Fears

 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1 (and in the margin of my bible, I added, 'Or what?'

Turning on the News, every day is enough to make anyone fearful.  The unrest, anger, and hate in our society causes most sane people to want to crawl under a rock. Crime, Food Recall, Viruses and the list could go on. Fear will take hold of your heart...if you let it.

So, what exactly is fear?

Fear is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger, a particular instance, emotion, reason for alarm. (Webster's Dictionary)

Now that we know what fear is, do you recognize it in your own life?  Are you going through a situation right now that is causing you great fear or anxiety?  Is there someone in your life that you are afraid of?

And what about fear itself?

During the Great Depression there was much fear and panic going on in our Nation.  During his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke these famous words, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  What he was trying to say was that panic and paralyzing terror are more dangerous than the actual crisis we face because they stop us from taking action."

I believe it.  When I'm afraid, I shackle my mind to my fear and I am rendered useless.

But when I finally calm down by quoting God's precious promises to me, I'm reminded of another definition of fear:  It's the reverential awe of God.  It's amazing that when I focus on God, my fear turns into trusting in His promises, my fear turns into courage, confidence and fearlessness!

When I focus on God, fear runs!

Isaiah 41:10 is one of my all-time favorites.   It says, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." 

I can't tell you how many times I have repeated this verse over and over in my mind through different situations in my life.  God's ever presence, comfort and encouragement removes fear and anxiety!

When I fear God, I have nothing else to fear, why?

    Because everything I'm afraid of...

        Is afraid of Jesus...

            But that's just me!

"God's presence brings quietness in the midst of alarm." F.B. Meyer

'Fear not' appears 71 times in the bible.

'Do not be afraid,' or 'Be not afraid,' appears roughly 30 to 40 additional times, depending on the exact wording.  The combined total of similar comfort phrases adds up to around 100 to 145 times in the KJV