottom with arms wide open. And what does he say? "Don't be AFRAID. I've got you, jump, trust me." As a kid, what would you do? Well, I would jump. As kids, we have a trust so influential in our parents that we don't even consider any of the other options. All we see is our father, mother, brother, sister, and friend there ready for us. Why can't we now trust God like that?God has planned our whole lives. So why can't we trust Him? Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."
Trust with ALL your heart. You don't go halfway down the slide and then turn around and climb back up, do you? You trust the loved one who is at the bottom 100%. Now to me, this seems simple enough. Trust God. That's it. But then I take my eyes off my father, and I look at the waves of fear around me.
It's hard to trust in this day and age. But you know what is really easy? FEAR! I guarantee that you find fear very quickly, just turn on the TV. Go look at Facebook or an Instagram Story. Go take a walk or go to the store. Fear is everywhere. We try to "protect" ourselves from this virus, but you know what, we are breathing 24/7? Deadly fumes of fear. So…
What Do We Do?
God has given us a way to fight off the fear with the Word of Life itself. Did you know that it says, "Do not be afraid" 366 times in the Bible? That is one for every day of the year.
Richard Wurmbrand was a secret church pastor in USSR-controlled Romania. He was arrested and imprisoned for 14 years and spent 3 of those in solitary confinement. But he was arrested on Feb. 29, 1948. And when he was in his abductors' car, he thought to himself, "do not fear," and he remembered that there were 366 verses, not 365. There was one for the leap day on which he was arrested.
That is so cool how God can use that small number to encourage someone deeply. God is so good! He has told those who follow him that we shouldn't fear because He has taken away a spirit of fear and replaced it with a spirit of power, love, and self-control!
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Tim. 1:7
HOW GREAT IS THAT?
It is so good that we can rest in our Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ! But how do I fight this fear daily? Well, to be honest, you can't fight it on your own, and you will fail. But only through God's great strength can we remind ourselves of the truths that God has given us!
I will list some verses down below, and I encourage you to read 1 a day and try to memorize some. You never know when your friend, parents, and teachers might need some encouragement as well. So we don’t belong to this world anymore. So why do we still act like it?
Genesis 15:1 – After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give peace.
Deuteronomy 31:6 – ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’
Joshua 1:9 – ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’
Psalm 3:6 – I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
Psalm 4:8 – In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
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?
Proverbs 3:24 – When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Jeremiah 1:8 – ‘Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord
Matthew 10:28 – Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about ANYTHING but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Written by: Daniel Kollman
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