Fear Not.

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

Fear not, for I am with you;

    be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

When Jesus walked out on the water, in the middle of the storm, what did the disciples do? They were afraid! They thought He was a ghost! Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid...It’s me!” Jesus was with them in the storm. They didn’t have to be full of fear. We may face storms in our life. We might be looking head on into tragedy, we might be walking into a new school where we don’t know anyone, we might be stepping into a new thing and trying something different. You don’t have to be full of fear because God is with you.

Just like Jesus was with the disciples in the storm, He is with you in your life no matter if it’s stormy or clear. All through God’s word, He tells us, “Do not be afraid, I am with you” If we have faith in God, we don’t need to be full of fear.

In the Old Testament we read that the prophet Isaiah spoke a message from God to His people, “Do not be afraid. I am with you. Do not be terrified. I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. My powerful right hand will take good care of you. I always do what is right.” Jesus had the same message to His disciples and God has the same message for us today, fear not, I am with you.

Dear Lord, Thank You that You are with us and we are never alone. We don’t have to live with fear because You can calm any storm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

God’s Word Says.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

There are around 774,746 words in the Bible. It is said that the

Bible says not to fear 365 times, one for every day of the week. This may be true depending on which translation of the Bible you’re reading.

In the average Bible, phrases like “Don’t be afraid, do not fear, be not afraid and fear not” found 119 times! That’s a bit less than 365, but how many times does God need to say “Do not fear” for it to be true? ONCE!

Even if it was only mentioned once in the Bible, it’s true and God means it! Faith in God defeats fear! We weren’t made to be full of fear, we were made to be full of faith.

Dear Lord, Your word tells us, not to be afraid. We have faith in You and believe Your word that we don’t need to fear because You are with us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Fear not.

Isaiah 35:4  (NIV) 

Say to those with fearful hearts,

    “Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

    He will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

    He will come to save you."

Many preachers promise the world to their audiences, but are these promises always reliable? One would think that at the very least, the promises given in seminary classes across the world are honored, but are they?

One day a professor gave his students a harsh assignment: They each had to preach one sermon in the upcoming month, without any notes!

The professor promised his anxious students, that if they ever lost their train of thought (which they all did!), they only had to repeat their last uttered sentence over and over again with more and more dynamism. The promise? They would remember the sermon they had written. Guaranteed!

To poor Johnny, that promise was never realized. Although he was preaching in an ideal situation-a small, older church-as soon as the words "I am coming" were out of his mouth, all of the rest of his sermon fled.

He started to panic. All eyes in the audience were on him and he couldn't remember a word of what he was supposed to say! He stared at them for a minute, sweat dripping from his face. He wanted to scream "Help!", but that wouldn't look too good on his résumé.

With relief he remembered his professor's promise, and with a bit more energy, he again uttered: "I am coming!" When his mind was still blank, he did it again. And again. In desperation he took a firm hold of the old pulpit and screamed out with all of his might: "I am coming!"

He was shaking so much by this time that the ancient wood of the pulpit gave way under his weight, and he fell off the platform, with the top of the pulpit still tightly gripped in his fists, in front of an older lady on the front row.

Embarrassed, he apologized. The old lady reassuringly replied: "That's all right, young man! You warned me!"

I wonder if Johnny ever became a preacher!

His promises about fear are clear and simple, and unlike the rest of us, He always keeps His promises.

"Do do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." (Isa 41:10 NIV)

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." (Isa 43:1 NIV)

Why not try getting to know Him?

What do we really have to lose?

Dear Lord, calm our fears and help us to completely trust in You. Thank You for redeeming us. Give us the courage to share that with others today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.