Moses died at age 120 following decades of faithful service to God. That left his successor,  Joshua, and the tribes of Israel staring at the Jordan River and the Promised Land beyond it. God encouraged Israel’s new leader.

” ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them…’ ” (Joshua 1:2, NKJV).

Joshua was to lead his nation to occupy a tract of land whose inhabitants didn’t want to relinquish it. What a gargantuan task. God asked Joshua a question, then made him a promise.

” ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go’ ” (Joshua 1:9, NKJV).

Today, we find ourselves staring at assignments or undertakings that overwhelm us. The tasks ahead of each of us differ from Joshua’s mission, but the same God oversees our  future. The same God is ready to guide our steps.

God Plans Certain Steps for Us

Joshua needed courage. He’d taken thousands of God-guided steps up to that point. He needed to trust God to keep leading him forward with favor.

Years later, David would state from experience, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives” (Psalm 37:23, NLT).

Throughout the Bible, this truth is evident: God assigns His servants jobs we can’t accomplish without Him.

The steps God plans for us are all part of His big plan. Billions of obedient followers were and are needed to carry it out. We don’t have to see all the parts of the puzzle. Like Joshua, God wants us to be courageous in taking each next step, no matter how small or large, as He makes it real to us.

God Prepares Us to Take the Steps 

Joshua served well as Moses’ assistant. Step by step, he served God by serving Moses for most of the 40 years Israel traveled through the wilderness.

Bit by bit, God prepared Joshua. His courage grew as he went. Only Joshua was allowed to be on part of Mt. Sinia while Moses experienced God’s presence at the top. Although not raised as a warrior, God dispatched Joshua to win a battle against Amalek. Joshua bravely stood for truth (along with Caleb) against the ten scouts who insisted Israel wouldn’t survive in the very land God had promised them.

Whatever steps God plans for us to take, He prepares us before we take them.

God Customizes Our Steps

Replacing Moses must have concerned Joshua. There’s no way he could have filled Moses’ sandals. But God didn’t call him to. Moses was Israel’s lawgiver and intercessor. Joshua would be Israel’s military leader. Moses’ phase of service ended at the Jordan River. Joshua’s service as a leader began there.

God calls us, not to be anyone else, only who we are. He gives us opportunities because we’re who He wants to use in a certain place at a certain time. It’s our time because He’s planned our steps and prepared us to take them.

When God leads us to a door and opens it, He’ll guide us step by step after we’ve walked through it.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8, ESV).

Are you ready for your next step? Be courageous! Move forward with God’s favor.

The road ahead:

1. You can prepare for unknown future steps. To prepare for emergencies in the dark you stock up on flashlights. If the electricity in your home goes out or automotive trouble finds you stranded on the side of the road at night, a flashlight is your friend. But only if the flashlight contains up-to-date batteries. True readiness for any task begins, not with your skills or abilities, but with the condition of your heart. You’re ready for the next step as long as your spiritual batteries are up-to-date.
2. Are you standing at a door God has led you to? Rather than seeing the enormity of the task, see the greatness of God. Dwell on the fact that He leads you. Dwell on the fact that He’s prepared you. Focus on a future He’s customized for you based on everything He’s developed in you up to now.

Further Fuel: Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 3:5-6.

Biblical illiteracy is a problem in America. Within American churches, it may not be about not reading the Bible, but more a matter of fully comprehending its teachings.

I hear Christians misquote and misapply the scriptures. They’ve read the words on the surface of the page but failed to plunge deeper. Many allow other voices to interpret for them. To prevent such mistakes, the following five practices turn Bible reading into Bible Study.

Saturate Your Reading with Prayer

Start praying before you start reading. Anticipate God’s desire to communicate to you. As you read whisper a prayer for clarity of thought. After reading, request God’s help in obeying His word.

Sit in the Original Audience

Parts of the Bible can be confusing. Remember that no matter what part of God’s word you read from, it was written thousands of years ago.

