Tag: not be afraid

5.i. You will look around and take your rest in security.

Job 11:13   “If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. And your life will be brighter than the noonday; its darkness will be like the morning. And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security. You will lie down, and none will make you afraid; many will court your favor. But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last.”

Isaiah 12:1-2    You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.  “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Hosea 6:3    Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

There is nothing like feeling secure.  We find a peace that passes all understanding when we humbly come to Jesus Christ with a contrite heart, repentant heart, and a seeking and desiring heart.  We enter into a restful peace because we have yielded all claim to self and self-reliance into the hands of Jesus Christ.  We know this to be true and yet too often we wait until there are trials and troubles before we do the yielding.  The fact is we could have more satisfying and fulfilling lives if we would just learn to live with a daily committed yielding of any claim to our life and yield it all to the honor and glory and obedience of Jesus Christ.

72. I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you

Joshua 8:1   And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land.

Deuteronomy 1:21    See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’

Psalms 27:1   The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Isaiah 43:2     When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Deuteronomy 7:18    you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,

Matthew 8:26    And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Deuteronomy 31:8    It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Isaiah 12:2    “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

When we are not going through a trial or crisis of some sort it is easy to say “we will not fear,” “God is my strength,” “He is my stronghold,’ “I will not be afraid,” “He is with me.”  However it is when trials or troubles come our way that doubts, worries, anxiousness, fear, hopelessness, confusion,….. all or in part erode way our resolve to trust and rely in Jesus Christ. Faith seems to need trials and troubles in our life to be able to grow and become a strong foundation for service to God.  It is when we face these trials and troubles that we can work through all of those human thoughts of being able to handle this on our own, or in our own power and strength and come to realize that only when we, by faith/reliance/trust, place it in the hands of Jesus Christ does the burden and fear of what lies ahead goes away.  We realize and come to understand the verse “come unto me all who are heavy with burdens and I will give you rest”.

Know that being afraid and with fear of what lies ahead is a human response relying on human strength, wisdom, power, and understanding.  Likewise know that having peace that passes all understanding comes from a human choice to lay all of our cares, worries, and fears at the feet of Jesus – Faith-Trust-Reliance in Him who is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.

Perfect in weakness

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Psalms 118:24  This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Zechariah 3:9  For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.

Psalms 84:10    For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Nehemiah 8:10     Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Psalms 28:7-8    The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

Proverbs 17:22    A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Isaiah 12:1-3     You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.  “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”  With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

2 Corinthians 8:2    for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

Finding joy, peace and rest can be like chasing the wind if we look for it apart from Jesus Christ.  Yet it is hard yielding to laying it at His feet and solely trusting it to Him.  It shouldn’t be but many times it is.  We try to handle it in our own strength, ways, and quick fix solutions.

Yielding to His awesome love, power, might, wisdom, purpose, and plan all starts with trusting fully, without doubt, and faithfully waiting.  Joy, peace, and rest cannot be found in self-reliance or looking to others.  It is only found in a heart, mind, and soul yielded to and trusting in Jesus Christ.

Draw near to God

“When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

“ Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

“ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Psalms 69:10  When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.

Psalms 55:16  But I call to God, and the LORD will save me.  Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.

Matthew 26:38  And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Daniel 3:15  Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Isaiah 26:3  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever

Isaiah 12:2     “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Acts 20:24    But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

These scriptures capture the heart of man who trusts in God.  Note these specifically: “At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me” – “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden” – “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” – ” your will be done.”  Waiting for and trusting in God fully gives us courage and confidence for whatever is before us.  Having a heart desire to be close and walk close to God has an effect on what we think say and do.  He gave us scriptures to teach us, lead us, build us up, give us hope, reminding us of His promises, power, might  and love.  Desire to be near Him and from this foundation all else finds stability and we can face whatever comes our way today.

Instant Access

“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?”

“ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.”

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalms 62:1   For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Psalms 25:5    Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalms 27:14    Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Psalms 33:20   Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalms 40:1   I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalms 123:2   Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.

Psalms 130:5  I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;  my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Isaiah 30:18    Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 40:31    but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Lamentations 3:25    The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

James 5:7   Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

Waiting patiently is hard.  Trusting and waiting patiently is harder. Knowing, Trusting, and waiting patiently is faith.  Our faith is something that grows (or should grow) based on knowing God in our lives.  Our faith grows as we read His word and believe it.  Our faith grows as we seek God and He reveals Himself to us.  Our faith grows as we learn to hear His whispers of guidance into our lives.  Our faith grows from clinging to His promises. And our faith grows when we patiently wait for Him.  Our culture and technology lead us down a path where everything is available nearly immediately.  We have grown to expect instant response to our wants and needs.  Instant response to many things is not bad.  We can instantly find almost anything at our finger tips.  Many times this seems to help us function and does.  It helps us make decision, take proper care in these decisions and shows us how to accomplish a task unfamiliar to us. Instant access, instant information, and instant response seem to the way we are wired right now.  However, in light of the scriptures above, technology seems to draw and pull us away from seeking, hearing, knowing, and serving God.  Technology seems to have replaced God.  We seem to have lost sight of our need for Him in this world of instant self reliance.  We are instructed to seek Him with all our heart, mind and soul. We have instant access to His word but neglect it.  We are instructed to desire Him but choose to desire things of this world above Him.  We are instructed to serve, honor, follow, and obey Him but have shut our ears to listen for His guidance.  We are told to rely on, trust in, and cling to Him alone but have choose to rely on self.  Our lives will always be in shallow satisfaction apart from being in His purpose and plan.  What disaster or misfortune must come your way before you see need for God?  Choose now  whom you will serve.  Choose now to deny self.  Choose now to seek Him.  Choose now to confess self-reliance and turn away from it.  Choose now to spend time in His word each day.  Choose now to humbly serve Him.  Choose now to honor, follow and obey Him.  Choose now to want to know Him and His plan and purpose for your life.   Choose now to never want to hear at your entry into eternity “Depart from Me, for I never knew you”.  Choose now to purpose each day for God alone.

Whispers of God

“O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us.”

“Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.”

“And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’”

Psalms 60:10  Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies. Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

Psalms 20:7    Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Psalms 44:5  Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.  For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.  But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.  In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever.  But you have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies.

Psalms 118:9  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.  All nations surrounded me; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!

Isaiah 8:17     I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.

Isaiah 12:1  You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.  “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Joshua 7:12    Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

Deuteronomy 20:4    for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

1 Chronicles 10:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.  And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.  The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers.  Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.  And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died.  Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together.  And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them.  The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.  And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people.  And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.  But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,  all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.  So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.  He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

I heard a person from “Proverbs 31 ministry” reflect on the busyness of life and they said “I have to take time to hear the whispers of God first thing everyday.  If I don’t I find myself getting caught up by the shouts of this world and am unable to hear God”.  A simple reflection of the past week and see if this is not true.  Is not God our purpose and reason for living this side of eternity?  Why  do we find it hard to commit to daily spending time in His word and in prayer, seeking to know Him deeper and the purpose and plans He has for our life?  Go back and reread these scriptures again and see what happens in the lives of those who; breach faith, seeking guidance apart from God, devoted to destruction (set their heart on things other than God), trust in princes, trusted in their own power, strength and what they own.  We are accountable to humbly serve, honor, obey and follow God.  How can we do this if we can’t hear His whispers of guidance?  How can we do this if all we have in our lives are the shouts of what this world has to offer?  The answer is – WE CAN’T!!!  Everyday needs to start with, be maintained throughout and end with Him.  Commit to spending time in His word and prayerfully seeking God for guidance for the day.  It is clear God turns away from those who reject, turn away, and lukewarmly seek Him.  Seek and desire Him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind – if you do this His whispers become shouts and the world shouts turn to whispers.

Stronghold in time of Trouble

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Psalms 37:39  The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Psalms 3:8    Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!

Romans 10:13  For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Jeremiah 33:3   Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Jonah 2:9   But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

Isaiah 12:2   “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Ephesians 2:8   For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

2 Timothy 4:17   But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Colossians 1:11   being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

2 Corinthians 1:9  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again

Isaiah 33:2   O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

Psalms 9:9   The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

How many times do we face trouble and fall into the trap of worry, fret, impatience, and unrest?  It is easy isn’t it.  God can be our refuge, strength, hope, joy, peace, rest and power if we but go to Him and leave it in His all powerful hands.  I recently faced a couple of issues that were eating at me and for over two weeks I kept them to myself and did not leave them or even take them to my heavenly Father.  Those two weeks were filled with anxiousness, worry, and with out hope yet my first inclination was to try to handle this myself.  Every attempt failed and fueled the worry and anxiousness.  Then laying on my pillow I asked for His help.  Amazing both of these issues came with resolution.  I should not be amazed though should I.  God is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.  I should not look with amazement but rather with trust and know without doubt that God is sovereign and in control and will handle this in His time with His purpose.

All Things Are Possible

” But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

“But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”

Psalms 27:1   The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

Job 29:3   when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,

Micah 7:7-8  But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Malachi 4:2   But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall

.John 8:12   Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Isaiah 12:2   “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 51:6-8   Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.  “Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear not the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings.  For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”

Psalms 62:6    He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

Psalms 28:7-8  The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.  The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

Philippians 4:13    I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

2 Corinthians 12:9   But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Sometimes I wonder if we think we will never see trials or troubles or have dark times or sickness.  Scripture is very clear that we will.  We are made whole in these times of weakness and when the issues we are facing are beyond our ability to have any influence.  Paul rested in weakness.  He feared not what God was asking him to do and say.  He saw the power of Christ through his weakness.  David proclaimed God as His strength, light, power, and salvation.  “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”.  There surely is a darkness in the world.  This darkness looks not to God but rather to man.  Free choice allows us to choose the light or stay in darkness.  Free choice in the light of God gives us power, strength, hope, salvation, and the ability to do all things through Him.  Free choice to stay in darkness gives us false hopes, power, strength, and no hope of salvation.  We freely choose to open the door of our heart and mind to the light and power of God.  We freely choose to believe, listen, follow and obey.  I hear so much fear and hatred these days which does not reflect the light of God.  I wonder if God has given people a spirit of delusion in one last attempt to draw them out of the darkness.  Are you facing any darkness in your life?  Open the door to God and you will find rest, peace, power, and hope for your heart and soul and mind.