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"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?" -Psalm 27: 1
Fear?
At Maple Grove we are pursuing a
50 Day Spiritual Adventure. We are studying a book called 'Unafraid'
written by John K. White. The theme of the 50 day adventure is 'standing
tall, facing fears that grip the soul.' I have vivid memories of
times in my life when I have been gripped by fear. There are still
things that cause me to be afraid. Why do we fear? What is it we
are afraid of? How do we overcome fear? To find the answers to the
first two questions we must look within ourselves and the things
in our lives that cause us to fear. But to find the answer to the
third question all we need to do is turn to God.
Let's look at some verses about fear found in the book of Proverbs.
"To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech." (Proverbs 8: 13) That
is an interesting beginning. Let's read on. "The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One
is understanding." (Proverbs 9: 10). How wise are you?
How much do you understand? "The fear of the Lord adds length
to your life, but the years of the wicked are cut short." (Proverbs
10: 27) Are you on the path to a long life? "The fear
of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning man from the snares of
death." (Proverbs 14: 27) Are you drinking from that fountain
of life? "Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil." (Proverbs
16: 6) Are you avoiding evil in your life? We could go on and
find many more examples from the book of Proverbs. I am not real
smart but it seems to me that 'fear of the Lord' is a good thing!
It will save us from many of the things we might otherwise fear
in our lives. Do you have a healthy fear of the Lord?
What happens when we fear other things besides the Lord? "Fear
of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord
is kept safe." (Proverbs 29: 25) Fear of man is a snare,
a trap that can grip us and cause us not to live life to the fullest.
But 'those who trust in the Lord are kept safe!.' So what are the
fears that grip your soul? Only you can answer that but I can tell
you how to free yourself from those fears. Put your trust in God!
Seek Him and take your fears head-on! "I sought the Lord,
and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." (Psalm
34: 4) Life can be scary at times but we can overcome our fears.
Love and fear the Lord. Find your refuge in Him. "In you,
O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver
me in your righteousness." (Psalm 31: 1) Do you want to
live a life without fear? You can! You can find it by living your
life for the Lord and trusting in Him. Regardless of the circumstance
you find yourself in, even the 'valley of the shadow of death' (see
Psalm 23: 4 below), the Lord will be with you. No matter
what comes your way you will be able to say with confidence, "I
will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they
comfort me." (Psalm 23: 4) Thank you Lord! Amen.
I pray that all is well with you. Please let me know if you have
any prayer requests or praises. Have a great week and remember to
smile :), the Lord loves you!
In Christ,
Shan D. Hartsough
"Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you
are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
-Psalm 23: 4
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