October 19, 2014

Afraid: October 13, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 13, 2014.

AFRAID

DEFINITION:

Feeling fear, alarm, dread, or apprehension; a painful emotional reaction to a threat of danger or harm.

SCRIPTURE:

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. Matthew 14:27

Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Genesis 26:24.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Take a moment sometime and just talk to some people on the street, in a store or even your neighbors. You may be surprised to see how many are frustrated and afraid of today and the future. Their conversation will express frustration, loneliness, and disappointment. Their concerns could be their job, the economy, their relationship with their spouse or children and even their so called friends.

A believer in Jesus should not be afraid because one of the great bonuses of being a Christian is the great hope that extends to them beyond the grave into the glory of God’s tomorrow.

But even a believer in Jesus often feels afraid. If you do you are not alone. In times when we are afraid, God’s message to us is the same message that He gave to Isaac when he feared for his life. God said to Isaac, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (above verse).

God does not want us to live in fear. He wants us to have peace in our hearts. We can bring peace into our hearts and mind by focusing on God’s wonderful promise that He is with us and will never leave us or forsake us.

Great men down through history, in their time of fear, needed the assurance from God that they had no reason to fear.

When you read the scriptures you will see that Abraham, Moses, Isaac, David, Jeremiah, the disciples, Peter, Paul and many others were all told by God not to be afraid.

Psalm 56 (above) was written by David at a time in his life when he was afraid because he was being endangered by the Philistines. David’s natural reaction was to panic but in this Psalm he demonstrates that the believer in God can replace anticipated terror with composure of trust.

In verses 1-4 David relates his fear and contrasts it with his trust in God. His trust and faith in God gives him the victory he needs over fear. In verses 5-9, David recognizes that those he fears are his destroyer and that he has a deliverer in the God he trusts. In verse 9, David says, “This I know, that God is for me.” In verses 10-13 David tells us that the result of putting his trust in God gave him victory over his fear and a cause for thanksgiving.

Being afraid is a result of leaving God out of our lives. When fear overwhelms us that is when we need to run to God. There is no situation so fearful that it overwhelms God. God may not necessarily take away what is causing our fear but when we put our trust in Him He can help them appear less frightening and give us strength and courage to face the cause of our fear.

We can remember our young children from time to time waking up in the middle of the night saying that they were afraid. What makes this happen? Most of the time it relates back to a time when they heard about something that was frightening and might do something to hurt them. There reaction, of course, is to run to someone they can trust. There is no place where a child feels safer than to be in the safety of their parent’s protective and loving arms.

When the day comes that you, as a believer in Jesus, feel afraid you need to run to Jesus. You will feel protected when you are in the loving and protective arms of your Father. Being afraid is not uncommon for many people today. We live in such an evil world that just the everyday circumstances of life can give us reason to be afraid.

The story is told of a little girl running toward a cemetery as the darkness of evening began to fall. She passed a friend who stopped her and asked her if she was not afraid to go through the graveyard at night. The little girl answered quickly, OH, No, I am not afraid because my home is just on the other side.

Remember our hope and strength is in the Lord. When fear comes into your life put your trust in God and remember your heavenly home is just on the other side of life and your heavenly Father is waiting for you. When we cast our cares, our worries, and our fears upon Him, He will take care of us.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 1:9.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

PRAYER:

Take away my thoughts of fear today. Give me confidence that all my concerns are in Your hands and you will not only take care of each one but You will shelter me with Your protective hand. May my family find the same assurance as they walk through life today.



Welcome ~ Ministry Programs ~ Make a Donation ~ Product Catalog
Family Prayer Partners
~ Family Devotional ~ Statement of Faith ~ Contact Us

 

Copyright©2009. All Rights Reserved. The content of this Christian religious blog dedicated to
bringing Bibles to people all over the world is owned exclusively by World Bible Society. Legal Disclaimer

Christian Religious Blog and Website Design by Flagstaff Central.com, Inc.
Content Management System Powered by iUpdateIt.com