To my brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus

May the grace and peace of God our Father, and of Jesus our Lord be with you, as you read and hear the words of this letter. Allow me to exhort you on not being afraid of what the day may bring. Psalms 118:5,6 reads

Psalms 118:5,6 – Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Generally, we are afraid because what may come is not what we desire. If we just had some medical tests performed because some strange mass was discovered in our body, we are afraid that the test results will show that the mass in question is cancerous. If we just landed a first job interview after a long period of unemployment, we are afraid that we might not get an offer. Fear feeds on the fact that there are outcomes that we desire and others that we do not.

Fear of the unknown is a natural feeling, for it is the product of us being sinful human. Not just human, but sinful human. And therefore, it is accepted as the norm. The first time we encounter fear in the Bible is right after Adam and Eve sinned. Once sin entered them, they experienced fear. Listen to Adam answering God, when he heard Him coming.

Genesis 3:10 – And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Therefore, fear feels natural, because it has been with us since the very first man, Adam. But while fear is IN us, it is NOT OF us. Fear is of Sin! Now look at what God did. He tells us that He has given you and me a Spirit, and He wants us to know that one key aspect of that Spirit is that He is NOT a Spirit of fear.

1 Timothy 1:6,7 – For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,…, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Do not be afraid of the outcome, not matter how dreadful it is. But if we go by what we have just read, we also understand that fear cannot simply be wished away. Fear is defeated when one relies on the Spirit that God gave us. That is the only way fear will be eradicated in our lives. This is the case because that Spirit will convict our heart that all things works for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). Suffering, pain and undesirable outcomes can all come, but the person who walks by the Spirit, the person who loves God will be able to walk without fear, for he or she will be convinced that everything is for his or her good, although it may not appear so at the time.

Therefore my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, hear, HEAR the words of God, for this is how you will be able to believe them. Hear the words of God, when He says that as opposed to the rest of the world, you have been given a way out of fear, a Spirit, not of fear, but of power, love and self-control. In all things, good and bad, exercise yourself to giving glory to God for He cares for you. He cares for you individually as His child.

Trust Him, Hear Him, Pray to Him, Read Him, continuously, and you will find yourself walking powerfully in the Spirit, and seeing fear, the weapon of sin, gradually defeated in your life.

In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.