As soon as I read this, I knew I wanted to write about it. I sit here now, not exactly sure what I want to say, but sure that what I read is significant.
Sunday morning, while in church, my pastor said, “Fear disconnects you from God.” I wrote it down because it intrigued me. After church, I put my sermon notes in my purse, but soon pulled them out again after reading following quote:
“While fear looks at the future with negativity, faith sees the future with hope.¹”
Fear puts you in a dark place. Did you ever notice how problems always seem worse at night? If I wake up in the middle of the night and I start to think about issues I may be facing, my mind goes far away from the promises of God. How easy it is to forget God’s faithfulness as we allow the cares of this world to overtake us. Doesn’t scripture tell us repeatedly that He will never leave us? Aren’t we told that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing? Fear puts us in a place where our confidence is not in God. That is exactly the place where Satan wants us to stay. When we are fearful, we are anticipating trouble. We experience worry, anxiousness, dread, or even panic. Our eyes are not on God, they are on ourselves. We can have confidence that God has everything under control. While we are consumed with fear, we have the assurance of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Thankfully, God has given us a valuable weapon for fighting fear. The fact that the Bible mentions fear 365 times (also mentioned in Sunday’s sermon), makes it apparent that He knew it would be a daily struggle for us. Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” David had every imaginable reason to be afraid, but still chose to put his trust in God. We should follow his example and trust that nothing takes God by surprise. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Our future is not grim. We do not need to look at it fearfully, because there is hope in the Lord. So, let us stand strong, in faith, knowing that we are never standing alone.
There is surely a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:18
¹. Wood, George O. Acts: The Holy Spirit at Work in Believers: An Independent-study Textbook. Springfield: Global U, 2010. 96. Print.
Because I Said So... 