‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind’…
DAILY READING – Hebrews 7; Exodus 3:1-4:31; Psalm 41
The words “Fear not” occur 365 times in some Bible versions. This cannot altogether be a mere coincidence. It would seem as if God has designed each ‘fear not’ for everyday of the year. This is because fear is a major problem that plagues the hearts of men. 2 Timothy 1:7 says ‘for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind.’ So, fear is a spirit. This is the spirit that keeps men bound in limitations and stops them from taking bold steps in life. But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. To counter the spirit of fear, we need the liberty the Spirit of God brings. The righteous are as bold as a lion. It is the Spirit of God that imparts boldness to a believer. This was clearly seen in the life of Peter. Standing before a small maid, Peter out of fear, denied Jesus 3 times, but when the Holy Spirit came upon him, standing before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish highest ecclesiastical council, under threat of death, he boldly proclaimed Christ!
If a man lacks the Spirit of God, he will be plagued by the spirit of fear. The Spirit of God sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts, and perfect love casts out fear. Escape from the spirit of fear therefore, is by binding ourselves to the Spirit of God.
We need boldness to accomplish the assignment God has for us. On our journeys, we will be confronted by giants, battles, and all manner of challenges. Except the Spirit of God leads us and goes with us, we will be too afraid to make any move. Moses understood this when he declined to continue on the journey to Canaan except God’s presence goes with him and the children of Israel.
The fear that afflicts men is often based on the bad news they have heard or even witnessed at one time or the other. 1 John 5:19 lets us know that the whole world lies in wickedness. So, men are full of fear because of the wickedness rife in the world. But believers are exempted from such. Psalm 46 lets us know that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble therefore shall we not fear. If God be for us who can be against us? 1 Peter 3:13 questions, ‘who is he that will harm you if you be followers of that which is good?’
All these assure our hearts that our case is different. Emboldened by the Spirit of God, we can go forth and do exploits, knowing that we are truly unstoppable.
Faith is the answer to fear. It was said that fear knocked, faith opened the door and there was no one there. Fear flees when faith appears. This is why it is important to fill our hearts with the Word that produces faith. When Joshua was about to go forth with the army of Israel to possess the Promised Land, God commanded him to meditate on the Word day and night, by so doing, he will be strong, courageous, and not be afraid or dismayed. Likewise, to possess that which God has apportioned to us, we must meditate constantly on the Word of God. When filled with faith there will be no more room for fear.
PRAYER: Lord, I know You have so much in store for me, please enable me to meditate constantly on Your Word so that my heart can be filled with the faith I need to possess my possession.
QUOTE
Nothing liberates like truth, the truth you know and act upon will set you free. WORDBITE 222.
[ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK METAMORPHOSIS]