Fear | Day 2
Proverbs 1:7; 2 Timothy 1:7; Deuteronomy 3:22; Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Psalms 37:4; Psalms 56:4; Psalms 118:6
Please comment below with your conversation with God and/or insights from today’s Scriptures.
You can answer the following:
What are the Scriptures telling you about fear?
How is God wanting you to deal with the spirit of fear?
What’s your prayer to God concerning fear?
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Community Conversation | Day 2 | Fear
Choosing the Right Fear | Lemuel Ayudtud
Not all fears are equal. There is a fear that leads us to wisdom and there is a fear that leads us into doubt and dread. Which fear will you chose? is the question.
Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This type of fear is a reverential one. It’s one that leaves us in awe and amazement. (Click here for a deeper study in this type of fear.) Because our sense of God’s awesomeness and power, we are moved to reflect on who we are compared to Who He is, leading us to a life of wisdom revealed through righteous choices and thinking. (Check out David’s psalm on this very thing.)
The alternate to godly and wisdom-producing fear is the fear that brings dread and doubt. It’s a fear that cripples us from moving and reaching. It makes us timid. It’s a fear that God does not give us. (2 Timothy 1:7.) It is counter to the gifts that God’s Spirit gives us: soundness of mind, power, love, self discipline.
When we allow this fear to take over, we find ourselves wrecked with doubt, powerless to do what we know we’re capable of doing, and being afraid of even others to the point that we can’t love them as Christ calls us to.
What’s the answer?
This type of fear is overcome through delighting in God. Standing assured or as Paul said, “persuaded,” or fully convinced that if God is for us, nothing can get between us and His promises.
When we understand that God is with us, as written in Psalms 118:6, we will not be afraid. We know and understand that no weapon formed against us will prosper. And if the enemy comes in like a flood, God will raise a response against it for us! Hallelujah!
Lord, teach us to fear You. Help us to know that when we reverence You in that awestruck-type of fear, then the fear that causes us dread will leave us. Help us, Lord, to embrace Your sweet confidence that comes from trusting You. You are our help. You are our shield. You are our Champion. You have fought for us and have won! We thank You and celebrate Your victory for us and power in our lives. In Your Name, Jesus, we pray, amen.
