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Do Not Fear, God Is Near

 

Do Not Fear, God is Near

Fear is one of the biggest enemies we face daily and it can overwhelm you really fast.  Fear is defined as a feeling of an impending danger, anxiety and worry about a perceived threat to our physical, mental or spiritual well being.  Fear is a weapon that the Devil uses against humans to cast doubt, anxiety and worry in our lives.  Fear can come on really quick or begin slowly and build up to eventually overcome us emotionally.  I can think of many times when fear struck me in my life.  I once had to go to the 30th floor of a building and put furniture on a tiny little deck about six feet wide and that scared me to death.  

I am not a fan of heights and have a philosophy of why leave a good solid piece of ground.  Many of you have been to a haunted house and remember how that sudden fear of someone jumping out at you, grabbing you in the dark or just scaring the “you know what” out of someone happens.  You know it is going to happen and just anticipate it and then it still scares you.  Life can scare us really quickly, car wrecks, injuries, accidents, losing jobs and many other things that occur drive fear because of the unknown with it.  

The world today can drive fear with all the wars, conflicts, social unrest, political unrest, conflicts with family/friends, violence, crime terrorism, and economic uncertainty.  These are all things that we really cannot control, but we still may feel uneasy about it.  Covid-19 has created a fear in a lot of people, especially certain populations such as older folks with health risks.  We have anxiety and fear about our children, grandchildren, pets and friends.  There are so many things we could list that we could worry about, fear the possible outcome or be anxious about them.  

Most of the time all of that fear does not even happen to us.  We tend to live our lives thinking what if, what if I quit this job for another, what if I sell my home to buy another, what if I open myself up to another relationship and it ends up in a break up.  What if, what if, what if is no way to live your life.  God does not care for us on a what if basis, so why should we live a what if life.  We can do that by having faith in God and his plan for our lives. The bible is full of verses and wisdom about overcoming fear.  Diving into the word and reading, praying and asking for God to help us is the key to being confident in your decisions and not afraid.  

Allow God to manage your life, he owns it and all the things you have or will have.  Below are some simple steps to take to reduce fear, anxiety and take back control of your life.

1- Choose not to let fear control your life.

2- Choose to seek God’s counsel and wisdom when fear tries to overcome you.

3- Choose to focus on the “real” of what is happening, not what may happen.

God is in control so we cannot fear because God is near always.  He is with us day and night, he is consistent and powerful.  We don’t have to fear the “what if” or “unknowns” because God knows the outcome and will be there to get us through it.  

Psalm 34:, I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 23:4, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

2nd Timothy 1:7, For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Lord, help us to face life without fear.  We know that you walk with us, talk with us and carry us through the toughest of times.  Allow us to have self-control and the faith to overcome our doubts and fears.  Amen


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