But of course fear is nothing new. And fear has been stopping Christians live effective lives for ages.
- Because we are afraid of what others think we keep quiet and go along with the crowd.
- Because we are afraid of the unknown our faith is neutralised and we never take that leap of faith and go on that missions trip, or volunteer to help in a new ministry.
- Because we are afraid of being out of control, especially of our finances, we are reluctant to say Jesus is Lord - allowing him to take control, because then anything can happen.
- Because we are afraid of making mistakes we don't explore our spiritual gifts and take risks.
- Because we are afraid of opposition and conflict we don't say 'no' when we should and resist leadership opportunities.
- Because we are afraid of sacrifice we always remain on the fringe of the church and never get involved.
But God wants to say to us, 'Do not be afraid...'. This phrase occurs 65 times in the Bible (then of course there are the 'Do not fear' and the 'Do not be anxious' references as well as many others. So why should this make a difference?
- Gen. 15:1 ...I am your shield... God protects and nothing can happen to us that he doesn't already know about.
- Gen. 21:17 ...God has heard... Prayer is effective because God hears. Therefore we need not be anxious or worried but experience peace (Phil. 4:6-7).
- Gen. 26:24 ...I am with you... Whatever the future holds we go into that future with God.
- Gen. 46:3 ...for I will... When God asks us to do something He will do it through us.
- Ex. 14:13 ...you will see the deliverance of the Lord... We wait for God's timing when everything will be sorted out.
These are just the first five (of sixty-five) 'Do not be afraid' references in the Bible. Here are the others:
Ge 15:1, Ge 21:17, Ge 26:24, Ge 46:3, Ex 14:13, Ex 20:20, Nu 14:9, Nu 21:34, Dt 1:17, Dt 1:21
Dt 1:29, Dt 3:2, Dt 3:22, Dt 7:18, Dt 18:22, Dt 20:1, Dt 31:6, Dt 31:8, Jos 8:1, Jos 10:8, Jos 10:25
Jos 11:6, Jdg 6:23, 1Sa 12:20, 2Ki 1:15, 2Ki 19:6, 2Ki 25:24, 1Ch 22:13, 1Ch 28:20, 2Ch 20:15,
2Ch 20:17, 2Ch 32:7, Isa 10:24, Isa 37:6, Isa 40:9, Isa 41:14, Isa 43:5, Isa 44:2, Isa 44:8
Isa 54:4, Jer 1:8, Jer 40:9, Jer 42:11, Eze 2:6, Eze 3:9, Da 10:12, Da 10:19, Zec 8:13, Zec 8:15
Mt 1:20, Mt 10:26, Mt 10:28, Mt 28:5, Mt 28:10, Lk 1:13, Lk 1:30, Lk 2:10, Lk 12:4, Lk 12:32
Jn 12:15, Jn 14:27, Ac 18:9, Ac 27:24, Rev 1:17, Rev 2:10.
Maybe you want to take a couple each day during the month of August and reflect on them. You may want to add your reflections and thoughts as comments below so that we can all benefit from what God is teaching you.
