Strength and Courage, Part 19

Five more reminders that we don't have to be afraid.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord

And whose trust is the Lord,

For he will be like a tree planted by the water,

That extends its roots by a stream

And will not fear when the heat comes;

But its leaves will be green,

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought

Nor cease to yield fruit."  Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NAS)

That doesn't leave much room for uncertainty, does it?

"'Fear not, O Jacob My servant,' says the Lord, 'And do not be dismayed, O Israel;

For behold, I will save you from afar

And your offspring from the land of their captivity.

And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,

And no one will make him afraid.'"  Jeremiah 30:10 (NAS)

With God, there is always hope.

"Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, 'Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.'"  Jeremiah 40:9 (NAS)

God's warnings finally turned to judgement, most of the nation has been taken into captivity, and a few people have been left behind.  That remnant was put under the governorship of a man named Gedaliah, who promised them safety.  He took decent care of the people until he was assassinated.

"'Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,' declares the Lord, 'for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.'"  Jeremiah 42:11 (NAS)

The Lord promised the remaining group of people the He would cause their new ruler to have compassion on them, if they would stay put.  They didn't stay put, they ran away to Egypt.  They didn't trust Him.  Will you?

"But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,

Nor be dismayed, O Isreal!

For, see, I am going to save you from afar,

And your descendants from the land of their captivity;

And Jacob will return and be undisturbed

And secure, with no one making him tremble."  Jeremiah 46:27 (NAS)

God warned these people that if they ran away to Egypt, they'd be taken away into captivity.  (They did, and they were.)  Even so, He still promised that they would someday be rescued, not because they were faithful and good, but because He is.

Trust Him.

Strength and Courage, Part 18

Take a look at another five of the Bible's reminders to be not afraid.

"Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,

A people in whose heart is My law;

Do not fear the reproach of man,

Nor be dismayed at their revilings."  Isaiah 51:7 (NAS)

It's to be expected when you live the way God wants you to that it's going to ruffle some people's feathers, and many of those people will try to bully you.  Keep doing what you know is right.

"Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;

And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;

But you will forget the shame of your youth,

And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more."  Isaiah 54:4 (NAS)

Keep looking to the Lord, keep doing what He has instructed you to do, and don't give anything else a second thought.

"In righteousness you will be established;

You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;

And from terror, for it will not come near you."  Isaiah 54:14 (NAS)

Everything you do now carries a reverberation into your future both on earth and in eternity.  When you do now what's right, what do you have to be afraid of later?

"'Do not be afraid of them,

For I am with you to deliver you,' declares the Lord."  Jeremiah 1:8 (NAS)

Whoever they may be, they're no match for God.

"Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they,

And they cannot speak;

They must be carried,

Because they cannot walk!

Do not fear them,

For they can do no harm,

Nor can they do any good."  Jeremiah 10:5 (NAS)

This is a reference to the idols of Israel's enemies.  Whatever your enemies' idols are, they are no threat to you when you have God on your side.

Strength and Courage, Part 17

Here are another five of the Bible's three hundred and sixty five references to rejecting fear.  They're pretty straightforward.

"'Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,' declares the Lord, 'and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.'"  Isaiah 41:14 (NAS)

"But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel, 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!'"  Isaiah 43:1 (NAS)

"Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east,

And gather you from the west."  Isaiah 43:5 (NAS)

"Thus says the Lord who made you

And formed you from the womb, who will help you,

'Do not fear, O Jacob My servant;

And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.'"  Isaiah 44:2 (NAS)

"Do not tremble and do not be afraid;

Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?  And you are my witnesses.  Is there any God besides Me,

Or is there any other Rock?  I know of none."  Isaiah 44:8 (NAS)

Any questions?

Strength and Courage, Part 16

Here are another five Biblical references to saying no to fear.

"Say to those with anxious heart, 'Take courage and fear not,

Behold, your God will come with vengeance;

The recompense of God will come,

But He will save you.'"  Isaiah 35:4 (NAS)

 If you're on His side, what do you have to be afraid of?

"Isaiah said to them, 'Thus you shall say to your master, "Thus says the Lord, 'Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.  Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land.  And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'"'"  Isaiah 37:6-7 (NAS)

In this particular case, God told His people not only that He would save them, but how.  And then He did it.

"Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news,

Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news,

Lift it up, do not fear.  Say to the cities of Judah, 'Here is your God!'"  Isaiah 40:9 (NAS)

When God gives you a message to deliver, do it  Say it loud.

"Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10 (NAS)

Write this down somewhere you will see it every day.

"For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,

Who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you."  Isaiah 41:13 (NAS)

You're never alone.