It’s natural to want to insert 21st-century thinking. But we can’t assume. The Bible includes centuries of cultural change. We’re far removed from understanding everything the original audience understood.

Some think the Apostle Paul hated women. There are cultural reasons for things he said. But a closer reading of his epistles shows that he valued women. Some were his co-workers or women he honored (for instance, Lydia, Priscilla, Claudia, and Phoebe).

Translators try to bridge the gap. Bible publishers offer footnotes and other resources. Bible handbooks, Bible encyclopedias, and commentaries draw us closer to sitting in the original audience.

Explore Every Room 

Don’t treat any Bible verse as the only room in the house. Study the rooms connected to it. If you choose a room in the middle of the house, go back to the front door and walk toward the room you chose. Then continue through the house.

Reading verses out of context leads to erroneous conclusions about God. Cults and other groups owe much of their odd theology to good Bible verses taken out of context.

You need the entire house. The Bible did not originally have chapter breaks, but reading a chapter from start to finish will prevent a lot of confusion.

Stay in the Neighborhood 

The initial reading of only the first chapter of Jonah may lead to a wrong conclusion: that he died in the fish’s stomach after three days. Nor should reading stop after Ninevah’s revival in chapter three. That would neglect a revealing part of the book.

There’s plenty to miss when quitting part-way through a longer book of the Bible. A book with 30 chapters or more is like a neighborhood full of admirable architecture. If you exit a block too soon, you’ll miss some grand elements of God’s design He wants you to discover.

When you’ve read the book of Numbers leading up to the story of Balaam, he and his talking donkey make sense. But they don’t appear until chapter 22 out of the 36. In Isaiah, the great Messianic references are peppered throughout its 66 chapters. They’re worth continued reading.

Stay in the neighborhood until you’ve seen all of it’s exquisite wonders. You’ll be glad you did.

Take it Personally

If you’re reading a narrative of events, ask yourself, “What if I was the main character in this account?” or “What if I was watching from the sidelines?”

What about Zacchaeus, the short tax-collector who cheated his fellow townspeople and climbed up a tree to see Jesus? How can I relate to his story? I’m not short. I’m not a tax-collector. I don’t swindle my neighbors. Nor do I climb trees. But I can relate to him.

When Jesus went to his house, Zacchaeus became repentant. Jesus forgave him. Jesus concluded, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10, NKJV). I read about Zacchaeus and recognize my own need to repent.

The right question is always, “How does this scripture apply to my life right now?”

The Road Ahead:

1. In the warmer seasons, both butterflies and bees collect pollen from flowers. Butterflies skirt around the surface of a flower. They don’t leave with much. Bees go deeper. They emerge from inside a flower covered with pollen. This year, will you commit to being a bee rather than a butterfly when it comes to your Bible reading?
2. To strengthen your next Bible reading, choose one or more of the following to focus on— saturate your reading with prayer, sit in the original audience, explore every room, stay in the neighborhood, and take it personally.

Further Fuel: II Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119:105; James 1:25.

 

By 1992, Rich Mullins had stood in the limelight as a Christian songwriter and singer for over a decade. Others had recorded his songs. Most notably, Amy Grant (Sing Your Praise to the Lord and Doubly Good to You). His best-remembered song is Awesome God, which CCM Magazine placed at the top of the list in its book, 100 Greatest Songs in Christian Music. Twenty-five years ago, Christians were discovering Sometimes by Step.

Good choices

The song Sometimes by Step crawled before it could walk. It became Rich’s most successful song from the album The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume Two. But it began in embryonic form the year before. For the 1991 album The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One, a child started the simple chorus titled Step By Step as both the opening and closing tracks.

Rich’s friend Beaker wrote the original chorus. Rich later tweaked it and expanded it to create the full song. (Compare the lyrics for Step by Step and for Sometimes by Step)

He explained the song in an interview for CCM Magazine. Rich said that life’s biggest problem is that it’s so “daily! But every day we have the chance to make the right choices, one at a time, step by step.”

From baby steps to giant steps

Life sometimes seems to move slowly. It can feel monotonous, predictable, non-productive. But on those same-as-the-day-before days, we make choices that matter. In Sometimes by Step Rich connects our spiritual walk with Abraham. The patriarch took millions of steps during the years he waited for the son God promised. He kept walking and trusting.

Abraham was patient. We also know him as a man of prayer. The first chorus of the song says, “I will seek You in the morning.” The second chorus adds, “And step by step You’ll lead me.” Abraham walked that kind of faith. Rich Mullins admitted to walking it. Every Christian needs that level of prayer and patience.

The first and the final chorus share the phrase, “And I will follow You all of my days.” That statement of faith becomes the key phrase, repeated over and over in the final chorus. Rich understood that it must daily be the renewed resolve of every Christian’s heart. One we constantly confess to God while taking the giant step in a life of baby steps.

Since 1992

Rich lead as he followed God. He wrote and sang meaningful, straight-forward lyrics about Christianity, which he believed and lived. His honesty touched those who heard his songs. His lyrics and life influenced his peers.

In 1995, Rich moved to Arizona to teach music to children living on a Navajo reservation. That seemed to fit his sense of humble service to God.

His voice and pen have been silent for the past 20 years. Rich died in a car accident on September 19, 1997. The impact of Rich’s steps, following God, lives on.

The Road Ahead:

1. Are you facing the frustration of one more same-as-the-day-before day? Don’t despair. Each day you mark off on your calendar gets you one-day closer to the change you need. Focus on the best choices you can make this day. One at a time. Restate your faith to God: “I will follow You all of my days.”
2.  No matter where the path leads, God is using it to get you to where you need to be. He’s always working behind the scenes in ways we can’t see right now. To fully prepare for whatever this day holds (clear path or muddy) start the day by seeking God. Then, end the day by thanking Him.

Further Fuel: Psalm 37:23; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 16:24.

 Hear Rich Mullins sing Sometimes by Step on YouTube.

What worships songs does your church sing the Sunday after a severe natural disaster or a numbing act of violence? Usually, ones that speak of trusting God. But how many songs acknowledge life at its worst while professing reliance on God?

“Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt and Beth Redman does. [Full lyrics]

When Matt and Beth married, they already knew life could be difficult. By the end of 2002, they’d watched the devastation of September  11, 2001, and they’d read the book of Job. The song that flowed from them afterward is as a statement of true faith.

Pain and Suffering

Christians aren’t exempt from suffering. The bridge of the song emphasizes that truth with words from the mouth of Job. Following his successive loss of livestock, servants, and children, Job didn’t curse God. He fell to the ground and worshiped the giver and taker of life.

“And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21, NKJV).

Of course, we prefer the song’s celebration of God’s blessings. The phrases, “Where Your streams of abundance flow” and “When the sun’s shining down on me” clearly depict God’s best for His followers. We welcome “Every blessing You pour out.”

But our faith doesn’t prevent us from admitting that we live through other aspects of life. We can all relate to “When I’m found in the desert place,” and “On the road marked with suffering.”

The song’s overall tone is one only God’s followers can understand: that we can trust Him no matter what happens. The chorus repeatedly ascribes blessings to God’s name, concluding with, “Blessed be Your glorious name.”

Since 2002

“Blessed Be Your Name” caught on quickly. Worship leaders and worshipers alike embraced the song’s honesty. It remains relevant year after year as national tragedies outdo previous ones and as Christians continue to know “the desert place” as well as “streams of abundance.”

In 2005, “Blessed Be Your Name” was named the Dove Award winner for Worship Song of the Year. From then to now, Matt Redman has received 11 additional Dove Awards and two Grammys.

Worship songs wax and wane in popularity. However, 15 years after it was written, “Blessed Be Your Name” is still listed among the top 20 songs churches report singing most often, according to CCLI.

