Living Fearless
“Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” Ps. 27:3 (ESV)
Greetings Everyone!
As I walked into the third month of the year, I realized that life difficulties tend to create apprehension because of the uncertainty that life offers. Even as a Christian, a believer in Christ still displays anxiety or even fear. No matter how detailed and creative our plans are, we may ask ourselves “What if?” questions. “What if I don’t have enough money saved for my retirement?” “Will I be able to retire early, or do I have to keep working?” “What if I focus more on myself and not worry about others because my life is too complicated right now?” “What if…?” When it comes to God, there is no what-if; there is only one thing: God is faithful.
Deut. 7:9 (ESV) encourages us to know who God is, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,” God wants to know that our “what-if’ creates unnecessary anxiety over circumstances that we cannot control. Christ said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:34). When we seek God and focus on kingdom building, our thoughts on our lives will be limitless (Phil. 4:13) because we serve an eternal God (Ps. 90:2). “But, Sister Diana, why does the Bible tell us to fear?” That is a great question.
There are so many interpretations of fear in the Bible. The fear that I encourage you to have is the fear of God by showing respect and reverence (Pro. 9:10). This fear should humble and empower us because we are serving an awesome living God. God wants us to live fearless through Christ Jesus. Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” “That’s good to know, Sister Diana. But how can I live fearlessly?” You can live fearlessly by truly trusting God.
God commands us not to fear (Josh. 1:9; Ps. 23:4; Luke 12:32) because He knows we will become immobilized by fear and not allow Christ into our hearts and minds to give us peace (John 14:27). We have experienced this one time or another in our lives and listen to the lies and deceit that the enemy tells you, causing you to believe that it will not work out and that God does not have time to listen to your prayers. Rebuke the lies and take back the promises that God has for you. God loves you and is waiting to give you the strength of His might (Eph. 6:10).
In Genesis chapter 16, Hagar, a servant of Sarai, was treated unkindly by her (Gen. 16:6). In verses 7-12, Hagar fled from Sarai and was found by an Angel while she was in the wilderness. The Angel told her that your son’s offspring would multiply and that the Lord had listened to her affliction. Remember, she was alone in the wilderness, and God met her there. She realized the Lord is a “God of seeing” because she has seen God who looks after her (Gen. 16:13), and she named the well “Beer-lahai-roi.” She returned to Sarai strengthened with God’s promise and knows that God hears (Ishmael) us. God is EL ROI who sees, and he sees, a resilient, much-loved child with a magnificent purpose.
Starting today, declare, “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him” Ex. 15:2 (ESV). Let’s start living in the strength of the Lord and live fearless.
