OVERCOMING FEAR

 OVERCOMING FEAR

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”— Isaiah 41:10

Fear has a way of paralyzing us, hindering our progress, and robbing us of our peace. But as God’s children, we are called to overcome fear and walk confidently in His presence and power. When fear tries to grip our hearts, we can find strength in God’s promises. The Lord assures us that He is with us, holding us in His mighty hands. In the face of uncertainty, we can trust in God’s faithfulness and goodness. Overcoming fear requires a shift in our perspective. Rather than dwelling on our anxieties, we can focus on the truth of God’s Word. We are reminded that we serve a God who is greater than any fear we may face. His strength and help are readily available. Courage is not the absence of fear but the choice to press forward despite our fears. When we surrender our fears to God, He equips us with His strength, enabling us to face challenges with courage and resilience. In God we find refuge, peace, and the assurance that we are never alone. Today let us surrender our fears into God’s able hands. May we meditate on His promises, allowing His truth to cast fear from our hearts. With confidence in His presence and strength, we can move forward toward the purposes God has for our lives, knowing that He is faithful to sustain us.

This Week’s Devotional Verse: — 2 Timothy 1:7–

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

SPIRITUAL WARFARE Day 1

READING: Ephesians 6:10-18

In our journey of faith, we engage in spiritual warfare. The enemy seeks to distract, discourage, and deceive us. However, we need not fear because in Christ we are equipped to win. God has provided us with spiritual equipment to resist the devil’s tricks. We are called to put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. To engage in spiritual warfare, we must be alert, watchful, and prayerful. We rely on God’s strength and guidance, knowing that the battle is His. Our weapons are not of the world, but they are powerful and effective through God to destroy strongholds. As we fight spiritual warfare, let us stand firm in truth, firm in righteousness, and firm in faith. Let us immerse ourselves in the Word of God, allowing it to guide and protect us. In every battle, may our prayers be fervent and our trust unshakeable. We must live with fear but with faith. We understand that faith is the absence of fear and those who live by faith will never mix it with fear. When we have done what God has asked of us, we will be bold and fearless because we know that God is always with us.

Day 2 JESUS ​​SAVES US FROM DEATH

READING: Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-16

In John 3, Jesus taught that the strange story of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 points to Him and His work of healing. Jesus saves us from sin and death. The book of Numbers contains many stories of the Israelites complaining to God as they journeyed through the wilderness. In Numbers 21, they complain again about food. And in this case, God punished them for their rebellion and disobedience. Like many Bible stories, this story continues with a plea for forgiveness, and God gave a gracious response. But that response was very unusual. God said, “Make a serpent and put it on a pole; and whoever looks at it will live.” The bronze serpent that Moses made was a kind of antidote to the venom of the snake that was biting people. Seeing the bronze serpent lifted up saved people from death. Jesus brought up this old story as He was teaching about the work He had come to do. Jesus came to save us from the death we ourselves caused by sinning and rebelling against God. Lifted up on the cross for us, Jesus died to pay the price for our sins. And when we look to Jesus in faith, trusting in the power of His sacrifice to save, “in him we may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This removes the fear of death from us. We will no longer fear death, because Jesus has paid the price and we will no longer be subject to the fear of death.

Day 3 FAITH WITHOUT FEAR

READING: Matthew 8:5-13

We must have faith in Jesus without fear so that we will always be heard. When we pray to God, our fear will be firm and we will not hesitate or be afraid. Sometimes we believe but do not agree that our prayers have the power to change a situation, so we start looking elsewhere. We can be encouraged by the faith of a Roman centurion who had faith in Jesus. And even though Jesus offered to go to the man’s house, the centurion said that he knew Jesus could heal his servant just by saying the word—and so the servant was healed. He knew that his servant was safe in Jesus’ arms, even from a distance. And Jesus commended the centurion for having greater faith than anyone he had ever met in his ministry. We too can have enough faith to ask Jesus for everything we need. He is willing to come and help, no matter where we are or what we need. In fact, He promises that He is always with us (Matthew 28:20), so we can trust that we are always safe in His arms.