The Road Ahead:

1. When facing your life’s worst situations, do you question God? Or do you rest in faith that the One who knows every minute of the future still loves you and has everything under control? The next time the sun doesn’t seem to be shining down on you, sing or pray your way through the song’s lyrics.
2. God doesn’t only give. He also takes. He takes our confessed sin, surrendered worries, fears, pride, and habits. He wants to remove from our lives anything we substitute for Him. What’s in your life right now that you should want God to take in exchange for the blessing He’d like to replace it with?

Further Fuel: Matthew 5:45; II Corinthians 12:9; Matthew 16:24-15.

 Hear Matt sing “Blessed Be Your Name” on YouTube.

Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, gives an incredible statistic in his book, The Unchurched Next Door.  He says that as high as 82 percent of those who don’t attend church are ‘somewhat likely’ to if invited. If so, then what are we waiting for?

Of course, not everyone who stops in on a Sunday morning needs an invitation. Some show up because they recently moved to town, some want to switch churches, and a few have a nagging feeling they should start attending somewhere. Whatever their reason, church planter J. David Eschleman shares this bit of wisdom: “Treat first time visitors as guests of God, not strangers.”

A Tale of Two Churches

One Sunday while on vacation, my wife and I visited two churches of our affiliation, which differed in how they treated guests.

That morning, we pulled into the parking lot of the church nearest to our motel. We looked forward to worshiping God. Upon entering, we saw no greeters. We entered the sanctuary and sat in a back pew. No one came around with a bulletin. No one welcomed us. Eventually, a woman stopped to say, “You’re sitting in my seat.” As guests, we felt invisible.

That evening, we attended a different church. My wife and I couldn’t have snuck into the service if we wanted. It wasn’t a small church with only a few people, but one with many families. From the moment we entered, everyone was friendly. After the service, they invited us to the dining hall for refreshments.

Putting out the Welcome Mat

Every church member should have the gift of hospitality. Here are a few suggestions for helping guests feel welcomed.

• Welcome Guests, Not Visitors

A “visitor” is a person who drops by without plans to return. They’re just visiting. Perhaps passing through on their way to somewhere else. A “guest” is someone who may or may not return, but you give them special attention as someone you’d like to see again.

Like Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the church’s welcoming mentality should be, “Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest.”

• Welcome Through Preparation

The single word that epitomizes being prepared for guests is “quality.”

A guest’s first impression may be made in the parking lot upon seeing others on their way inside or upon viewing the exterior of the church building. Are the greeters friendly and helpful? If a guest needs to visit the restroom or the nursery before the service, are those rooms easily accessible and clean? Does everything about the church say, “We’re glad you’re here?”

One statistic suggests that church guests make up their mind in the first ten minutes.

Along with the facilities and church workers, how does the service itself flow? A worship leader or minister should never appear unprepared. There are Sundays when we aren’t at our best, but there should be an overall feel of quality. Quality attracts people.

• Welcome With Sincerity

God has a big family. Not every church looks or acts alike, but all churches should have one thing in common. Every church—regardless which town, city, state, or country it’s in—should feel like part of the Christian family.

Every person who enters a church on any Sunday, believer, and nonbeliever, should be able to sense a desire for unity with other Christians. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, ESV).

That unpretentious love will touch all who enter the church on any Sunday. What are the evident signs? A friendly smile. A warm handshake. Authentic interest. And consistent treatment during and after the service. The result: if possible, the guest will return the following Sunday.

The Road Ahead:

1. Can you list five individuals who are candidates to invite to church? Not because they attend a different church than yours, but because they attend no church. Start a list, pray for God’s guidance, and start inviting them.
2. Some who walk through the church doors aren’t yet following Jesus. Their search may end in your church based in part on their very first visit. With that in mind, where is more quality needed to better communicate “We welcome you”? The facilities? The atmosphere of friendliness? The service presentation? Let those improvements begin this week.

Further Fuel: Matthew 25:35; Romans 12:13; Romans 15:7.

