I opened my Bible this morning and these verses were in my devotional today. Since they were so appropriate for the situation in Boston, I thought I would share.
Psalm 112:7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Isaiah 41:10-14 "So DO NOT FEAR for I am with you; do not be DISMAYED for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, DO NOT FEAR; I will help you. DO NOT BE AFRAID....for I myself will help you," declares the Lord.
Terrorists want us to fear. We must resist the temptation to give into it.
They are just men under the influence of the evil one.
We have GOD, the Creator of the universe, full of Power and Glory!
"God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Tim 1:7
Look at that verse again. God has given us power, love and a sound mind....NOT fear. I believe that fear causes us to lose power, love and a sound mind.
So we have a choice to make. Will we trust in God or will we give in to our fears?
(I'm preaching to myself because I give in to fear as easily as everyone else.)
Fear robs us of:
- rational thought
- freedom
- peace
- reaching our full potential
- loving each other fully
- obeying God and experiencing His blessing
Fear gives us:
- irrational thoughts and ideas
- unhealthy thought patterns
- paralysis
- anxiety
- loneliness; we don't open up to others
- withdrawl into ourselves; hiding
- slavery to what we are afraid of
- physical symptoms (headaches, stomach problems)
- foolish decisions
GOD gives us power, love and a sound mind and robs us of nothing.
The choice is obvious.
Father God, please help us to trust You and not to be foolish and give into our fears. We know better but we are frail human beings, so we ask for Your help.
