Fear not is a direct command of God; yet, as humans how do we do that? How do we lay aside all fear? When facing trials, the uncertainties of a move, and when questioning ourselves as to whether or not we heard God correctly; we humans tend to fear the unknowns which are before us. How do we look into the darkness of a future with unwavering faith? We search and seek to know the future. We want every detail to be laid out neatly so as to believe. We tend to be planners and question God when we find that He may not have laid out the plan in the same way we have. We may want to believe; yet, deep within us rises the urge to fear the unknown. Still fear not is a command of faith that trusts in God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and His determined will which is always intrinsically for the the good of His children-those who have been adopted into His family by faith in Jesus Christ. C. S. Lewis wrote in his book The Problem of Pain the following quote.
Artwork of Ronald Barba (used by permission)
"God’s will is determined by His wisdom which always perceives, and His goodness which always embraces, the intrinsically good. But when we have said that God commands things only because they are good, we must add that one of the things intrinsically good is that rational creatures should freely surrender themselves to their Creator in obedience. The content of our obedience—the thing we are commanded to do—will always be something intrinsically good, something we ought to do even if (by an impossible supposition) God had not commanded it. But in addition to the content, the mere obeying is also intrinsically good, for, in obeying, a rational creature consciously enacts its creaturely role, reverses the act by which we fell, treads Adam’s dance backward, and returns." C.S. Lewis from The Problem of Pain Copyright © 1940, C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Copyright restored © 1996 by C. S. Lewis Pte. Ltd.
So, following the command of God not to fear is an act of trust in who God is. It reflects our faith in Him, not the circumstances which surround us nor in our own abilities. It must take our eyes off of ourselves and our circumstances. So how do we do this? What are the steps we must take?
First we must believe in who He is. Genesis 17: 1 "I am the Almighty God" Do you believe that God is Almighty– the only one who has complete power, omnipotence? He has also said in Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am" Do you really believe that? If so why are you afraid?
Second, we must believe that faith in Him leads us to salvation and that our faith is counted to us for righteousness. For Abraham, this meant that believing God was a faith looking forward to the Messiah (Christ the Savior) coming and for us it is accepting and believing in the finished work of Christ on the Cross. Genesis 15: 5 "the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward….
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
Third, we must believe that God is with us as He promised–where ever we are. Joshua 1:9 "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest." If you want to say; yeah, but you do not know how far I have strayed or where I have gone since accepting Christ. David had strayed very far; yet, David learned this truth about God. Psalm 139: "7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." David also wrote: "Psalm 25: 8 Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way." So for all who believe in God and have accepted His gift of salvation; God never leaves. This is based on who He is and not on who you are. True, you will not know peace or joy until you have repented and have restored the relationship you have in Christ with God. Still God has not left you.
Fourth, we must remember to seek Him through prayer, through studying His word and through praise for who He is. Psalm 34: "3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."
Fifth, we must remember that it is God who strengthens our faith and fills us with hope. Even if it is a fiery trial that leads us there; fear should be replaced by faith in the truth that God knows what is the best and His desire is to bring you joy, hope, and love. Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Follow these steps and my prayer for you is that in doing, you will be able to quench the dragon’s fiery breath of fear in your life. Then you may stand firm upon God’s promise of future grace. Hebrews 4: "14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Question: What are you afraid of today?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdKmB8yBlmc
© 2013 Effie Darlene Barba
Artwork by Ronald Barba ©2002 used by written permission.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”