These 31 quotes by Christian leaders past and present are arranged in alphabetical order by subject (from Atonement to Witnessing).

ATONEMENT

“Friends, Jesus shed His precious blood to pay the price of salvation, and bought from God enough salvation to go around.” –William Booth

ATTITUDE

“Keep me from unkind words and from unkind silences.” –Peter Marshall

COURAGE

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” –Karle Wilson Baker

CRITICISM

“When I encounter opposition, I ask is God trying to show me something in this?” –Ed Dobson

DAY OF REST

“We do not rest because our work is done; we rest because God commanded it and created us to have a need for it.” –Gordan MacDonald

DEATH

“Our last day is our first day; our Saturday is our Sunday.” –John Donne

“Death is but the dark valley opening out into an eternity of delight with God. It is not something to fear, but an experience through which one passes on the path to a more perfect life.” –W. Philip Keller

ETERNITY

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” –C. S. Lewis

FLATTERY

“Flattery means saying to a person’s face what you would never say behind his or her back.” –R. Kent Hughes

FORGIVENESS

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” –C. S. Lewis

GOD THE CREATOR

“Everything I do as a scientist reinforces my sense of God’s presence because every new discovery is, if you believe in his role as creator, a glimpse into his mind.”   –Francis S. Collins (leader the Human Genome Project)

GOODNESS

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” –John Wesley

GUILT

“The purpose of guilt is to bring us close to Jesus.” –Corrie Ten Boom

HUMILITY

“Be humble or you’ll stumble.” –Dwight L. Moody

MARRIAGE

“Marriage is when you agree to spend the rest of your life sleeping in a room that’s too warm beside someone who’s sleeping in a room that’s too cold.” –?

OUR VALUE

“For religion, all men are equal, as all pennies are equal because the only value in any of them is that they bear the image of the King.” –G.K. Chesterton

PATIENCE

“A car’s headlights only shine for fifteen feet, but that fifteen feet will get you all the way home.” –John Ortberg

PRAYER

“Prayer and waiting are intrinsically linked, joined at the hip.” –Mark Buchanan

“I look at a stonecutter hammering away at a rock 100 times without so much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow, it splits in two. It was not the one blow that did it, but all that had gone before. So it is with persevering prayer.” –George Muller

“He does not answer every prayer on Sunday afternoon. You may have to wait until Friday. But wait. God is never in a hurry.” — Peter Marshall

“Make the default mental state a Godward longing.” –John Piper

“If we think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts, we think rightly. The blood flows ceaselessly, and breathing continues ceaselessly; we are not conscious of it, but it is always going on.” –Oswald Chambers

PREACHING

“The three essentials for great preaching are truth, clarity, and passion.” –G. Campbell Morgan

“How do I want my audience to think differently and then respond after my sermon or speech?” –Chuck Swindoll

RELATIONSHIPS

“Life is relationships: the rest is just details.” –Gary Smalley

REPENTANCE

“Repentance is a change of willing, of feeling and of living, in respect to God.” –Charles Finney

“Repentance, as we know, is basically not moaning and remorse, but turning and change.” –J. I. Packer

SUFFERING

“We discover the hidden value of suffering only by suffering — not as part of God’s original or ultimate plan for us, but as a redemptive transformation that takes place in the midst of trial.” –Philip Yancey

SURRENDER

“And when God asks us to do something, He doesn’t ask for one hand or one foot or one day. He asks for the complete you.” –Gladys Aylward

“Christ is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.” –J. Hudson Taylor

WITNESSING

“Real faith sharing comes not from compulsion, but from compassion.” –Leighton Ford

The servant of an old merchant living in Baghdad rushed home from the market, pallid and trembling. He told his master, “Down at the marketplace, I was jostled by a woman in the crowd. When I turned to see her, it was Death. She made a threatening gesture. Please lend me your horse. I will ride down to Samaria where she can’t find me.”

