Boo!  Don’t worry, I’m not trying to scare you. This is just to illustrate how fear loves to catch us off guard. Practical jokers use this one syllable weapon to startle their unsuspecting victims.

The element of shock is needed because fear doesn’t fight fair. It plays on our vulnerabilities. It relishes the thought of paralyzing us in its clutches.

I’ve battled this bully often.

When my family struggled financially, fear told me we’d lose our home. We didn’t. In fact, God preserved and restored us. We live in the same house today.

When my dad passed away last year, fear told me grief was insurmountable. It isn’t. In fact, God’s comfort has enabled me to share His comfort with others.

If you’ve battled this bully too, you know it’s no joke. It pounces on our pain and snags our suffering with possibilities — many of which will never come true.

Fear loves to catch us off guard.  Grace catches us when we fall. 

When you consider who or what matters most to you, do you hear “Boo!” in the back of your mind?”  Don’t listen. It’s time to fear not; lean hard upon God’s promises; and yield to His will.

“You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit.” – 2 Timothy 1:7*

 When fear whispers a worst case scenario, we don’t have to jump. We can declare Jeremiah 29:11*,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that.”

Never forget that. I like this emphasis from the Voice translation. Remembering God has a plan brings peace, even when we can’t see His plan.

Fear doesn’t fight fair, but fear always discounts the power of God.

The Lord is my light and the One Who saves me. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom should I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1 NLT

If I focus on other people or the cause of my concern, I might lose courage. But if I keep my eyes on the Lord, I find His strength. As I submit to Him, fear has to flee and I continue to walk with hope in the heart and joy to the soul.

*Voice translation

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