2021-03-20
Joshua 3:13 NLT
Achieving personal goals. The Israelites had a God-given goal: to enter the Promised Land. But to get there, they had to cross the River Jordan at flood stage. The only way to achieve what they’d set out to do was to go through something that caused them to feel fear.
When God gives us a goal, we often have to go out of our depth at some point to achieve it. It’s in those experiences where real growth happens. But when we let fear take hold, we end up in a debilitating cycle: First, our fear stops us taking action. Lack of action stops us gaining experience. Lack of experience stops us increasing our understanding. And lack of understanding increases our fear.
Taking action means we’ll have to move into the unknown and do the untried – and that can be scary. But if we give in to our fears, we can’t move forward, and we won’t gain valuable experience that can help us in future. Avoiding something because it’s scary or uncomfortable means we can’t experience God walking through it with us or witness His power at work in bringing us through it.
The Israelites witnessed God’s miraculous power as they were crossing the River Jordan: ‘As soon as the feet of the priests…touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up…and the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over’ (Joshua 3:15-16 NLT).
When God gives us a goal, He’ll equip us to see it through. What miracles could we see if we were prepared to step in faith into the unknown with Him?
Job 24-28; Matt 24:26-35; Ps 13; Prov 8:14-16
2021-03-19
Psalm 27:1 NKJV
Relationships. Social anxiety is a very common fear, and it can have an impact on our relationships with others, whether that’s relationships with family, friends, work colleagues, or even just a random interaction with someone we don’t know. We can worry about what other people think about us, we worry about doing something stupid, or what others might say to us or about us. Our fears of being hurt or humiliated can lead us to avoid other people and distance ourselves.
But God designed us to be part of a community, where we can draw on the love and support of others: ‘Let us not neglect our meeting together…but encourage one another’ (Hebrews 10:25 NLT). When the fear of other people’s opinions means we try to be something we’re not, we reject what God created us to be. If we find we’re having to pretend in order to fit in with a group of people or to maintain a friendship, it’s probably worth asking God if we’re surrounding ourselves with the right people. Proverbs 29:25 says: ‘Being afraid of people can get you into trouble, but if you trust the LORD, you will be safe’ (NCV).
Our worth isn’t based on what other people think of us, it’s based on what God thinks of us – and He loves us unconditionally. We need to hold on to that fact whenever we feel social anxiety building. Let’s choose to rely on God’s opinion and God’s love before anyone else’s, and join in with the psalmist’s words: ‘The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Psalm 27:1 NKJV).
Job 21-23; Matt 24:15-25; Ps 116:12-19; Prov 8:10-13
2021-03-18
Job 3:25 NKJV
Career. If we don’t have a job, we worry about finding one. If we do have a job, we worry about keeping it. Before we even get on the career path, we worry about grades and exam results that could make or break our plans for the future. We tend to root a lot of our security in our jobs, which can leave us vulnerable when things go wrong with them. We need a more solid foundation, and we have one in God.
Psalm 16:8 says: ‘I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me’ (NLT). When we root our security in Him, it’s much easier for us to keep our fears and worries in perspective, and to know that even if the worst happens, He’ll bring us through it.
Being a Christian doesn’t mean an easy life, and although a lot of our fears won’t ever happen, there will be times when, like Job, we cry out ‘What I dreaded has happened to me’ (Job 3:25 NKJV). But God can bring something good out of the bad times: ‘In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28 NIV).
We might have to lose a job in order to discover our true calling. We might have to walk through a season of unemployment in order to learn to trust God and lean on Him more. Our plans for the future might have to be broken down in order to let God’s plan guide our lives. As long as we make Him the foundation of our lives, we won’t be overwhelmed by our fears.
Job 18-20; Matt 24:1-14; Ps 116:1-11; Prov 8:8-9
2021-03-17
Job 4:14 NKJV
Health. Fears about health can take different forms. We worry about the health of those we love. We might be fearful because we’re currently unwell and we’re scared of what could be wrong, or we’re afraid of getting a particular illness at some point in our lives. It’s great to be informed about different illnesses and what we need to look out for, but the downside for some of us is that we can be tempted to jump to the worst possible conclusion whenever we experience a symptom.
In Job 4:13-14, Eliphaz says: ‘In disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night…fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake’ (NKJV). It’s often in the middle of the night, when we’re alone with just our own thoughts for company, with plenty of time for our imaginations to run wild, that our fears can increase and take us captive.
But God wants to bring us out of that fearful place to a place of His peace. Jeremiah 17:14 says, ‘Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise’ (NIV), and Psalm 30:2 says ‘O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health’ (NLT).
God can and does heal people from illnesses. But sometimes His healing takes a different form. He might not always physically heal us, but when we cry out to Him, He’ll soothe our minds by taking our fears and replacing them with His peace. We don’t know why He doesn’t physically heal everyone, but we can be sure that whatever health problems we might experience, He won’t let us face them alone.
Job 15-17; Matt 23:23-39; Ps 19; Prov 8:6-7
2021-03-16
Psalm 118:6 NKJV
Finances. Worrying about money is something that most of us will do at some point in our lives. We might be afraid that we don’t have enough of it, that we won’t have enough to pay the bills or meet our basic needs, or we might live in fear of an unexpected expense coming along that we won’t be able to handle. We may also live with the fear that what we do have could be taken away from us, our credit cards could be stolen, or our source of income could disappear.
The first thing we need to remember when dealing with money is that it’s not ours, but God’s. 1 Chronicles 29 says: ‘Riches and honour come from you. You rule everything…Everything comes from you’ (NCV). We might think that He’s only interested in spiritual things, but if money ultimately belongs to Him, we can be certain that He’ll want to help us work through any financial worries we have. That doesn’t necessarily mean He’ll suddenly give us plenty of money, but He will give us wisdom in how to best use what we have.
We also need to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:26-34. In these verses, Jesus assures us that just as God provides for every bird and flower, He’ll provide for us, His beloved children. Psalm 118:6 says: ‘The LORD is on my side; I will not fear’ (NKJV). Whether we’ve made bad decisions and mismanaged our finances, or whether something external has created fear where our money’s concerned, God’s still with us, He’s still for us, and He’s still fighting on our side. We just need to turn to Him, trust Him, and follow His guidance.
Job 11-14; Matt 23:13-22; Ps 11; Prov 8:4-5
2021-03-15
Genesis 3:10 NKJV
When we see people who appear confident, have everything together, and don’t seem to be shaken by whatever life throws at them, we might assume that they never feel fear. But the truth is that despite outward appearances, nobody is immune to fear. The first person God created was Adam, and the first recorded words Adam spoke were these: ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself’ (Genesis 3:10 NKJV).
Fear is part of human nature. When we’re faced with a genuine danger, it can be a useful warning signal that we need to be ready to react. But it can also be a destructive force in our lives. One of the old English words for fear means ‘sudden attack’, and it’s related to an old German word that means ‘ambush or snare’. And that’s what fear does; it attacks us and takes us captive.
But God doesn’t want us to be held prisoner by fear; He wants us to be set free by faith in Him. Fear weakens, but faith strengthens. Fear paralyses, but faith empowers. Fear disheartens, but faith encourages. God says to us, ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine’ (Isaiah 43:1 NKJV).
Studies have discovered that some of our biggest areas of fear include finances, health, career, relationships, achieving goals, and death. Over the next few days, let’s take a look at each of these areas, and hold on to the fact that God is with us and He promises to strengthen and guide us in every situation we face.
Job 8-10; Matt 23:1-12; Ps 115; Prov 8:1-3
