Maybe you’ve seen these two words printed on a popular brand of T-shirt or you even own one. When I first noticed the shirts, I asked myself, whether conquering our fears is as easy as wearing one of them.
If we are honest, we are daily faced with a number of fears. Fear of failure may keep us from ever attempting something great. Fear of rejection may keep a man from asking the love of his life for her hand. You might never get to the destination of your dream vacation because you are fearful of flying. Of course, there are many more: fear of heights, fear of the unknown, fear of loosing a loved one, fears rooted in superstitions or taboos, like walking under a ladder on Friday the 13th, just to name a few.
How we handle or avoid fears will determine to a great deal the quality of our life.
I wondered whether God’s Word has anything to say about the subject of fear. Well, it is said that there are 365 “fear not” words in the Bible, one for every day! Our maker seems to be aware, that fear is a very human problem.
The prophet Isaiah speaks the word of God, saying: “Fear not”! The encouraging part is that he doesn’t just tell us not to be afraid, but gives us solid reasons why. He also lets us know what to do when we are paralyzed by fear.
© 1999 Volkhard Graf, YWAM Native Ministries
(Permission to reproduce this material is automatically granted on the condition it will be used for non-commercial purposes, will not be sold, and will be distributed for the sole purpose of expanding the Gospel.)
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