FEAR NOT!

In Matthew 24, Jesus was teaching his disciples and when his disciples asked him when the difficulties will happen and its significance to his second coming, He told them "...“Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.  Nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come".
Mattew 24:4-8 (NLT)

"And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.- Matthew 4:6 (NLT)"

In verse 6, Jesus did not promise a trouble-free life. There are several scriptures that tell us not to have fear. The Bible teaches that the Spirit of God in us is not that of fear. 

Fear in its nature is bad for your health in general. One of the effects of fear especially when prolonged is it weakens your immune system and can cause cardiovascular damage, gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome, and decreased fertility.  It can lead to accelerated ageing and even premature death.

Fear also has a detrimental effect on our brain processing and reactivity, among others. 

 The best way to fight fear is to build faith. And the best way to build faith is through the Word of God. If you are facing hard and uncertain times, you can be encouraged to press on knowing that you are an overcomer! Use the 5 Bible verses below about having faith in hard times to lift your spirits and share with others questioning God's goodness.

1. So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 |NLT|
When you’re in fear of a situation, really envision God saying this to you personally, yeah, you! No matter the situation, do not panic and do not be afraid because God our creator is personally with you in every step of the way. 

2. But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Isaiah 43:1-2 |NLT|
God stresses so much on "fear not" because he knows we will be facing perilous situations which will demand that our spirits be uplifted and not broken. God actually calls us by His name - you know what that means? It has the same meaning as namesake or reputation. When a manufacturer produces a product and places his/her logo on it, it means the manufacturer has placed his/her integrity in the product. So what this implies is that the manufacturer guarantees that the product will succeed. This is the same with God. God calls us by His name and we are His, therefore, we can face our fears and be guaranteed that He who made us is with us. 

3. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17 |NLT|
Always remember this verse whenever you're in difficulties. God loves you! God did not send his Son to come and die in vain. Always declare; "it was because of me that Jesus came, and so God won't save me only to leave me to fail". 

4. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. 1 Peter 5:7-9 |NLT|
Remember "the best way to fight fear is to build faith. And the best way to build faith is through the Word of God". Be strong in your faith which is the opposite of fear. Remember that whatever you're going through, you're not alone. You cannot pay your rent? It is not only you who cannot pay your rent. You are afraid of sickness? remember you're not the only one. Are your friends laughing at you because you believe in God? don't forget you're not the only one. What you must do is to build up your faith and you'll have a clear vision as to what God wants you to do about the situation. Fear doesn't solve problems. 

5. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 |NLT|
Let us not forget God is God. It is He who made us and we did not make ourselves. When faced with a bad situation, seek the face of God - pray! It is important as humans to make sure we're doing the will of the one who made us. Let us not complain when faced with challenges but rather let us channel all our frustrations into prayer. God is your maker and your father - it is in our best interest to have a personal relationship with him so that we do not lose our faith. "And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death. Revelations 12:11 |AMP|

REMEMBER; to face your fear, you need to build your faith.

God bless you as you have read this. Share it with your friends and loved ones to help them increase their faith to face their fears.

I'd like to recommend a good book on faith to you called Faith secrets. You can get it at http://daghewardmillsbooks.org/eng/. This exciting and in-depth study on the subject of ‘faith’ is sure to be of interest to anyone whose desire is to please God. For, without faith it is impossible to please God, the Bible says.