NO FEAR

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Proverbs 29:25

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today a good friend of mine goes into surgery. He found out during a recent doctor’s visit that he had contracted cancer and although the prognosis from his physician was positive, he was very shaken by the news. I think we all would be.

Things like this happen in life. We are going along seemingly fine and carefree when something unexpected happens that rocks our world, disrupts our plans and often our dreams, and moves us into the realm of uncertainty, a realm that often brings with it fears and concerns.

In the midst of these times, when the storms of life fall on us and seem to envelop us in their fury, it’s a comfort and peace to know that we always have someone who is perfectly certain when things all around us seem uncertain, someone who is perfectly sure when our lives become unsure, someone who is perfect in hope when our days become seemingly hopeless.

That someone is the Lord God Almighty.

Our proverb for today speaks to this truth. Look at this precious word of the Lord:

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25

Fear is a snare. It entangles us in a web of anxiety and fright and distress. It clouds our ability to think and paralyzes our discernment.

Nothing good comes out of fear when it brings us to these places. This is why we have this other critically blessed passage to provide us a prescription for it.

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 4:6-7

Did you fully receive this command from the Lord?

We are not to be anxious about anything. This isn’t saying that there are some things we can be stressed about. No, we’re not to be worried about anything. Period.

Oh, how we need to hear this word over and over again!

This is because we all fail badly when it comes to dealing with the anxieties, the concerns, the worries, and yes, the fears of life. Rather that reject the notion of falling prey to these negative emotions, we too often discover ourselves entangled and even shackled up in them.

Here’s the big problem with this. When we are consumed by the stresses of the world around us, we are disempowered when it comes to carrying out the Lord’s will and way. Trapped within the framework of our distress and trepidation, we are unable to step outside to work in the harvest fields and take on the apprehensions of others.

Thank goodness that the Lord gave us a remedy for this, a cure for the dread, panic, and alarm life can bring.

Look again at this guidance:

In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

That’s it! God, our Father, is the remedy for us today and forever more.

We know this and yet we still carry around the burdens of our lives when often we can do nothing about them. We know this and yet we refrain from laying down our every anxiety and stress and worry and fright before the One who has promised that there is nothing beyond the work of His hands, the One who has promised us He is just a simple prayer away.

Friends, wouldn’t our lives become so much easier to deal with is we would just trust the Lord, understanding that when we do so, we become, as Solomon writes, safe and secure. Paul’s word to the Philippian church adds this:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Want peace in the midst of what can be a tumultuous life?

You can only find it through God, the God who knows your needs before you even bring Him requests, the God who can do all things, the God who will bring you a peace that is beyond understanding.

No one else can bring you that kind of peace. No one else can guard your heart and mind in Jesus after addressing your anxieties and fears and stresses and worries except God and God alone.

When you figure this out in life, then, and only then, will you be able to live your life with no fear.

And who doesn’t want a life free from that?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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