Psalms 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him I will trust.”

Fear, the word itself conjures a response. What frightens us is secondary to the fear itself. Fear is a tool used by the devil to keep us from realizing our full potential in the Lord. Fear of inadequacy, fear of failure, fear of rejection; these are fears that the devil uses to rip us off and hold us back from reaching the potential and the plan that the Lord set for us before we were even born.

If you don’t believe in spiritual warfare then I urge you to consider the crippling effects of fear. Fear can stop us in our tracks; derailing a great idea, ending pursuit of a dream, and stunting our growth in the things of God. The devil loves to rip us off and if he can get us to stop moving, if he can make us take our eyes off Jesus, then he wins a small victory. Of course, believers know that the war has been won by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, small victories are all the devil can hope for but one small victory by the devil has the potential to not only derail us from our true calling but it can and often does damage our personal relationship with Jesus; not because He pulls away but because we do.

The truth of the matter is we all fall victim to fear. fear has held us all hostage at one time or another. The world is a frightening place. Have you watched the news lately? it seems that everywhere we turn the devil is saying, “Look out! Here I come. Do you see all the tragedy, the blood shed, and pain? Do you feel the fear?” Then, just as the tears begin to roll down your face and we fold our hands the devil  says, ”  What? Do you think YOU can  do something about it?” At this point, the list begin to scroll through our head. It is a list of all the failures we have ever had, every bad unrighteous thing we have ever done, every reason we are inadequate and unworthy to be used by God. then the deceiver drives the final nail into the coffin lid. He says, “If you step out, if you so much as move, I’ll show them all what a fraud you truly are.”  It is in that moment that fear either takes over or we take our hands out of our lap, fold them, pray, and seek the will of God.

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus tells us “….and lo, I am with you always even until the end of the age Amen.” This is a promise from almighty God. It means that He will never leave us. He is always with us. What a great comfort this is to the follower of Christ! So why you might ask, are so may people missing out on their potential? The answer is painfully simple. It is the reason Jesus came to die in the first place-sin. The world is a broken place and as humans we are set apart from God by our sin. this is what the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice atoned for. The cross of Calvary restored a right relationship with the Father for all who would believe in Jesus.

Because the world is a broken place, our existence here is difficult, sometimes heartbreaking, and never without a measure of tribulation. Our savior knew this was the case and as a result, the word of God is full of comfort from the Father.  In John 16:33 Jesus reminds us that in this world we will have tribulation; not might have but will have. Then, to finish His statement, Jesus tells us to be of good cheer for he has overcome the world! He paid the price for this sinful, scary, and broken place;  all that believe in Him have nothing to fear.The bible is the inspired word of God himself. It is God communicating with us. As such, it is loaded with promise after promise of God’s sovereignty, grace, and protection. Here are a few for independent study this week: Joshua 1:9, II Chronicles 7:14, Psalms 23, Philippians 1:6, and Philippians 4:13.  It would be a great encouragement to me if you would take a moment and leave a comment on the site with your favorite word of encouragement from the Lord.

We who call Jesus Lord and Savior have nothing to fear. Romans 8:31: What then shall we say to these things? If God is with us who can be against us? So what scares a believer? What scares me? The knowledge that there are people I love who have not accepted the truth; that there is only one way to God, through Jesus Christ. The bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23). In short, those who do not turn to Jesus will be eternally separated from God. The same passage goes on to say “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” With all of the uncertainty in the world today, I urge you to settle you eternal affairs today.

Grace & Peace,

LD