Do Not Fear

There is something really significant about the fact that the most repeated command in the New Testament is, “Do not fear”. Jesus was trying to get something across to us. He wanted to tell us that there was nothing to fear. There was nothing He couldn’t take care of for us: nothing that would overtake us. How often are you afraid? It’s completely normal to be scared sometimes. Life can be a crazy thing…bills pile up, people hurt you, hopes get let down. At the risk of sounding trite, there is no guarantee that life will be easy or that everything will go our way. That’s just not true. Risk is involved if you choose to really live. The Lord knew that. He knew what it was like to live a life different from those around Him, to live in sacrifice and in boldness. He knew that it wasn’t easy but it is still the kind of life required when you choose to follow Him. It takes courage no matter who you are. And so He gave us a promise in Matthew 10. Jesus assured us that just as God takes care of the birds, He will take care of us, because we are worth much more than many sparrows.

I was driving the other day, just getting lost in my thoughts. At first it started with just thinking about what I was going to make for dinner and then before I knew it, I was in full-blown worry mode. Not just about dinner either. It was about everything! I could not believe how quickly I fell into being fearful about my future, my money, my relationships…my life! Then I started to think about how often I find myself in that place. I justify it by saying I’m just “planning” or “forward thinking”. But I’m beginning to realize that there is sharp contrast between “planning for the future” and “being afraid about the future”.

God did not create us to carry fear in our hearts. He created us to live in His glory and in His presence. 1 John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out all fear. God is perfect love. He wants us to give him our burdens and the things that worry us. We can lay those things down and enter into His rest. Fear gets in the way of a lot things and it holds us back from being who we truly are. Like I said, it’s normal to be afraid sometimes but the thing we have look out for is when fear starts to consume us it keeps us from going after the desires and dreams of our heart. So guard your thoughts and trust that God will take care of you because He loves you!! He really, really does.