When I was young, fear was a word that I did not understand. I ran and played in my neighborhood and the mountains of New Mexico like a fearless mini-warrior. Fun, fun, and more fun, was always on my daily schedule.
No fear that a “bad person” would snatch me from my home or playground. No fear that a bullet would stray from its intended target and injure me or my little friends. Just no understanding of fear. If it existed, I did not know about it.
I certainly never associated the word Jesus or Christian with fear. When I was a child, church was the safest place to be. Most did not lock the doors. People could quietly slip in and pray. Now most churches lock the outside doors while worship services are conducted.
So very sad that we have allowed God to slowly be pushed to the side and sin on an unbelievable scale is in the forefront. In the newspapers, on the television, radio, internet…the desensitizing of America. If we hear it and see it enough, then we won’t care. Right? Wrong!!!
I was having a conversation with a dear kindred spirit. We discussed what was taking place everywhere. Dark, evil, corrupt misbehavior that you just cannot make up. Bad stuff. Destruction. God has instructed His children not to fear. His children are in the midst of evil and yet going to work each day, raising their children, going to football, baseball and soccer games. Going right on living lives of productivity. Raising children to honor their parents and their teachers. Living right, in the midst of evil.
He has confidence that the light given off by His children will lighten areas up all over the world. Keep talking about Jesus without fear. Keep praying without ceasing, keep reading our Bibles. Keep loving in the name of Jesus. Keep giving off the aroma of Christ. The purifying salt God intended believers to be.
Our scriptures today contain some wise words to hold close. Sometimes, it helps you to apply God’s word specifically to you by putting your name into the scriptures. Try reading the following thoughts from our scriptures and speaking your name where you see mine.
Kathy, listen and live securely. Be at ease in the presence of evil. You will be far from oppression and terror. You will not fear. God will continually guide you, Kathy. He will take care of you and satisfy your desires. He will shower you with His favor even in the midst of scorched places. When everything around you seems parched and dry, your bones will give you strength. You will stay fresh, thriving as a watered garden, refreshed and renewed with waters from a source that never fails. You will not be timid, but powerful and disciplined with love, in the name of Jesus.
Our protection, security, fearlessness, does not come from our own strength. It comes from God. He desires that we not be touched, swayed or desensitized to what the world promotes as “normal.” He forewarned us that this time was coming. What is right will become wrong and wrong will be right.
The popular slogan “No Fear” was made famous by a California clothing line. My first encounter with “No Fear” was not a slogan on a tee-shirt but on the pages of my Bible. Stay strong in your faith. God has you where you are for a reason. There midst trouble and difficult circumstances. Excel and grow where you are planted, with no fear.
Scriptures For Today:
Proverbs 1:33
33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.” (NASB)
Isaiah 54:14
14 “In righteousness you will be established; You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; And from terror, for it will not come near you.(NASB)
Isaiah 58:11
11 “And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.(NASB)
2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. (NASB)
Prayer For Today:
Hello Father! All through Your Holy word You tell us to not fear. You must surely have known what evil was going to surround our camp. Father, when we take our eyes off of You, we see and hear things we cannot believe. Must be why You strive for our attention. Why You are a jealous God who wants to be the only God in our lives. We pray for patience, peace and a calm spirit. Those things all come from You. We will not fear what man can do to us. Forgive us of our sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
©2015 Kathy Ledbetter. All Rights Reserved.