Page 022 - What Do You Fear?

*Verses from AMP

"And Jesus said to Simon, Have no fear; from now on you will be catching men!" (Amp: Luke 5:10)

The problem with fear is that it is always lurking in the shadows. Everyone has those hidden places where fear reigns and inhibits them from carrying out God's purpose. Sometimes our fears are so overwhelming that we allow them to dictate our lives to the detriment of ourselves and others. The Lord has come to stop this trend and to relieve us from the greatest fear of them all: death---"Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to naught and make of no effect him who had the power of death--that is, the devil"--(Amp: Hebrews 2:14)

To our dismay there are more immediate fears we must deal with day by day. It may involve a personal weakness, difficult relatives, a shaky occupation, a volatile marriage, disobedient children, financial woes, etc. You may wonder why the Lord would not just remove these heartaches. If He did, you would not grow up into Him in all things (Ephesians 4:15). The Lord wants to be real to us in the very areas we fear the most.

He wants to prove Himself to us and make His word practical to us according to what He has spoken: "For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not [a]adjusted and [b]adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will ways] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently" (Amp: 1 Corinthians 10:13). Similarly, Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice."