“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31, NLT)
Psychologists have identified hundreds of different fears people can experience. Fear is a universal problem — and it takes away the joy God wants you to have.
Fear came into our lives from a catastrophic failure in the Garden of Eden through our disobedience to God. But here’s the good news: You’re not alone in fear — because God is on your side! God walks with you in and through your fears. Psalm 23:4 reminds us that in the valleys of death’s shadows we don’t fear in isolation of any evil thing. Because God is with you, you move through the valley. We don’t take up residence there. Unfortunately many become paralyzed in fear. We can share how God is always moving us through these times.
The Bible reminds us, “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31, NLT). With God on your side, you don’t need anything else. God plus one equals a majority.
What’s your greatest fear? Is it embarrassment? Failure? Rejection? Disappointing others? Not fitting in? Satan uses all of these fears to rob you of joy. He knows what will make you joyful, so he creates fears to oppose those things.
For example, Satan knows that obeying God will always bring you joy. So, he makes you afraid of what other people will think if you do the right thing. He makes you worry more about your popularity than pleasing God. Satan also knows that one of the greatest sources of joy in life is when you share the love of Christ with an unbeliever. So he makes you afraid to tell people about Jesus.
The truth is, to find joy, you need only one thing. You need to live for an audience of one: God. That’s Jesus’ path to complete and total joy. He said, “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11, NIV).
You can have joy in life, knowing that God is for you. Fear not!
Ponderings:
- How have you seen fear impact the lives of those you love?
- What fear has been the most destructive to your life?
- In what part of your life are you ready to choose joy over fear?
Prayer
Father, I thank You for the blessings You have given me in this life. There are also challenges, and those challenges bring fear. Strengthen my faith so that fear doesn’t drag down my life, and let my joy in Your gift of salvation and Your continued grace overcome that fear each and every day.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
