Grace For The Journey

  Science tells us that all babies have two inborn fears incorporated into their human DNA and their immature nervous systems:

The fear of loud noises

And

The fear of falling.

Other than these two fears, every fear we experience throughout life is acquired . . .  this includes . . .

• The fear of closed spaces to fear of open spaces.
• The fear of being abandoned.
• The fear of public speaking.
• The fear of darkness.
• The fear of death.

Some of these fears protect us and others paralyze us.

So . . . how do we effectively deal with those fears that can paralyze us and prevent us from growing into the person God is calling us to be?  Here are two steps you can take toward victory in the ongoing battle between faith and fear.

Step #1: Remember the promises of God

An important aspect of this is,

We cannot remember the promises of God

If we don’t know the promises of God

And the only way to know the promises of God

Is to immerse ourselves in the Word of God.

How much time have you been spending God’s Word every day?  How many promises have you committed to memory?  Look at just three of the numerous promises in God’s Word . . .

“Yea, 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)

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  (Psalm 27:1)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  (2 Timothy 1:7)

There simply is no substitute for spending time in the Word of God if we are ever going to conquer our fears by faith in Jesus Christ.

Step #2: Keep your focus on Christ, not your circumstances

I know this is easier said than done, which is why Step #1 is so critical in this process. The single common denominator for those who focus more on Christ than on their circumstances is their knowledge and understanding of the Word of God.  Like the psalmist, they know that the best defense against fear is a good offense.  Listen to what the Bible says . . .

“I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.  They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.”  (Psalm 34:4-5)

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.  In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust, I will not fear; what can flesh do to me?”  (Psalm 56:3-4)

“I called on the LORD in distress; the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.  The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?”  (Psalm 118:5-6)

Alexander MacLaren, an English minister of the late 1800s, put it this way . . .

“Faith, which is trust, and fear are opposite poles. If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other in vigorous operation. He that has his trust set upon God does not need to dread anything except the weakening or the paralyzing of that trust.”

With a mind and heart filled with the Word of God, and with our focus fixed firmly on Christ (rather than our circumstances), faith will conquer any fear we face.

We have His Word on it!

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”