Are you afraid ?

Job was a man of God. Even the Lord spoke of him with respect: "...Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8).




The cause of Job's suffering has been long debated. I once read that he suffered because he wasn't a faithful tither. I respect all opinions, but Job himself diagnosed the cause of his suffering: "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me." (Job 3:25).



Understand this: Fear is an open door for the devil to enter into a person's life. Close this door with the Word of God. Pay attention to Biblical declarations that will help you in this endeavor. "The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27:1). When the Word of the Lord lights up your heart--when it guides you--you are not afraid. The Word brings you security. When, in times of sickness, you boldly say "Get out! I was healed by Jesus' wounds!", what you are saying is the Word of God that is in your heart.



In Proverbs 1:33 we read more about this higher understanding: "but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm." This shows us that a person who pays attention to the Word believes what the Lord said, and is not afraid.



In Isaiah 41:10, the Lord says: "So do not fear, for I am with you." But when is He with you? When the Word is in your heart. The prophecy affirms: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means--,"God with us." (Matthew 1:23). Jesus is God with us, and He is the word that was made flesh and lived among us. When one walks with the Word that reveals itself through his or her spirit, this person is not afraid.



Just look at the Biblical examples of those who did not fear because they relied on the Lord in times of adversity: David facing Goliath (1 Samuel 17:40-52); Hezekiah, when he was threatened by Sennacherib (2 Chronicles 32:1-8); Elisha when he was surrounded by the Syrian army (2 Kings 6:14-18). All declared, in accordance with the Holy Book, that greater is the one who is with us--"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)--and greater is that which dwells within us (1 John 4:4). Yes, this is to walk with love, since true love is to walk with the Word, and this drives out all fear (1 John 4:18).



The Bible says that fear is a spirit (2 Timothy 1:7). God however did not give us this spirit of fear, but instead gave us a spirit of power, love, and moderation. When fear arises, resist with the Word of God, and it will flee.



May God bless you, and may you walk in the love of God with boldness testifying that you are free of the fear of evil, because that which is greater is that which dwells within us.