This is a guest post by Melissa A. Harrison

Fear Behind My Silence

So, I finally sat down at my desk.

The Lord has been nudging me to start writing, but I’ve been too afraid to do it.

My inaction, disobedience actually, didn’t present itself as fear but as busyness. I’d told myself there were more important things I needed to take care of first. Then, I said, “I don’t have anything to say.” And if I did, no one would listen. At that moment the Lord revealed to me that what I’d been experiencing was the fear of man. I was so concerned with the opinion of others that I was willing to disobey God.  Unfortunately, this isn’t a new struggle for me. Fear of man has been a constant companion of mine since I was young.

But that’s another story for another day.

A Simple Task, A Divine Interruption

And now I am sitting down at my desk. My intention was just to tidy it up, but the Lord had other plans. I picked up my Bible to move it to another place on my desk. It was open to Hebrews from some earlier studying I was doing. I flipped to chapter 13, looking for something to encourage someone else. The chapter heading reads, “The Changeless Christ.”  My eyes landed on verse 6, “. . . so that we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’”

I had to ask myself if I believed what I’d read.

Faith, which is trust, and fear are opposite poles. If a man has the one, he can scarcely have the other in vigorous operation. He that has his trust set upon God does not need to dread anything except the weakening or the paralyzing of that trust. – Alexander MacLaren

Equipped by the God of Peace

I kept reading to verses 20 and 21, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

The phrase “God of peace” is one of God’s titles.  God established peace between Himself and man.  Ephesians 2:13-16 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace; who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, it having put to death the enmity.”

The Choice Not to Fear

The God of Peace has given us ultimate and unfailing peace.

In John 14:27, Jesus Himself said to us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

The word translated “fearful” in that verse is only used once and it means to be cowardly or timid. When I consider that definition, along with the word “let” in the last sentence, it tells me that I have the ability to allow fear and timidity to rule in my heart – or not.

It all comes down to whether I choose to believe it.

Fear is the response of the human heart when its one thing is threatened. – Augustine of Hippo

God Has Given Us Everything We Need

Among my favorite books in the Bible are First and Second Peter.

Second Peter 1:2-3 is a wonderful reminder of God’s meticulous care for us: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

The Lord’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.

The word “everything” means all and every—literally everything pertaining to life and godliness. The question is whether or not I choose to believe it.  And, if I choose to believe it, then, it will require me to respond in faith.

An Invitation to Respond in Faith

Now, what does it mean to respond to what I profess to believe?

Well, for me, responding in faith meant sitting down at my desk and writing these words.

Dear friend, what is the Lord wanting you to respond to in faith today?  What are you choosing to believe today—meaning right now?

May I encourage you to choose to believe God? He is faithful and will equip you for every good work to do His will. Take the first step. Confess any sinful fear to Him and repent. His forgiveness is waiting and His power will give you courage to respond obediently in faith.

Let us hold fast to the truth of Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject to a yoke of slavery.”

His Yoke Is Easy, His Burden Light

Galatians 5:1 isn’t the first time in Scripture that we see the word “yoke.”

We see it in a very familiar passage, Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy- laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”

When we fear anything more than we fear the Lord, it weighs us down. Conversely, when we love anything more than we love the Lord, there is no rest.

There is only enslavement and the wearying work of trying to garner the favor of a god of our own making.

The Lord Is My Helper—Whom Shall I Fear?

But there is hope!

Remember Hebrews 13:6?—“. . . so that we confidently say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.,” Choose to believe God who raised Jesus from the dead, instead of fearing man, who cannot save you.

“Now the God of peace who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 3:20-21).