"NO FEAR"

I asked the Lord to show me something He wanted to tell His people on our site. I opened my Bible and there was the verse in Deut. 31:8, "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you, He will neither fail you nor abandon you".

Even though these words were spoken to Joshua by Moses, they can easily apply to us today.

Unlike our earthly families sometimes do, He does not fail us or abandon us. If distance creeps in between God and us it is of our own doing.

This verse tells me that the youth of our society are 'right-on' with their "No Fear" tee shirts. Because of the Lord's promises, Christians should not be fearful!

All through His Word He tells us to be strong and courageous, and not to be afraid. Deut. 13:4 says we are to fear God alone! In Psalm 34:4 He says He frees us from all our fears, and verse 7 of that same chapter says, "For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear Him". The 9th verse continues saying, "those who fear Him will have all they need".

Psalm 46:2 reminds us not to ".......fear when earthquakes come". Proverbs 1:33 says we should be "untroubled by fear of harm". 2 Chronicles 20:15 tells us, "Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged........for the battle is not yours, but Gods".

Sometimes it helps me to remember that all I'm required to do is put on the full armor of God and stand firm while He does the battle. How easy and stress free can that get? Verse 17 confirms that by saying, ".......But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory". All the Lord's battles end in victory! If God be for us who can be against us?

What are the fears before us today? Health, finances, relationships, work situations, and many others. Isn't it wonderful we can lean on God, be peaceful in our situations and let Him handle what it is we have fear of?

In Job 3:25-26, Job says the thing he has always feared, happened to him. He said, ".....what I dreaded has come true. I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest, only trouble comes".

It sounds like we should stay as far away from fear and dread as we can get, putting our hope and trust in Jesus Christ. I John 4:18 points out that "......perfect love expels all fear".

In closing, I want to say that I draw comfort from Hebrews 13:6 which says, ".....The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear". Maybe our youth are on to something here with their "No Fear" tee shirts.

Next time you see one of those tee shirts perhaps you'll be better prepared to use that phrase as a lead in to witness to that person about how God is your defender and fights all your battles. Who we are is not the reason we have "No Fear", but rather who He is and who we are in Him!

We choose to have "No Fear"!

Shalom, Marvin and Diana