This is Part 1 of my 5-part series on reasons why Christians should not fear. You can find links to the other parts of the series at the end of this post.
Fear can produce many negative consequences in the life of a believer. In our violent and unpredictable world, fear of what might happen to us weakens our faith in God. Fear of what people might say to us or about us keeps us from doing what God commands. Fear of failure prevents us from serving God like we should. In addition, fear can cause us to worry, become anxious, and lose our joy.
God does not want His people to fear. We know this because phrases like “do not be afraid,” “don’t be afraid,” and “do not fear” occur over 100 times in the NIV translation of the Bible. In this series, we will look at some of the occurrences of these phrases to see why God tells us not to fear.
The first reason we should not fear is because God is with us. Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
We are normally less fearful when someone is with us than we are when we are by ourselves. When I was a boy, I was always less afraid when my older brother was with me. God is infinitely stronger than any human, and He promises to be with us. Therefore, regardless of what happens in our lives, we don’t have to fear because our all-powerful God is with us, and He can handle it.
The above verse tells us three actions God takes that should help us not be afraid. First, God will give us the strength to deal with the situation. Second, God will help us persevere through the situation. Third, God will uphold, or sustain, us in the midst of the situation. Since we know that the God of the universe is with us, let us fear less and trust Him more.
What is causing you to be fearful today? What will you do to remind yourself that God is with you and, He can handle whatever your concerns are? Tell me about it in the comments.
Links to the other parts in this series:
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