2 Timothy 1:7 says, For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mine.
People often say “life is what you make of it.” I guess that is true in a sense, but I have come to believe that apart from God there is no life abundantly. Life is full of trials and tribulations. Each day we wake up, we hear of the toils of the world. There is no one we can trust to speak the truth. Everyone seems to have their own agenda. I hear myself saying on many occasions, “what is this world coming to?” Just the thought of the violence that surrounds us each and every day is definitely enough to keep us fearful.
BUT GOD!
In Isaiah 41:10, God’s word says the following:
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, yes I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
If someone would ask me what is my truth today, I would have to say my truth is more of a declaration. “Fear will no longer hold me hostage.” I’m guilty of a fearful heart and God is helping me to overcome my fears. I find myself fearful of this world, fearful of the police, fearful of my future, fearful for my grandchildren’s future and fearful for my elderly parents and loved ones. The list can go on and on. When I feel myself being corralled by the grip of fear, I feel like I can’t breathe. If we are honest with ourselves, we all have been held captive by the grip of fear. Fear will stop us in our tracks. Fear will keep us from walking into our destiny. Fear will keep us from living in peace. It will cause us to miss the window of opportunity. We become too afraid to make a move. We don’t move, we become numb and unresponsive and eventually, our place of fear becomes a safe place. We talk ourselves into believing it is a comfortable place, even though it is not where we want to be. Bottom line, fear stops us from trusting in God. Fear keeps us from moving forward. God is teaching me there is a remedy for my fearfulness. We have forgotten that trusting God will diminish our fear. When we allow fear to enter into our heart, it is safe to say that we have stopped trusting God. When we become honest with ourselves and with God, He will help us to go through in power. The power of His word. Today, I am focusing on His word in Isaiah 41:10. I am declaring with my own voice that fear is not of God and if He has allowed me to go through something, I can rest assured that He has equipped me with everything I need to get through.
Fear not, for I am with you. The very first line of this scripture is enough for me. There is no one I need to fight alone with me but God. God knows when we are going through dark times, being alone to handle it will often make the circumstance more fearful and scary. Therefore, God want you and I to know that He is with us.
Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I have made God my Lord and Saviour. Therefore, He is my God. Not only that, but God has promised to strengthen us and help us. God is working on my circumstance before I ever know it would enter my life. God is already there and He is concern about me. He knows what it feels like to be alone in a circumstance. The dread and the fear He knows of very well. He felt the same thing in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Garden of Gethsemane is where the agony in the garden took place. Jesus asked His Father twice to remove the cup of wrath He was about to drink, but He submitted to the Father’s will. We must trust in God and understand that all things will work together for our good.
I thought it would be good to define the words “fear” and “dismay”. One is an emotion and the other is the result of the emotion. Have you ever been there?
Fear has been defined as a strong, uncontrollable and unpleasant emotion caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
Dismay is a sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits. Fear is to cause fear to; to frighten while dismay is to disable with alarm or apprehensions; to depress the spirits or courage of; to deprive of firmness and energy through fear.
Life can sometimes be full of fear, worry, or sadness caused by something unpleasant and unexpected but God has given us every reason not to be afraid in Isaiah 41:10.
This feeling of dismay overwhelms us because often times there are circumstances that come into our life that are out of our control and we feel absolutely helpless and alone. But God says to us to be not dismayed! God knows how you feel but He still tell us to be not dismayed. Why? Because I am your God. I’m more than enough! Isn’t God more than enough? He can handle any battle. He doesn’t want us to handle the battle. In 2 Chronicles 20:15 the scripture says,
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
There is nothing to hard for our God. Also, remember what Moses told the Israelites. in Exodus 14:13-14.
And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
The same God who was with the Israelites is also with you. Have we forgotten what God can do? He is working on our behalf. Therefore, His word tells us to fear not. This is the first action God want us to take. No matter the circumstance, fear not. Then He tells us to be not dismayed. Don’t let your fear become bigger than God. Don’t lose courage. In the bible courage is also called “good cheer”. The Greek word translated “courage” and “good cheer” means “boldness and confidence”. In the bible, courage is the opposite of fear. In Isaiah 41:10, God telling us why we should not be fearful. God Himself is the reason. He is God Almighty. There is nothing in this world that is bigger than God. No matter what it is you may be facing right at this moment, God would like for you to know that He is with you. Trust in Him! Be confident that He alone has your back. God is your Shield and Buckler!
I love knowing that God is fighting for me. I can know without a doubt that the situation may appear dark, but the light of God’s Holy word will get me through and keep me in perfect peace.
In Proverbs 3:25-26 the word says, Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
I underline the words “when it comes” because God is telling us it will come, and He will be there with you. I would hear older people say, if you don’t have any troubles now, wait and live long enough and you will see trouble come and go. The wickedness of the world surrounds us, but God is my confidence. Let God be your confidence. Now, take time to sit at His feet. He will help you through uncertain times. It will take time to surrender yourself to God. In time you will see Him move in your life and take away the fear of this world. He will give you power stand against the enemy. When the enemy tries to use fear, you will use God’s word! To God Almighty be the Glory!
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