I command you…be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
As I read the Scripture, I see little room for the follower of Christ to be afraid (except for the fear of God).
Perplexed; yes. Confused; sometimes. Overwhelmed; often. Angry; when necessary. Distressed; possibly.
Yes, I fully agree, just the fact that the command is there does not mean we will always follow it. Quite the contrary; I have been afraid many times. I fight the worry battle like all the rest. Wasn’t it David, the man after God’s own heart, who said that “when I am afraid, I will trust in you”? Sounds like he may have struggled with fear also.
Still, the Bible is consistent, and it consistently reminds us not to allow fear to captivate our lives. Obviously, when God first gave this command to Joshua, being an all knowing God, He knew that Joshua was about to encounter some pretty scary days. No doubt the enemies of Joshua had ample opportunity to attempt to make him squirm.
Today God knows there will be times that cause fear to be our primary emotion. He sees the trouble before it comes. It was He who MADE the disciples get into the boat and face the raging sea. It is He who allows the storms in our lives to come.
God knows there is plenty in life to make us afraid. Still, the challenge remains, and the command remains to not be afraid! And, in those moments, God know we will need to rely on His strength being perfect when our strength is none.
How are you doing these days obeying the command of God to not be afraid?
Call on the Lord today and ask Him to help you overcome your fears!
The awesome thing about that command is that we see it repeated *so many times* to Joshua. And I think it's because God knows he needed to hear it that many times. Being strong and courageous is no joke!
Pastor Ron! It is easier said than done. As human beings, we are flooded with things that intimidate us in life. I believe we woll not able to encounter them in flesh. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to overcome fear.
You are right. It requires a level of surrender that is difficult to attain.
I have spent the last two plus years in search of a job. During that time, events in my life seriously sidelined that job search. I often wondered what was God's plan for me. I felt anxiety but confident that God would take care of us. In Dec. my husband was also laid off from his job after 23 years with his company. It would have been easy to fall prey to fear. It was a challenge to trust that God would take care of us. But I have lived and believed this truth my whole life… turning it all over to God was the only way to deal with it all. I just started a job and received my first paycheck in almost 3 years. A totally new career field, and with it a whole new learning curve. My husband has a 2nd interview in what looks to be a very promising job offer. Everyone on both sides is sounding like this is going to be a good match. I am hopeful. I have wondered, and still wonder about God's plan, but only He knows where it will end up. It seems there is now a new path before me and I am excited to see where it goes.
I'm happy you are on a new path. Praying God makes this season in your life one of incredible reaping for the faith you've sown.
There are times when fear can be an issue. But I find that the longer I walk with God, the more fear he casts out as he shows himself faithful.
Amen
I took I John 4:18 to heart so when I feel constrained or paralyzed by fear I check my love walk.
I will add, I had a Christian psychologist tell me to think of emotions as directional. So fear is an emotion that cause us to move away and there's nothing wrong with that. When I decided to buy my first home I was struck with fear, but I withdrew to assess my finances and create a plan. Then I moved forward and eventually bought a home.
I've actually written about this before but yes fear can be a positive. Thats part of the fear of God I think. When it's used to keep us from obedience to God that's the problem.
Twitter: bryankr
says:
There are times when fear has actually come in handy! I am presently teaching Discipleship in SmallGroup to with my Youth, but because I haven't had the greatest success in reaching them in the past, I have a great fear I will fail again. That fear keeps me in prayer constantly! Always keeping them on my heart, the lesson, always up front and trying to make certain it is a good balance of His words and my learning that is given to them. Fear can cripple you! It can also keep you in mind of who should be in control!
That's the fear of God working in your life. Good fear.
I 100% agree Ron. I wrote an entire chapter in my book about Fear & Doubt. It keeps us from living the life God wants for us. Great post!
Thanks Julie
I have anxiety issues, and have quite a few fears that I allow to take hold in my life. It's not that I don't trust God, it's that I have a control issue…..it's hard for me to let go and allow Him to be in control at times, particularly when my anxiety is high and I am afraid something will happen to the people that I love. Last week, with tornadoes all around us, I was forced to give it over to God and just pray, and as a result my children took my lead and prayed out loud as the wind howled around us and our house started popping. We were thankful God spared our lives, but many others were not as fortunate. It's hard not living in fear the next time a storm comes, not just the physical storm, but living in fear of losing the people that I love because I have lost a lot of people I loved in the last six years. So, this is a difficult command to live with – to live without fear……I think it's harder for people who have anxiety because of their circumstances and things that have happened in the past.
Thanks for your honesty. This will be helpful for others to read.
I've allowed fear to have a grip on me in such a way that it prevents me from even attempting anything. I'm not talking about conquering nations or getting involved in a major cause to end human trafficking or the like, but just in simply inviting God into my stuff because of a lack of trust in Him.
Thanks for your honesty. I'm praying for you now!