Fear Not

Do you know what the most common command in the Bible is? Take just a moment to think about this.

The most common command found in the Bible…repeated the most times…is “Do not be afraid.” That command shows up over 300 times in the Bible.

There are many other helpful commands and things that I personally would have guessed to be the most common command found in scripture. But then I thought about what this really means, and I get it.

As I have said many times before…fear is the absence of faith. One of the greatest producers of fear is worry. When you are worrying about something you are afraid of what might take place. What might happen. And when you are doing that you are placing faith in your own abilities or lack there-of to get things done. When you are operating in faith you are placing your trust in God’s abilities to get things done.

I do my best to not worry much…but I have my moments just as anybody else. And when I think about those moments I realize that my worry is really the fear of what might happen. So how do you eliminate that fear? Well, you can put your own safeguards in place. There is a certain value attached to good planning…I believe God wants us to be wise. But, we cannot allow our own good planning to take the place of God’s ability to take care of us. And that is what happens to so many people. You can see it written on the faces of individuals when the economy struggles, when gas prices go up, when there is a glitch in the health-care system. When those types of issues send chills down your spine that you can’t shake you have to do a personal survey of what you are placing your faith in. Is it really in God or is it in your own ability to plan and provide?

Just a few thoughts today to get you thinking.

Isaiah 43:1-3 – “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;…”

Have a blessed day,

RodZ

© 2008 – Rodney Zimmerman – All rights reserved