Do Not be Anxious

The Bible tells us, over 400 times, to ‘fear not’.

It is the most common command given to believers in the Bible.

If the word of God tells us the same thing, so many times, then we need to realise that it must be important. That we need to learn from it and obey what he has asked us to do or not to do.

‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’
Philippians 4:5-7

It is important here, that we do not confuse mere ‘fear’ with the fear of God. We are told numerous times in the Bible to fear God, because our fear leads to understanding, knowledge, wisdom, goodness, God’s protection and, ultimately, salvation. To fear God is to respect God and know that he is a God of justice. He will not let evil go unpunished. Therefore, when we fear him we respect him and keep his commands. This leads us to a Holy life, enabling us to become good, peaceful, loving people that bear fruit.

‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction’.
Proverbs 1:7

‘The fear of the Lord is the hatred of evil’.
Proverbs 8:13

‘But in every nation, everyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him’.
Acts 10:35


So, back to our everyday fears, worries and anxieties. What does our fear and anxiety do to us? When we fear and are anxious we become prone to self-pity. Why am I not good enough? Why did I not get what I wanted? Why did they leave me? Why do I struggle so much with this when others don’t? And the list goes on...We shut ourselves away so that we can express how upset, scared and abandoned we feel, and, let’s face us, we want to feel sorry for ourselves. We then become blinded to reality. We have spent so much time in our own bubble of self-pity that we don’t see that we are trading God’s everlasting faithfulness for the empty and temporary gratification that comes from our wallowing in self-pity. 

When we fear we are also going in direct contradiction of what God has told us to do. He has told us to fear not! And yes, we are human, but we have to make every effort to live the kind of lives that God has told us to. He never said keeping all of his commands was going to be a piece of cake, but that he expects us to do it, and when we fall short, to repent.

‘Fear not 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

‘For God gave us a spirit, not of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline’.
2 Timothy 1:7

When we fear, we are also not as available to God or the Holy Spirit. God is always with us, don’t misunderstand me, but he cannot use us as much, to further his kingdom, when we are overcome with fear and anxiety because we are not focusing on him! How can you expect to hear from God when you are not listening to him?! I don’t know about you, but when I am low in spirit and worrying, I am desperate for peace, before anything else. And I have tasted earthly peace, I have experienced earthly peace, but it is fleeting, empty and heartbreaking. The peace I receive from God and that he lavishes upon me is like nothing else in this whole world. It transforms, it comforts your very heart and soul and builds you back up, so that you are stronger, wiser and more loving than you were before.

Faith, in the midst of fear and anxiety, is not easy, but, with practice, should become your lifestyle. Read your Bible, find where it talks about fear and you will see that God says it the same every single time. Trust in me. Do not fear. No fear that you will ever experience will shock or shake God. He cannot be shaken. And he loves you more than anything else in his whole creation, he is constantly on our defensive. Ready and willing to save us.

Ask yourself, When was the last time God let you down? When was the last time he led you in the wrong direction? When was the last time he was not there for you in your time of need?

The answers were ‘never’, weren’t they?




Comments

  1. Nathan3 April 2018 at 22:56

    Great post. It makes me wonder, does fearing God build faith? Anxiety and worry is such a huge struggle, yet the answer is so simple... faith in God!

    ReplyDelete

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