Fear Not!

Fear seems so minimal when it belongs to someone else, doesn't it? I dole out the same advice that I use to face my own fears....'What's the worst thing that can happen?' and then reason that the worse couldn't or wouldn't possibly happen in this circumstance. But, when the worst thing does seem more real that God himself, or more likely than not, fear is a debilitating enemy. It is referred to over 325 times in the Bible....in both the Old and New Testaments....so facing fear is nothing new to man.

But the more I live with it and endure episodes of extreme fear, the more I realize that when I am gripped in fear, I am far from God. Now, that is not to say that He is Far from me, but it means that my heart has wandered from the truth of all I know about God and is being blown and tossed about like a wave on a sea.

Have you ever noticed how waves toss around on a sea? They are aimless, forceful, relentless, and..... well, you get the point. That is how fear robs us of our focus and causes us to be double-minded and unstable. And, why? Because we are second guessing God. What if He doesn't love me? What if He doesn't really want what I think is best for me? What if he wants to annihilate me? Punish me? Crucify me? Humiliate me? Humble me? Do you ever have those thoughts? Or perhaps we don't even see beyond the circumstances to remember God is above the storms that we face. We just focus on the waves and the wind. Jesus is truth and peace. He is God. That is why He was able to calm the terrifying waves and wind that were assaulting the boat that He and the disciples were on that day at sea. "Peace, Be Still," and the sea grew completely calm. (Mt 8:23-27)

When we are gripped in fear, we are trapped by lies and OH so far from Jesus that we can't see Him. During those times, the most important thing we need to do is NOT FANCY SELF TALK....Instead, we NEED TO TALK TO Him! Ask Jesus for help in seeing the lies and replacing them with truth from His word.

When Jesus saw the fear and distress in his disciples on that rocky day at sea, do you know what he said? “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"

He saw the root of their problem was not fear....but FAITH! Remember, faith is the fruit of what we believe about the OBJECT of our faith....in other words....what we believe about God.

So the next time we face fear, and believe me, it has been hitting me around lately, let's ask ourselves, "What are we Misbelieving about God?" and "What Truth does the Bible tell us to receive about Him?"

I'd love to hear some of the fears you are facing and some of the truth you have found in God's word to replace those lies.

Faith is believing the word of God and acting upon it....no matter how you feel.

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