06/05/2025
Repeat this after me: “I will not be afraid today. My God stands with me, and in trusting this, I fear nothing.” Are we facing the world courageously with Yahweh, our God, or are we fearfully alone? Do we come up against trouble and then begin seeking God and Jesus Christ out of our desperation? Well, try walking with Them before hardship arrives! As human beings, our personal will saddles us with the desire to do things on our own. We find that we are plagued by the desire to face everything ourselves. Does this describe you and how you place your will first as you travel through life? In certain circumstances you might find worldly success on your own, but in the long run you will not… it will become a death sentence.
““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 7:21 ESV
“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV
A couple of my children were particularly hardheaded and always wanted to do things on their own. Even as babies they would take the spoon from my hand and try to feed themselves. Then, as adolescents they would want to operate the television by themselves... well... you get the picture! You may have a child like this too. Dealing with such children can be excruciatingly frustrating and trying. As they attempt to find their favorite show among hundreds of channels you want to snatch the remote from their hand and go directly to it. God must feel that way when we take the figurative remote from Him and try to guide our own lives. It must grate on His nerves as He waits for us to give up, or come against insurmountable hardship, before calling on Him. Wouldn't it make more sense to move through life in concert with Him as we go? Shouldn’t we make our will subject to His, and always obey it as Jesus did?
“saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”
Luke 22:42-43 ESV
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
Hebrews 13:5-6 KJV
God is indeed our helper, but so often we face the world alone and seek Him only as a last resort; only calling upon Him for help or salvation when we have reached the end of our wits. By leaning on our own understanding we can find ourselves in particularly bad spots and in desperation begin to search God's Word as we try to make something written there fit our troubling circumstance. Pastor Oswald Chambers acknowledged this frailty in us when he wrote...
"Are you learning to say things after listening to God, or are you saying things and trying to make God's Word fit in? Get hold of the Father's Say-so, and then say with good courage - "I will not fear."" - Oswald Chambers
Life becomes smoother when we maintain a continuous conversation with Jesus as we travel through our days. Some trouble will have an obvious solution, while other situations will be avoided all together. God's Holy Word isn't so much like the instructions that come with our television, which we flip through to find a section on common problems and fixes when the set goes on the fritz. It is more like a travel guide that instructs us every step along the way of our pilgrimage through life and tells us how to travel and form a relationship with Him. Just like prayerfully seeking God's will for us in the morning of every day, His Holy Word warns us beforehand so that we can identify impending trouble and handle it I advance or avoid it altogether.
Do you talk with God all day long? Do you work with Him to do His bidding, and allow Him to help you in yours? Do you have a partnership in which He is the senior partner, or do you treat Him like a repairman that you only call on dire occasions? Don't be like the Israelites in the desert who feared death because of a lack of faith and trust in God. Let’s listen to their voices, full of fear, as the pharaoh's army closes in on them…
“And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?”
Exodus 14:11 KJV
No, we should be more like Enoch who walked with God all his life, and feared not because of his trust in the Lord. His life was full and God's peace was upon him...
“And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
Genesis 5:22-24 KJV
If we consult with our Heavenly Father in all things, we will find His counsel sufficient, and His deliverance from our troubles to be perfect. When we trust in Him then we can face the world each day without fear, and confident of how our days will end.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”
Psalms 34:19 KJV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for walking each day with me. I thank you for your wise counsel and unwavering defense against all harm. I thank you for revealing your will to me and for the faith it takes to abide within it. Holy Father you are my strength and my courage. In you I fear nothing; not even death can defeat me. Guide me as you did your Son Jesus Christ. Wake me early in the morning and call me away to a quiet place where I can be still in your presence and know you for who you are... my God. Stand by me in the face of trouble and let your Word be my shield and your strong right arm my defense against every enemy. In you Father I fear nothing, for all things are subject to you, and nothing can stand against your might. I praise you for your strength. I praise you for your wisdom. But I praise you especially for your unwavering Love and faithfulness that awaits me patiently as I overcome my will and make it subject to yours. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who reigns forever and ever over all things, and who by grace and mercy sent your Son Jesus to redeem me and to lead me throughout my life so that I will stand perfected in your eternal presence… made righteous and holy by following the gospel of Jesus, trusting in the truth of your Word, and remaining always in the guiding light of your will. Guide my every step Father that my life will please you and glorify you in all its ways.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, and Amen!
“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
1 John 2:17 ESV
“And stretching out his [Jesus’s] hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:49-50 ESV
Rich Forbes