“…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)
As a pastor, I have counseled more people about fear than any other emotion. Why? Fear can paralyze you into not doing what you know is right. Fear can push you to make decisions based on faulty reasoning. Fear can drive you to spend money you don’t have, lash out at another wrongly, or drive you right into the arms of the wrong people. Out of fear, people marry the wrong person, rely on money more than God, make very poor assumptions, and will commit sin on top of sin. Fear fuels insecurities, anxieties, and addictions. Fear of loss or pain or inadequacy can result in everything from the loss of sleep to life-altering missteps. The fear of death haunts many.
What do you fear?
In the days of the COVID-19 epidemic, many people were consumed with fear. Children stayed home from school. People moved their offices into their homes. It seemed like everyone wore masks and kept their distance. The CDC gave weekly updates to warn people of the outbreak with the news outlets making comments hourly on the “dangers of COVID”, trying to stoke fear in people. Politicians used fear tactics to drive elections. During this time, few people had the guts to speak to the irrational fear that gripped a world where countries set up “forced containment areas”, churches faced forced closures, and families were not allowed to say goodbye to the dying. It is said that Satan uses fear as a tool to capture the soul. I had a feeling Satan was going to use COVID for evil purposes. I was right.
In the midst of the chaos and fear of the COVID epidemic, Amy Blossom wrote in her blog from 2021:
“The truth is, Satan knows the weaknesses of our minds and uses these weaknesses to influence fear over us. He uses fear for several reasons…
Satan wants to:
1) Stop or slow our spiritual growth
2) Decrease our faith in God
3) Confuse us in our calling
4) Control us and keep us bound
5) Turn us from God completely (Satan's ultimate goal)” (from allthingslife.org)
The scripture for today counters Satan’s fear with God’s strength. 2 Timothy 1:7 contains Paul’s warning about fear…. “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7). God does not want you consumed with fear so much so that Satan has a way to control you. That is also why the angels said, “Fear Not!” (Matthew 1:20, Luke 2). That is why Jesus taught his disciples “…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him (God) who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28).
“Missionary Isobel Kuhn found herself imperiled when the Communists overran China. Taking her young son, she escaped on foot across the snow-covered Pienma Pass, arriving in Burma. There she was stranded at world’s end with no money and no way to get home. “I cannot tell you the dismay and alarm that filled me,” she later wrote.
But she made two decisions. “The first thing is to cast out fear,” she said. “The only fear a Christian should entertain is the fear of sin. All other fears are from Satan sent to confuse and weaken us. How often the Lord reiterated to His disciples, ‘Be not afraid!’ ” So Isobel prayerfully trusted God and rejected panic. Second, she sought light for the next step, and she eventually arrived home safely.
Yet the Bible tells us, as God’s children, to fret not (Psalm 37:1), faint not (Deuteronomy 20:3), and fear not (Isaiah 41:10). With God’s strength, we can learn to handle crises with sound counsel and calm faith.
Perhaps you’re in a difficult spot today. By His grace, cast out fear and seek light for the next step.” (David Jeremiah, Morning and Evening Devotions, p. 193).
One in four high schoolers take medications to help their anxiety, worry, and fear. Anxiety disorders are at an all-time high in America. One in five adult women in the United States have been diagnosed with fear-based disorders. Thirty percent of Vietnam veterans and twenty percent of Gulf War veterans live with Post-Traumatic Stress due to the fears from combat. Many choose to panic in a crisis! Fear comes so powerfully and naturally. Satan has a lot of ways to use these fear-based illnesses to attack the souls of millions.
Does your fear of something in your past haunt you? Does anxiety eat away at your peace? Trust in the Lord! 1 John 4:18 assures the faithful that “….perfect love casts out fear”. God’s love for you has the power to banish your fear. You are in the best of arms when in the care of the Almighty. Peter wrote: “cast all your anxieties on God, because HE cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). That is a promise worth repeating!
Is there a fear you can place at the feet of Jesus today?
What do you fear?
In the days of the COVID-19 epidemic, many people were consumed with fear. Children stayed home from school. People moved their offices into their homes. It seemed like everyone wore masks and kept their distance. The CDC gave weekly updates to warn people of the outbreak with the news outlets making comments hourly on the “dangers of COVID”, trying to stoke fear in people. Politicians used fear tactics to drive elections. During this time, few people had the guts to speak to the irrational fear that gripped a world where countries set up “forced containment areas”, churches faced forced closures, and families were not allowed to say goodbye to the dying. It is said that Satan uses fear as a tool to capture the soul. I had a feeling Satan was going to use COVID for evil purposes. I was right.
In the midst of the chaos and fear of the COVID epidemic, Amy Blossom wrote in her blog from 2021:
“The truth is, Satan knows the weaknesses of our minds and uses these weaknesses to influence fear over us. He uses fear for several reasons…
Satan wants to:
1) Stop or slow our spiritual growth
2) Decrease our faith in God
3) Confuse us in our calling
4) Control us and keep us bound
5) Turn us from God completely (Satan's ultimate goal)” (from allthingslife.org)
The scripture for today counters Satan’s fear with God’s strength. 2 Timothy 1:7 contains Paul’s warning about fear…. “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7). God does not want you consumed with fear so much so that Satan has a way to control you. That is also why the angels said, “Fear Not!” (Matthew 1:20, Luke 2). That is why Jesus taught his disciples “…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him (God) who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28).
“Missionary Isobel Kuhn found herself imperiled when the Communists overran China. Taking her young son, she escaped on foot across the snow-covered Pienma Pass, arriving in Burma. There she was stranded at world’s end with no money and no way to get home. “I cannot tell you the dismay and alarm that filled me,” she later wrote.
But she made two decisions. “The first thing is to cast out fear,” she said. “The only fear a Christian should entertain is the fear of sin. All other fears are from Satan sent to confuse and weaken us. How often the Lord reiterated to His disciples, ‘Be not afraid!’ ” So Isobel prayerfully trusted God and rejected panic. Second, she sought light for the next step, and she eventually arrived home safely.
Yet the Bible tells us, as God’s children, to fret not (Psalm 37:1), faint not (Deuteronomy 20:3), and fear not (Isaiah 41:10). With God’s strength, we can learn to handle crises with sound counsel and calm faith.
Perhaps you’re in a difficult spot today. By His grace, cast out fear and seek light for the next step.” (David Jeremiah, Morning and Evening Devotions, p. 193).
One in four high schoolers take medications to help their anxiety, worry, and fear. Anxiety disorders are at an all-time high in America. One in five adult women in the United States have been diagnosed with fear-based disorders. Thirty percent of Vietnam veterans and twenty percent of Gulf War veterans live with Post-Traumatic Stress due to the fears from combat. Many choose to panic in a crisis! Fear comes so powerfully and naturally. Satan has a lot of ways to use these fear-based illnesses to attack the souls of millions.
Does your fear of something in your past haunt you? Does anxiety eat away at your peace? Trust in the Lord! 1 John 4:18 assures the faithful that “….perfect love casts out fear”. God’s love for you has the power to banish your fear. You are in the best of arms when in the care of the Almighty. Peter wrote: “cast all your anxieties on God, because HE cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). That is a promise worth repeating!
Is there a fear you can place at the feet of Jesus today?