Every anxious thought that steals my breath
It’s a heavy weight upon my chest
As I lie awake and wonder what the future will hold
Help me to remember that You’re in control
You’re my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You’re my strength ’cause I’m not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord
I will fear no more
I will lift my eyes
I will lift my cares
Lay them in Your hands
I’ll leave them there
When the wind and waves are coming
You shelter me
Even though I’m in the storm, the storm is not in me
You’re my courage when I worry in the dead of night
You’re my strength ’cause I’m not strong enough to win this fight
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind
I will trust You, Lord
I will fear no more
No power can come against me
‘Cause You have overcome
No darkness can overwhelm me
‘Cause You’ve already won
No power can come against me
‘Cause You have overcome
No darkness can overwhelm me
‘Cause You’ve already won
“I Will Fear No More” by The Afters are an American Christian pop rock band
Call it what you will, but they all amount to the same emotion. Something that troubles you so much that you can’t move, think, or speak. Nothing that makes your life fulfilled and joyous.
Fear can debilitate. When I was young there was this tree at our cottage I would climb and stay up there for hours. Sometime later I climbed that same tree and couldn’t get down. I found that same tree scary.
There was this TV show called the “Fear Factor”. It was where people had to do some dangerous antics, which, if you weren’t careful could harm you. Not only that, they would make you eat things that would really make you squirm, even before it entered your mouth. UGH!
Now in our present time we have a pandemic, which has made everyone paranoid of their own shadow. Politicians and the media have rained havoc about the virus and the vaccines, that fear is running amok. When people walk by you, either with or without a mask on, they side-step you like you had a plague, it’s beyond me. We have vaccines, we have precautions, ??????, yet we are still walking around in fear. I want to encourage you today not to let fear dominate your thinking. Not only does fear paralyze. It also takes away your ability to think clearly and rationally, and it robs you of your courage.
Fear is a human emotion. It can keep us on our guard, or it can freeze us in our tracks. Sometimes you wonder about missionaries in places and countries you or I would be afraid to go. But because of their faith in God, who sustains them, their fear subsides. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Now the fear I want to explore is a reverent fear. The reverent fear of God. Our God is an awesome God who can do all things, for He is in control. When they say “Fear God” it’s not to be afraid of Him, but to hold Him in reverence, which can teach us wisdom.
There are many references in the bible that say “fear not” or “fret not”. God doesn’t want us to be afraid of Him, He wants us to come to Him and be sheltered by Him. When we obey His commands we have no fear, because what we do is done in truth and righteousness. Psalm 118:6, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Those who are not of God’s will, should be afraid, as our God is a most powerful God. When we are reverent to Him, our eternity is secure and endures forever. Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”
However, another powerful force is Satan and he is one to be the most feared because his evil will bring ruin, not eternal life. When we encounter him, he may or may not look like the picture I’ve depicted here, but it’s close. He is very ugly! When we read David’s Psalm 37, v. 1-2, “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.” God is telling us not to envy those kind of people, because they will not last. Satan wants to keep prodding us with lies and deceit, so much so that we become evil, just like him. He is not to be held with reverence. He wants us to be full of fear and keep us in that fearful state. What people believe determines how they behave.
When believers walk daily in a manner that sets them apart, they can be seen as sons and daughters of God. So many times God tells us not to fear or be afraid, for anything. Proverbs 29:25, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” 1 Peter 3:14, “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”
God even gives a turtle a hard shell to protect it. If we put on the full armour of God as it says in Ephesians 6:10-20, it’s like putting on a cloak of Jesus Himself, because He is the one who fights Satan on our behalf. As Christians we live in a spiritual war zone daily, and Satan uses every tactic he has to scare and attack us.
“Do not be afraid” is written 365 times in the Bible. That’s one for every day of the year. Wake up every morning knowing God’s got you. Have a little FAITH, nothing to be afraid of here.