No Fear!
I looked into the crib of my newborn baby son sound asleep. He was the image of peace. In my mind, however, peace was rapidly disappearing. Fears flooded my thoughts. I imagined this little boy someday joining the army and losing his life for his country. Or what if he became a fire fighter and a fire took his life? When his forehead felt hot, I worried he had some fatal disease that would take him away from me. I awoke in the night to feed him and I could not get back to sleep because fears plagued my mind.
Fear comes in many forms. Fear keeps some people locked behind closed doors because of their phobias of people and crowded places. Fear changes the way we live. We look around corners for spiders (arachnophobia) or snakes and our mind is always on alert. Fear wraps us up in chains, dictating our every move. A fear of heights determines whether or not I will try a new adventure. Fear of failure holds me back from certain opportunities.
Fears and phobias can overwhelm, control and immobilize us.
God’s Word gives us a few good reasons to let loose the chains of fear and live in freedom.
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.
God is right by my side. I am not alone. I clung to this truth as a young girl when nightmares crowded out sleep. I envisioned God’s presence like a blanket wrapped around me, shielding me from harm. His presence is a comfort.
Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
He is all-powerful. This God who is with me always is not a wimpy God. He is mighty to save. He is omnipotent! I trust in His strength to protect me from evil. He’s watching over my children too, so why would I trust in my strength to protect them?
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
I know a little bit about love, and from what I can tell, love never desires harm. Love wants what is best for us. Love cares about our needs and Love is interested in our well-being. When we are enveloped in the arms of love, fear is the furthest thing from our minds.
The opposite of fear is trust. When I am overwhelmed by fear, am I trusting God’s love for me? When fear immobilized me, am I trusting in God’s power to save me? When my decisions are controlled by fear, am I trusting in His presence to guide me?
Come visit me…
Beautiful sweetie, so beautiful.
What a wonderful post.
The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
the effect of rightousness will be quietness
and confidece forever.
Isaiah 32:17
May we all know the peace and confidence that comes from the Lord!
Great thoughts, Heather. I too have struggled with some of those exact same fears, so this was a beautiful reminder.
“Perfect love casts out fear”. May His love be perfected in our hearts.
Thank you, Heather, for your thoughts.
Sita
Wonderful post Heather! And a great reminder!
I’ve been reading Respectable Sins, and fear/worry is one of those sins that Jerry Bridges mentions as a sin that we often tolerate in our life. I was really struck by the fact that first fear is sin and second is means we are not trusting God. Wow…I think we often overlook this…at least I do!
Heather,
1 John 4:18…. Full of truth and power and comfort. I also loved your words…. I know a little bit about love… it does not harm.
Awesome.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. Fear is a plague. Fear is our enemy. Fear controls our mood and thwarts our plans. But, thank God, He has given us a Spirit of power, love and sound mind. And, when we stare at fear with the light of Christ, fear diminishes. God bless.
Thank you for writing about fear! I have lived in fear many time, but then remember that God calls us to live without fear but with faith. I appreciate the reminder and the blessing of your thoughts on this. Have a blessed day!
I can head down the bunnytrail of “fear” as quick as my next breath. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worried myself sick over my kids. My oldest is 19 and just the other day, after waiting for his call which never came, I had his funeral planned out before I realized how ridiculous I was being.
Paul tells us to focus on “whatever is true… “(stop). No need to go any further. It it “ain’t” true, don’t think upon it. This has helped me so much over the years. The truth is…our God is powerful. He hems us in from behind and before and encamps around us! He’s got our front and our back. Our job? Resting secure somewhere in between.
Thanks for the wonderful words of truth you’ve given me today. Be blessed this weekend!
peace~elaine
Heather,
This was great. I feel like I could write a book on fear, sad to say. I think the most difficult thing for me, and I’ve had so many opportunities sad to say to truly fear, is was when my son boarded a bus to head off to war. Knowing he was so far away was a battle I dealt with daily.
After dealing with my son’s dx of brain cancer I’ve learned our children are truly only lent to us and no matter what happens, we have God’s amazing GRACE to carry us through anything we may face.
Blessings to you Heather?
This is such an encouraging post Heather. We all face different fears. I think once we can grasp the miracle of Who God is, we can rest in His unfailing love. It is this learning to let go and in simple trust allow God to work all things together that is sometimes difficult. We so much want all to be well for our loved ones. But so does He, and He always knows what is best.
Thank you for this beautiful, encouraging devotional.
Isn’t it amazing that God has the perfect words of comfort and assurance hidden within his word that he leads us to exactly when we need it? Thank you for this encouraging post.