Do Not Be Afraid!

Matthew 17:7 "And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and do not be afraid.”

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is “You shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39 According to His Words these are the two single greatest commandments.

Do you know what ranks a close number three? If we can judge by the number of times in the four gospels that He addressed individual issues with specific commands, the answer is clear. The Gospels list some one hundred twenty plus commands from the lips of Jesus. The two Great Commandments listed above are mentioned only eight times, while the Commands related to fear appear twenty one times. (Not be afraid, not fear, have courage, take heart, be of good cheer) If the number of times a topic is mentioned by Jesus is any indication then Jesus takes the “fear issue very seriously!

Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life,
Matthew 9:2 “Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew 10:28 “…do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
Matthew 10:31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.
Matthew 14:27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “It’s all right,” he said. “I am here! Don’t be afraid.”
John 14:1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled: you believe in God, also believe in me.”
John 14:27 “Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The List goes on!

Jesus does not wish for us to live a life dominated by fear! Jesus was in the boat with His disciples on a storm tossed sea, when he was awakened from a deep sleep. Waves were crashing over the boat and He was asleep. Oh to know that intimacy with God that we can endure peaceful sleep in the midst of the storm. Before He sprung into action and calmed the turbulence He posed this question. “…Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Matthew 8:26

Occasion to fear may surround us day to day. It may be attacking our minds on a daily basis, or even moment to moment, BUT it does not have to be able to fill our hearts. Remember that “…God has not given us a spirit of fear” 2 Timothy 1:7 Recognize that fear is a “spirit” and it is attacking you and your very spiritual foundation. Fear is the reciprocal (opposite) of faith. If your enemy can get you to operate in fear instead of faith, your boat may go under in the middle of the tempests of life!

Whenever you entertain fear filled thoughts, “take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:17 and begin to swing your sword. Do you believe that it is possible to control your own thoughts? Our Creator certainly knew what He was doing when He made these incredible houses that we live in.

Try this simple illustration! Begin to count silently in your mind backwards from 100 to 1. When you get to 90 say “Jesus!” three times out loud. What happened to your counting? Amazing, that God has given us a very simple tool to combat stinking thinking, the power of speech. Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”

The Word of God is your weapon. Fear is a temptation. How did Jesus combat temptation in the desert? “It is written…” (Matthew 4) Jesus took the Sword of the Spirit and thwarted the attack of the enemy. The power is in the Word of God when it is spoken by you lips! My favorite is Psalm 118:6 “…the Lord God is on my side, I will not fear…”

Remember, Jesus commanded “Do not fear…” Isn’t today a good day to obey! Speak His Word and walk in victory. How long do I speak the Word? Speak the Word until the fear subsides. If it raises it’s ugly head again, start swinging your Sword again!