Begin with Prayer ~ Lord, sometimes I am afraid…of the future, of the dark, of things beyond my control. But I hang onto Your words…Don’t be afraid. I am claiming Your admonition to “Be Strong and Courageous.” Thank You for Your words of encouragement.
When I saw him, I fell at
his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said,
"Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I
died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and
the grave. Revelation 1:17-18
Meditate. Fear?
Of what are you afraid? It is intuitive here that John was afraid…and Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid!” In the King James Version of the Bible this phrase is translated as “Fear not.” If you were having this vision that John had, would you have been afraid? I’m sure I would have been!
Don’t be afraid!” “Fear not.” Where else in the Bible can we see that phrase? It actually occurs in about seventy verses in the New Living Translation and 144 times in the KJV. The first mention of “Fear not” is found in the Lord speaking to Abhram, interestingly enough, also in a vision.
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in
a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great
reward. Genesis 15:1 KJV
Some time later, the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and
said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your
reward will be great." Genesis 15:1 NLT
The next time we hear God speaking
about not being afraid is when He spoke to Hagar when Sarah and Abraham cast
her and her son, Ishmael, out into the desert. They sent them away so that
Ishmael would not have an inheritance along with Abraham and Sarah’s son of
promise, Isaac.
But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called
to Hagar from heaven, "Hagar, what's wrong? Do not be afraid! God has
heard the boy crying as he lies there.” Genesis 21:17 NLT
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| Do you have courage to cross-- the Jordan River? Near the headwaters of the Jordan. |
Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched,
he said to him, "Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people
into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors he would give them. You
are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. Do not be
afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He
will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you." Deuteronomy
31:7-8 NLT (Underlined for emphasis.)
Another wonderful example not
being afraid is when Jesus’ disciple were out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.
A terrible storm came up and they were afraid—but then Jesus came walking
across the water to them. He climbed into the boat and the Sea became calm. He
said to them…
"Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage!
I am here!" Mark 6:50b
He was declaring Himself as the great I AM! Did they hear what He was saying?
As we face trials daily and as we
will face spiritually challenging times ahead that will certainly test the
depth of our relationship with the Lord, we must be strong and courageous.
Where do we get our courage? I think, it comes to us from the Lord through the
Holy Spirit. Read your Bible carefully—and examine truths and Bible themes for
yourself. What is God saying to you today?
You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of
the Lord is near. James 5:8
Verse of Salvation ~ A psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1
Memory Verse of the Week ~ “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
The Authorized Version or King
James Version (KJV), 1611, 1769.
Outside of the United Kingdom, the KJV is in the public domain. Within the
United Kingdom, the rights to the KJV are vested in the Crown.
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