Deuteronomy 1:8 ‘Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.’

DAILY READING –  –  Mark 9:2-50; 2 Samuel 22; Hosea 2:2-23

In 1789, at the start of the French Revolution, a general panic which has come to be known as the ‘great fear’ swept through the countryside. It was based on a false rumor that the aristocrats, the ruling class, planned to use soldiers to plunder the villages and fields. Without bothering to find out the truth, the villages became filled with mass hysteria. Strangers, even animal herds, were often mistaken for this band of invading soldiers. People lived their lives in fear, tormented by the thought of soldiers about to invade them. To protect themselves, villagers formed armed militias, but this only exacerbated the problem, as the militias themselves were often again mistaken to be the invading soldiers by neighboring villages, when they happened to patrol nearby. Some militias further added to the chaos by attacking and burning down houses and fields owned by the ruling class. Confusion and fear reigned for weeks until word eventually filtered in that it was all a false rumor.

It is amazing how such unfounded fear could instantly disorganize a people, negatively affecting their lifestyles. Fear, once it grips the heart can cripple a man and paralyze him from proper reasoning.

Proverbs 22:13 says ‘the slothful man says there is a lion without I shall be slain in the streets’. This man without seeing any lion yet,  is bound by fear and stays indoors, afraid to venture out.

Fear keep many bound so that they are unable to step out and take the territories God has mapped out for them. They stay in one spot and make excuses. Fear of the unknown make people are afraid to step out of their comfort zones. Uncertain of the unfamiliar they would rather stay with the familiar. Without really stepping out to find out, they conclude there is a lion in the street. Without even trying they have already foreseen failure.

Psychologists say fear of failure is the primary reason for failure in life. 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’.

Because people are afraid of failing they are unwilling to step into something new. As a result of past experiences where they have been hurt or constantly told ‘No’ or ‘it cannot be done’, most people prefer to stay in their familiar terrain and play it safe. They think security instead of opportunity.

In Deuteronomy 1:8  God says to the Israelites ‘Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them’.

Though God had asked the Israelites to go forth and take the land, fear kept them from going forward to possess the inheritance. The report of the 10 spies filled the people with fear, so that instead of going forward they were turned back into the wilderness. Exposing yourself to the wrong report can breed fear in the heart. This is why you have to be careful the things you listen to. Just as faith comes by hearing The Word of God, fear comes from hearing the words of men.

But The Word of God frees you from fear and self- limiting beliefs. It opens a whole new world of possibilities where through Christ you can do all things. It is a world where you don’t look at how weak you are but how great God is. It is a world where it is not by power, nor by might, but by The Spirit  of The Lord. This is where faith rules and there is no place for fear. And by the liberating power in God’s Word, we shall be marching forward in this month of March to possess all that God has ordained for us.

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 in Jesus Name. ..  

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Nothing liberates like truth, the truth you know and act upon will set you free.- – WORDBITE 222.