Retreating from Fear

Someone once told me that God tells us “do not fear” 365 times in the Bible, one for each day of the year. Well, I only found 105 of them, mostly because I was doing a keyword search on the phrases “do not fear”, “do not be afraid”, “do not worry” and “do not be anxious”, and the words “anxiety”, and “fear”. (I know there are tools to use to find all 365, I just wanted to use the words that came to mind for me.) What I found amazed me!

God tells us what not to fear:

What others fear

Abandonment

Not being chosen

Being lost (unsaved)

The reproach of mere mortals

Insults

Shame

Humiliation

Disgrace

False idols

Suffering for what is right

Threats

Going where God sends me

God’s tests

Others’ judgment

Taking possession of God’s gifts

Facing enemies

Death

My own repented sin

Work

That God will fail me

That God will forsake me

Having to fight the battle

Lack of years

Lack of wisdom

Lack of knowledge

Speaking God’s word

Other peoples’ words

Troubles that surround

God speaking into your life

Suffering

Persecution

Sudden disaster

Those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul

ANYTHING

God tells us what not to worry about:

What to eat

What to drink

What to wear

Your life

Tomorrow

What to say

How to say it

Defending yourself

ANYTHING

But then the thing that I found truly amazing was this: Every time God said “Do not fear” or Do not worry”, He gave encouragement, also! And there were up to three encouragements for each “do not fear, worry, etc.”

God encourages us:

Be strong

I have chosen you

I am with you

I am your God

I take hold of your right hand

I help you

I have redeemed you

I have summoned you by name

You are mine

My salvation will last forever

My righteousness will never fail

My Spirit remains among you

Be strong & work

I am your shield

I am your very great reward

I will make you into a great nation

You will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you

Stand firm

God’s tests will keep you from sinning

God goes before you

God will fight for you

Be courageous

The Lord will be with you

Not one of your enemies will stand against you

Serve the Lord with all your heart

God will not fail you

God will not forsake you

The battle belongs to God

The greater power is with me than is against me

You are my servant, whom I have chosen

There is no God besides me

God will rescue you

Your words (prayers) were heard

Peace!

Be glad and rejoice

Surely the Lord has done great things

You will be a blessing

Let your hands be strong

You have found favor with God

Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom

Your King is coming

Peace I leave with you

Keep on speaking; do not be silent

I will give you life as your victor’s crown

I will be at your side

There is no fear in love

Perfect love drives out fear

He cares for you

The peace of God which transcends understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus

And my very favorite of all (right now):

For your maker is your husband – the Lord God Almighty is His name –

The holy one of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.

What I found really interesting was that in all these passages, God only told us to fear three things:

Fear God

Dread His displeasure

Fear the One Who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

And there was also a warning: Fear of God should not alarm you, nor His Hand be heavy on you.

I realize there are other parts of the Bible that I did not see for the purposes of this study, but here’s what I gleaned from what I read: God wants my focus squarely on Him.

Yes, there may be things going on in my life that, if I focused on them, they would overwhelm me and keep me living in a state of terror. God knows that. But He wants me to know that He is in charge; He will take care of all those big things in my life. In fact, I am not to worry my pretty little head about ANYTHING, He’s got it ALL covered.

And all He wants in return is for me to trust in Him; to know that, having believed on His Son Jesus for my salvation, I can rely on Him for everything. To pour my troubles out on Him, and to follow where He leads me.

It sounds like a really good trade to me!

Now, you may wonder where all this talk of fear is coming from, since I am so calm, cool, and collected about being out of work, hmm? Well, sometimes “calm, cool, and collected” needs a reminder of why that is so! J

But I continue to know that God is good and He has me in the palm of his hand. He will provide the right job at the right time. I just need to trust Him and keep my eyes and ears open to His plan and His call.

Loving you, in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Sharon