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. Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)
As we look around us at all the sorrows, the trials, and the pains in this world; we find it hard not to ever fear. Is that because we don’t really believe that God is Sovereign? When I consider the majesty of the stars at night, the intricate beauty of His creation, and every miraculous wonder that He has performed in my own life; I find it impossible to believe anything less than “He is Able to Perform all that He desires.” Knowing that He is able; then, where is it that my faith falters? Then, does my doubt come concerning His desire? Did He not say?
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13
Oh, but you see therein lies the fear–not in God; but, rather in me. Do I seek Him with all my heart? The longer I live this Christian life; the more I am aware of my own frailties, failures and my utter inability to live this Christian life as I should. I do not doubt God’s power, majesty and strength. What I doubt is my own heart. Too often, I; much like the Israeli nation chase after other treasures. I have chased after other loves. Even this verse in Jeremiah was written to the Jewish nation as they were being taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar because of their sin. Was it not the pleading of God to them?
O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Hosea 13:9, 14:1-2
But you see that is the very reason that Christ came! In me, within this heart; there would be no hope. The very best that I could hope for when standing before a righteous, just God would be condemnation; no matter how hard I tried. Then came Jesus Christ, God’s perfect obedient Son who withstood every temptation without sin. He took upon Himself all my sin, my shame and my doubt that I might be made righteous. Not a righteousness of my own; rather, I am cloaked in His righteousness because of faith in Him.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-10 (NKJV)
Therein lies my hope, my salvation, and my joy. I have no fear because I have been made worthy because of Him. That truth transforms my heart–day by day. His Holy Spirit indwelling me will change me into His image, one day.
“And it shall be, in that day,”
Says the Lord,
“That you will call Me ‘My Husband,
And no longer call Me ‘My Master,
For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals,
And they shall be remembered by their name no more.
In that day I will make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
With the birds of the air,
And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth,
To make them lie down safely.“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In loving kindness and mercy;
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the Lord.Hosea 2:16-20 (NKJV)
I may not always get it right. Sometimes, I may have to suffer the consequences of my own failures here on this earth at; but, I can trust that God will use every circumstance of my life to draw me closer to Him. If there are times He must rip from my hands some foolish desire; so be it. I know I can trust His Love to complete all that He has planned in my life. One day I will stand before His throne as His Beloved, Betrothed Bride without spot or blemish. Of that I can be certain!
[bctt tweet=”Cloaked in the robes of my Lord and King, I have nothing of which to ever fear” username=”effiedarlene”]
[tweetthis]Christ purchased on Calvary what I could never earn on my own[/tweetthis]
I would love to hear from you, your story of how God’s Grace eased your heart from fear-please scroll down to share your story or comment below.
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New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2016
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the 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 Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.