Day 4 WHO ARE WE GOING WITH

READING: John 6:60-69

Have you ever had a morning when you crawl out of bed exhausted, stubbed your toe, burned your toast, and everything else going wrong? It’s a day like that that makes you want to go right back to bed. Or maybe it’s been harder, and someone has told you to hold on when you want to let go. I wonder if Jesus’ disciples felt that way when people turned away from Jesus after he shared some hard but true teachings. I wonder how many times the disciples weren’t sure what to do with Jesus. Was it embarrassing or confusing or overwhelming for them? Because they had committed themselves to Jesus, they knew they couldn’t give up or let go. Jesus, who was clearly the Son of God, had fulfilled the longing of their hearts—and even on their worst days, they knew that traveling with Jesus was enough. When he asked, “Will you also go away?” Peter answered with words that confirmed what the disciples felt: “We have no one else to turn to, and you are the only one we need.” On days when you feel like giving up, giving in, or abandoning your faith, where do you go? It’s too hard to leave the One who holds you close by His presence and His words. Through His character, He assures you that even on a bad day, He is there.

Day 5 THE POWER OF PRESENCE

READING: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

As Jacob sat down for breakfast at a restaurant, his best friend Jack said to him for the tenth time, “I love you, Brother Jacob; I love you so much!” He certainly didn’t feel like he deserved that love because he hadn’t seen Jack in years. He was there because a friend had faithfully kept in touch far better than he had. So, this breakfast meeting was long overdue. Several years ago, Jacob had been in touch with Jack quite a bit. Jack had been going through a difficult time with many personal struggles. Jack had a young daughter to care for, and Jacob was one of the few people who did their best to surround Jack with attention and encouragement. But Jack saw it all as a gift from Jesus. But time passed, Jack moved to a different area, and Jacob hadn’t seen him in a long time. As Jacob processed his own guilt for letting their friendship end, Jack also began to see clearly what a gift Jacob had been to him. He showed him what resilient faith looked like in the midst of a difficult story. Even though Jack had been gone for so long, there was such joy when Jack showed up. The other friends and Jacob joked that they had heard “I love you” more times from Jack that day than they had heard from any of their family members before. Jacob was reminded of how powerful our presence is. It reminds us of Jesus’ promise in Matthew 18:20 that His presence is always with us. When we remember this verse, our fears are erased and we are empowered to face life’s challenges. Jack was encouraged by Jacob during his difficult times, that if we have good friends, they will always help us to live life without fear of the unknown.

Day 6 DO NOT DOUBT

READING: John 20:24-29

I can understand Thomas’ doubt. For some reason, he wasn’t with the other disciples when Jesus first visited them after His resurrection, so he didn’t see Jesus in person. Maybe he should have taken the disciples at their word when they told him they had seen Jesus. Maybe he should have had more faith. Or maybe he was just an unbeliever. Whatever the case, Thomas said he couldn’t believe that Jesus was alive until he saw Jesus for himself. When Jesus returned and Thomas could see Him, Jesus was patient with Thomas. Jesus even showed Thomas what he thought he needed to see in order to believe. But Jesus also noted that all who believe without seeing Him will be blessed. Today, that includes you and me. Believing without seeing is the nature of our faith most of the time. We probably won’t see Christ in person until we join Him in eternity. But until then, we believe even though we haven’t seen. We are called to have faith in Jesus because of who He is, all He has done, and all He has promised. We believe because others have seen, because others have witnessed, and because their testimonies are in God’s Word for us, along with all of God’s promises. We believe because God’s Spirit guides us into the truth of God’s Word and gives us faith (see John 16:7-15; Ephesians 2:6-10). And in believing we are blessed.

Day 7 GOD CARES FOR US

READING: Psalm 23:3

Although sheep are not marked in the same way that cattle are, they do have the mark of their owner along with other helpful information that identifies them. God’s sheep also have the name of their shepherd. We are God’s beloved sheep, and He gives us the best care “for His name’s sake.” His reputation is reflected in all the ways He cares for us. What is our shepherd known for? As God reveals Himself through His Word, we learn that He is powerful and wise, merciful and all-knowing, faithful and good, kind and just, loving and trustworthy. God works for the good of those He loves. All of these qualities and more are demonstrated in the way God cares for His sheep. Our shepherd does not want anyone to wonder if he is a fickle or erratic caretaker. His reputation for consistent and consistent care for the sheep is important because he wants other sheep to join his flock. The care they receive in his fold is unmatched. Although the wayward sheep are tempted by self-confidence or by relying on worldly things such as money, status, or power to help them, the shepherding God wants them to know that His care is best because He knows their needs best and meets them without fail. The psalmist’s statement here is a statement of faith because nothing in the shepherd’s behavior contradicts this truth.”