So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic… For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. ~Deuteronomy 31:6

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 31:8

When God repeats Himself, it’s not because He’s forgetful. It’s for a reason. It’s a big hint to listen up. These verses in Deuteronomy were words God spoke shortly before the Israelites entered into their new land, through a covenant agreement drawn up with God, signed and sealed forever. There were battles to win and huge obstacles to overcome, good reasons to brace themselves against fear.

Fear is our greatest enemy. It is our natural response to bad news, be it national, familial, or personal. The Doctor informs you, you have a disease. Fear swells and overwhelms.

God instructs us to manage our fears through a careful knowledge of His love and power. We must study to understand His character in order to have the wherewithal to resist fear. We have concrete knowledge of scary things like cancer, alcoholism, national tensions, bankruptcy, and all sorts of disasters, but if we do not feed our knowledge of who God is, what His power can accomplish, and how much He cares about us, we cannot win over our fears. They will ultimately overwhelm and consume us and disable our power to continue living as He would have us live. Let’s pray today that our knowledge of God would grow bigger than our fears. That we would conquer our fears with His help and that fear would no longer render us helpless, unproductive, and useless in this world. After all, we have a calling. And only when we allow fear to win will we disqualify ourselves from fulfilling that calling.

My Father,

Teach me of Your power and love and willingness to deliver me from every disaster and challenge I face. Transform my fearful mind into a mind that is strong and emotions that willingly receive your reckless love for me everyday. I lift my face to You today. Wipe away my tears and fears. Give me courage as I learn more and more of Your power to embrace me and strengthen me through Your great love for me. Open my eyes and ears to your Word as I dig into it. Feed me on it, for I am hungry for You.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen