Do Not Be Afraid

Fear can paralyze us and stop us from making decisions. Fear can hinder us from living the life God has planned for us. Thinking back on my life, I can think of many instances where fear has had its grip on me: I was afraid to make a decision about which college to attend, not knowing for sure what "God's will was for me." I was afraid to make friends when I made my first move from home, thinking others wouldn't like me once they got to know me. I was afraid to ever let my first son cry, thinking I was doing him irreparable harm. I was afraid to have others over for dinner, thinking they wouldn't like my house or my cooking. I was afraid when my husband said he wanted a new job and wanted to move. I was afraid to start getting up at 5 a.m. thinking I would be too tired during the day. These are just the things that came to the top of my mind as I sit here and write today. Fear can rule my day if I let it. I'm also what some would classify as a worry-wort. For me, fear and worry go hand in hand, and its hard to distinguish one from the other.

As I look back on my walk with God, I can see where God has answered my prayers and helped me greatly in this area. For one, instead of constantly worrying about whether or not I'm in "God's perfect will," I measure my decisions against the Bible. Of course I want to be in God's will, but rather than waiting for the answers to drop from the sky, I proceed forward with confidence, knowing that God will answer my prayers for closed doors. If I am constantly praying for answers, God will keep bringing me to His path, even if my foolishness and sin bring me on detours along the way. Now I don't think as a Christian we should ever sin intentionally, and so if we are looking to do something that is obviously a sin, the answer is clear that we should not proceed.

When I surrender to God on a daily basis, there is freedom. The fear and worry are gone, and I can live in peace. Some days its hard. I must surrender my fear and worry and frustrations on a moment by moment basis. But God will always be there to help me, and He will never leave me to struggle on my own. A verse that I have committed to memory to help me during the times that I feel like God has abandoned me and left me to fear and worry on my own is Hebrews 13:5,6

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid, What can man do to me?"

Many times my fear and worry come from thinking I or my family need something, or that money is tight, or that others will think bad of me. See for yourself that the Bible has answers to all of these worries in the verses above.

I hope this encourages you to go to God daily and ask for His help. The Bible says "The Lord is [your] Helper, [so you do not need to] be afraid." This is my prayer everyday and I hope it becomes your prayer too.

Blessings,

Jen