Be Not Afraid

Be Not Afraid
| Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley |

God must have known we would struggle with fear. He says at least one hundred times in the Bible, “Don’t be afraid!”

As a little girl I had some Bible story books my parents bought for my sister and me. I can vividly remember the depiction of Jesus in the boat on the Sea of Galilee as the storm arose and threatened the lives of all aboard. When the disciples woke Him, Jesus stood up in the boat and with only a word calmed the wind and the waves. Then He looked at his disciples and said, “Why were you afraid? Why were you afraid when I was with you?”

Indeed, why are we afraid when He is with us?

Can you imagine Peter, John, or Paul spending one moment afraid of what other people thought, of what the devil might be doing, or of what persecution they were about to experience? Spending time with Jesus, seeing Him alive, and experiencing the Holy Spirit turned them from fearful to fearless.

If you could see Jesus standing beside you right now, do you think you would be afraid of anything?

Practice being in His presence and your fear will have to leave.

"...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." - 2 Timothy 1:7

"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" - Matthew 8:23-27

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." - 1 John 4:18

 * Adopted from YouVersion Bible Plan: Overcoming Fear And Anxiety Through Spiritual Warfare