Has fear ever distracted you and or caused you to second guess yourself in regards to doing something that God said you need to do? It could be fear of criticism, fear of messing up, etc. The Bible lets us know that God has not given us the spirit of fear. Today’s blog entry deals with overcoming fear.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind.- 2 Timothy 1:7
Can you think of a time in your life when you were really afraid to do something, only to find out after completing the task, that it “wasn’t so bad” after all? For example, it could have been the first time you had to speak publicly in front of a large audience. Or maybe it was when you had to take a test for school that would greatly impact your grade. Each day people are faced with tasks that have the potential to produce undesired results. With this in mind, it’s important to understand what the Bible says in regards to fear.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. - 1 John 4:18
One reoccurring point that I have focused on in past blog entries is the importance of seeking the will of God. When we get to place when we are truly seeking God’s will, and receiving instruction from God, it’s very important that we obey the instructions we receive from Him. Never allow being accepted by other people to cause you to hold back from doing what God has said to do. Don’t let other people’s criticisms of you discourage you from obeying God. Our focus should be on pleasing God. What good does it do to receive a bunch of accolades from people, yet be in a position that displeases God. As John 5:44 says “How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?”
I also want to point out that there is a difference between criticism that is brought up to distract/detour you, versus constructive criticism that is meant to help you grow in your relationship with God. We should never get to the point where we think we’ve “arrived” and have everything together.
One of the main points that I want to make is, that we as people often provide fear with the fuel that it needs in order to become a stumbling block in our lives. Sometimes we may focus on the bad things that could happen, instead of focusing on the promises of God. Numbers chapter 13 tells a story that gives excellent insight; I admonish you to read it when you get an opportunity. I would like to draw from two verses (Numbers 13:30-31) from the chapter, which reads as follows “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.”
In this particular case we see Caleb was ready to move forward and possess the land (Numbers 13:2) that God had for the children of Israel regardless of the “barriers” that stood before them. Caleb was in faith, however others were not in faith, and they allowed fear to discourage them.
It is important that we do not allow fear to dictate what we do, but rather continue to put our faith in God, and be lead by Him. Instead of running from challenges, we need to learn to overcome them by obeying God.
“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. – Joshua 1:9
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind.- 2 Timothy 1:7
Can you think of a time in your life when you were really afraid to do something, only to find out after completing the task, that it “wasn’t so bad” after all? For example, it could have been the first time you had to speak publicly in front of a large audience. Or maybe it was when you had to take a test for school that would greatly impact your grade. Each day people are faced with tasks that have the potential to produce undesired results. With this in mind, it’s important to understand what the Bible says in regards to fear.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. - 1 John 4:18
One reoccurring point that I have focused on in past blog entries is the importance of seeking the will of God. When we get to place when we are truly seeking God’s will, and receiving instruction from God, it’s very important that we obey the instructions we receive from Him. Never allow being accepted by other people to cause you to hold back from doing what God has said to do. Don’t let other people’s criticisms of you discourage you from obeying God. Our focus should be on pleasing God. What good does it do to receive a bunch of accolades from people, yet be in a position that displeases God. As John 5:44 says “How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?”
I also want to point out that there is a difference between criticism that is brought up to distract/detour you, versus constructive criticism that is meant to help you grow in your relationship with God. We should never get to the point where we think we’ve “arrived” and have everything together.
One of the main points that I want to make is, that we as people often provide fear with the fuel that it needs in order to become a stumbling block in our lives. Sometimes we may focus on the bad things that could happen, instead of focusing on the promises of God. Numbers chapter 13 tells a story that gives excellent insight; I admonish you to read it when you get an opportunity. I would like to draw from two verses (Numbers 13:30-31) from the chapter, which reads as follows “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.”
In this particular case we see Caleb was ready to move forward and possess the land (Numbers 13:2) that God had for the children of Israel regardless of the “barriers” that stood before them. Caleb was in faith, however others were not in faith, and they allowed fear to discourage them.
It is important that we do not allow fear to dictate what we do, but rather continue to put our faith in God, and be lead by Him. Instead of running from challenges, we need to learn to overcome them by obeying God.
“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. – Joshua 1:9