When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Psalm 56:3

 Throughout both the Old and New Testaments we find the phrase, “Do not be afraid.”  These words have been declared to the people of God by God Himself, by His prophets of old, the apostles of Jesus and the angelic beings.  God has issued this warning to us because He knows us better than we know ourselves.  Fear is a normal human reaction.  It is especially normal when we are surprised, caught off guard or we experience something new, different or filled of uncertainty.  Being afraid is not wrong, but God certainly does not want us to live in fear.

“We walk by faith not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7  Sight has to do with everything we see happening in the world around us, but this kind of sight has more do with our perception of things.  Our perception involves all of our senses.  We may see a fire, but we can also smell it, feel its heat, hear it burning, and even taste it in the air we breathe.  With all the uncertainty of this pandemic our senses are in danger of experiencing overload with negativity and fear that fills the daily news outlets.

 What we need is a reboot.  You may notice from time to time your phone or computer starts acting sluggish.  We think our device is tearing up, but most of the time we simply need to turn it off and back on again.  What we really need is to periodically turn off what is coming at us from the world and turn on our faith toward God.  When we are afraid we need to put our trust in God.
“Do not be afraid” is how most angelic visitations begin in the scriptures.  Many believe their messages began this way so the recipients would not be afraid of them. I believe their true intention was to communicate to the recipients that there was no reason to be afraid of their circumstances because God had a word of encouragement to bring.

Remember, every time we find ourselves afraid it is time to stir up our faith.  We stir our faith by recalling, confessing and walking upon the promises of God.   We walk by faith when we put our trust in God and His word.  Faith means looking to God and what God has to say about every situation.  Faith is the evidence of what we cannot see.  (Hebrews 11:1)  God’s word is the evidence that changes our outlook on life.  When we put our trust in God fear leaves.  It melts away and loses its power to affect our lives any further.  If we will go to the word every time we are afraid, then Satan will give up on his schemes really quick.  “Resist the devil and He will flee from you.”  James 4:7  So, turn off the world’s opinion, and turn on God’s wisdom found in His faith building, life-giving, living and powerful word. (Hebrews 4:12)

 Pastor Jonathan
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