Photo Source: www.creationswap.com by Megan Watson
Fear is one of our great motivators. Yet time and time again the scripture tells us not to be afraid, do not fear, fear not. Here are seven reasons why fear should not be a factor in our lives.
1) God is on your side. He loves you and will keep you from harm.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them [of the world], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, Says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17).
2) We have the confident witness of others who have already been there.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, (Revelation 12:11)
3) He will fight the battle for you.
Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you. (2 Chronicles 20:15,17)
4) God takes care of us and meets our needs out of his abundance.
[Jesus said,] “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? …Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:26-31)
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
5) He’s given us his name and are part of his family.
…when we were children, we were in bondage…But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:3-6)
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:16-17)
6) Because Christ is in us we have the hope of greater glory to come.
…God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
[and for we who] have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us – this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. (Hebrews 6:17-19)
7) Wherever we are called to go, he’s going with us.
Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:7-9)
So don’t fear. Be strong. Trust God and have confidence in him. These are seven reason not to fear that I’ve been thinking about lately. What are some reasons you have? What give you confidence to overcome your fear?