TOPIC: FEAR NOT
Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31-32; Luke 1:1-23
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them; for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee” Deuteronomy 31:6(KJV).
Fear is of the devil and it corrupts our worship and trust in God. Fear is a tormentor and a trap of the adversary the devil. In our focal scripture of today Moses gave Joshua three basic charge for a successful leadership which are 1. Be Strong, 2. Be of good Courage, and 3. Fear not. Fear is the stealer of your breakthrough and plunderer of destiny. Fear is a major instrument of the devil to terminate our expectation of divine blessings. Moses was charging Joshua to develop a no-fear mentality through being strong and courageous.
While faith is a complete trust and confidence in God and His word, fear is succumbing to Satan’s craftiness that throws doubt on what God said and God’s ability. Truly speaking, fear is a sin. Fear is being uncertain of the outcome of God’s eternally exceeding precious promises, which we are given to build us up into being partakers of God divine nature. When we fear we call to question this promises and consequently questioning His word and divine ability. The scriptures says in 2 Timothy 1:7(KJV), “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” This scripture establishes the fact that fear is not of God.
Just as God admonishes us to flee from all appearances of evil and promised to deliver us from temptation, He also admonishes us not to fear promising us His presence. In Isaiah 41:10 (KJV) the scriptures declare, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea I will help the; yea, I will uphold thee with right hand of my righteousness.” Fear is a spirit; hence you need the sword of the Spirit-the Word of God to defeat it. For us to have a successful Christian living we must face fear frontally with our total and implicit trust on God and His word. “The LORD is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be Afraid” Psalm 27:1(KJV).
The word of God declares that the fearful shall have their part in hell, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8(KJV). This scripture drives home the magnitude of the sin of fear seeing that it came first among the group that will have their part in the lake of fire. The antidote of fear is faith built on the word of God. Just as light dispels darkness faith puts fear to flight. However, such faith must be grounded on the exceeding great and precious promises given to us which is the word of God.
The word has been placed in our hands to war with the enemy and emerge victoriously. This is the declaration of the scriptures in 1 John 5:4(KJV), “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” We must put on the whole Armour of God, holding firmly in our hand the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God in our battle against fear. Our boldness as children of God is guided and based on righteousness. “But the righteous are bold as a lion” Proverb 28:1b (KJV)
My dear reader, accepting Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Saviour is the greatest decision a man can make in life. As you surrender to Christ, He inputs you with His righteousness which provides you with the heart of a Lion which you will develop by reading and meditating on God’s word. I am using this medium to invite you to take that life changing decision now.
Prayer: O God my father, I refuse to fear and say no to fear in my life as You lead me by Your word.
Pastor Joel Ezeugo