Living Without Fear

Chuckle: "A little boy had a part in the school play that read, 'It is I; be not afraid.' He came out on the stage and said, 'It's me and I'm scared!'"

Quote: “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4 (NIV).

LIVING WITHOUT FEAR

"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. . . You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you" (Isaiah 43:1-5 NIV)

Webster defines "fear" as, "That strong sense of personal danger whether real or imagined." There are many kinds of fears today: (1) Physical fears (cancer and other illnesses); (2) Financial fears (bills, losing job, etc.); (3) Future fears (divorce, aloneness, etc.); (4) Family fears (for children, parents, etc); (5) Fear of rejection; (6) Fear of the unknown - FEAR!

We all can have fears. But God does not want his children to be afraid. Today, God has a message of assurances that will calm your fears and restore peace and contentment to your life. Our passage gives three primary reasons why you should not fear.

First, God has redeemed you. To redeem means to buy someone out of slavery. God delivered the Hebrew people from over 400 years (1700-1300 b.c.) of physical slavery in Egypt. Even more miraculous is the truth that God has redeemed you from the slavery of sin by the blood of Jesus and delivered you from the fear of spending eternity separated from his presence. "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed . . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (I Pet. 1:18 NIV).

Second, God says, "I am with you." In all of life's trials, He is with us. In verse 2, God says "when," not if, you pass through troubled times (waters, rivers, storms, fires, trials, problems). The psalmist wrote, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (Psalm 23:4 NIV). Are you walking through the valley of the shadow of depression, discouragement, despair, disease? As your Savior, Christ is always with you. "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart" (Isaiah 40:11 NIV). "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we can say with confidence, the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid" (Heb. 13:5-6 NIV).

Third, God loves you. He says, "You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you." The King of the universe thinks you are well worth His Son dying for you. You're precious in his sight (valuable and rare) like a Rembrandt. You're honored, which means you carry weight with God. "Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you" (I Peter 5:7 NIV).

To see how much God loves you, just substitute your name for "the world" in John 3:16. Jesus loves you unconditionally just the way you are. Max Lucado put it this way: If God carried a wallet, your picture would be in it. God will not abandon you -- because he loves you. If you have Christ as Savior, you need not be afraid. You and I can say with the psalmist, "When I'm afraid, I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will never be afraid, what can mortal man do to me?" (Psalm 56:3 NIV).

Love, Jerry & Dotse