Do Not Fear for I AM With You

Do Not Fear for I AM With You:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, through the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though it's waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah" (Psalms 46:1-3)

Fear is our enemy. Fear restricts, constrains, and kills. Fear kills the hope of joy, and extinguishes the flame of faith. Fear is not welcome. After all, God hasn't given us a spirit of fear. He gives us His Holy Spirit full of love to cast out every fear.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

Our Father desires for us to live lives of freedom, joy, and abundance. It breaks His heart to look upon His beloved children and see them enslaved in chains of anxiety, fear, isolation, and imprisonment. Turn to the Lord, and allow Him to strip fear's bitterly hostile chains right off.

"Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a dear, and the mute tongue shout for joy." (Isaiah 35:3-6)

The Lord our God is watchful over every aspect of our lives. No storm comes that we are expected to endure unsheltered by His wings of splendour. No battle must be fought on our own strength, but deeply dependant upon His unwavering might. Every adverse circumstance that occurs in this life is met by an Almighty King whose power knows no limitations, whose glory never diminishes, and whose authority never ceases. This is our Father. He is the One who reigns spectacularly over all the earth and all creation.

"You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength." (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Do you see the word peace here in Isaiah 26:3? This Hebrew word means safety, serenity, and well being. It also signifies being sheltered, at peace, as well as the condition of being unharmed. One more thing to note about this word is that it's also used as a blessing that one wishes upon another.

So when we read that the Lord will keep us in "perfect peace" as we focus our faith-gaze on Him, we know that this implies that He has immensely rich plans to bless us, protect us, and provide peace which surpasses all understanding.

"and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

This is our unshakable hope rooted and built in Christ our Lord. Hope is not only our anchor, but also the rope with which God reels us in closer and closer to Him. His promises sway our bleak hearts to open up and receive all the great blessings He has to offer.

The hope of His goodness secures us in the promised land of His Presence, and continually hoists us up higher and higher into the realms of His radiant beauty and brilliance. So hold tight to His promises, and have no fear!

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)

Forget your fears, have faith in His faithfulness, and frolic in the firm foundation of freedom. The Lord's favour is resting upon us! What a wondrous reality.

He invites us in with gentleness, whispering, "Come to Me with all your burdens and fears. I will take care of them all. You have no need of fretfulness or worry when you reside in My Presence. I am for you, and I will never forsake you. Receive My gracious gifts with outstretched hands and a grateful heart. Come and rejoice in this hope which never expires."

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)

Go in courage today my dear friends, knowing that He who promised is faithful. He'll never leave us. He'll never forsake us. He is for us and not against us. What a magnificent Lord we serve! He gives graciously to each of us and delights over us! His love is unconditional and drives away every fear. Oh what a mighty God! The Great I AM is with us today!

-The Introverted Evangelist

Photograph Taken By: Raphael