Fear Not

Bible Reading:  Isaiah 43:1-3 

“Do not fear, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep water,

I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty,

you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression,

you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

This is one of my FAVORITE scriptures!     It's a beautiful promise straight to us from God.   

We have been commanded by God 'DO NOT FEAR'.    The phrase "fear not" is used at least 80 times in the Bible. See…. God knew that we WOULD face a lot of things in life and have a lot of cares and worries.    He also knew that satan would use fear as the number one thing to limit us in life and cause use to be defeated. 

An instance happened a few years ago where I had a legitimate concern. But, I allowed myself to be overcome with fear to the point of tears - real strong tears! I knew in my heart that what I was fearing may never even come to pass and it didn't.  Did you know that studies say that 85% of what we worry about or fear about never happens?  Furthermore, it also shows that the other 15% that does happen actually causes something positive to take place further on... like a lesson learned or personal growth.     

We are commanded by God not to fear.   I am reminded of the scripture - Matthew 6:26-30, "Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifuly as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.”

Do not allow fear to steal your joy!  Trust God today to meet all your needs according to the riches of His Glory in Christ Jesus.