After the servant galloped away on the horse, the old merchant went to the market. When he saw Death standing in the crowd, he went up to her. He asked, “Why did you frighten my servant this morning by making a threatening gesture?” Death answered, “That wasn’t a threatening gesture. It was an expression of surprise. I didn’t expect to see him in Baghdad since I have an appointment with him tonight in Samaria.”

Every living person has an inescapable appointment with death.

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NKJV). None of us can escape the inevitable, but the person whose sins are forgiven need not fear death, nor what follows.

No Escape, But No Despair

When it comes to death, we all inherited two things from our original ancestors, Adam and Eve. The DNA for physical death (Ecclesiastes 12:7) and the DNA for spiritual death (Romans 3:23) We can escape one but not the other.

We escape spiritual death by repenting of our sins. We can escape physical death only by being alive when the Lord returns for His followers.

When our vital organs cease to function, we die physically, which opens the door to a second appointment. Our rendezvous to stand before God.

The Bible mentions two different judgments. The first is the Judgment Seat of Christ, for those whose sins are washed away in Jesus’ blood (Revelation 22:12; II Timothy 4:8). A Christian whose sins have already been judged, need not fear that appointment either. The other judgment is the Great White Throne Judgment (see below).

The Non-Grim Reaper 

The most common symbol for death is a black-cloaked skeleton holding a scythe and an hour glass. Depictions of the Grim Reaper cast fear into the hearts of many. There are two good reasons why death is not grim for a Christian.

• Eternal love.  In the 1800’s, Charles Spurgeon said, “When the time comes for you to die, you need not be afraid because death cannot separate you from God’s love.” Death tops the list of things mentioned in Romans 8:38-39 that cannot sever God’s love from the Christian.
• Eternal Life.  John Donne was the once-sinful poet of bawdy verse who became a Christian. Two centuries before Spurgeon, he gave this perspective on death: “Our last day is our first day; our Saturday is our Sunday.” He echoed the Apostle Paul (from about 50 AD): “Then we will be with the Lord forever” (I Thessalonians 4:17).

These truths about not fearing death (from the first century, the 1600s, and the 1800s) aren’t limited to any century. That death cannot separate us from God’s love and that death initiates living eternity with Jesus are reasons for Christians of every century not to fear death but to celebrate it.

Fearing the Pain of Death

The Psalmist David said, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil” (Psalm 23:4, ESV).

Sometimes, death is painful. History is strewn with examples of believers who’ve been martyred for their faith. If a Christian experiences pain while passing to the next life, the Lord’s presence will accompany that pain. That Christian will discover the reality of I Corinthians 15:55 (ESV): “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Like the Psalmist, W. Philip Keller was a shepherd. In A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, he said, “Death is but the dark valley opening out into an eternity of delight with God. It is not something to fear, but an experience through which one passes on the path to a more perfect life.”

The Only Thing to Fear

For many, the fear of death is the fear of standing before God.

A sermon preached in the summer of 1741  in Enfield, Connecticut seared that very fear into the minds of those who heard it. That warm night, Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He spoke of God dangling sinners over the flames of Hell like a spider on a fragile strand of gossamer. His listeners panicked, some with shrieks of fear, and readily repented of their sins.

It’s right for the non-Christian to fear both death and God’s judgment. Jesus warned, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:5, KJV).

The Great White Throne Judgment is reserved for those still living in their sins when they die. “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (II Thessalonians 1:9, NKJV).

Those who rightfully live in the fear of death can’t escape their God-given appointments any more than wicked King Ahab could escape his day of death. He tried to prevent it by entering a battle against Syria incognito. When an archer drew his bow, randomly firing it into the air, God directed the arrow into an opening in Ahab’s armor.

The only thing to fear is to not be ready to die prior to standing before God. But that’s not a concern for the Christian whose sins are forgiven.

The Road Ahead:

1. After becoming a believer, the best way not to fear death is to live close to Jesus as if every day might be your last. You’ll always be ready. With the Apostle Paul, you’ll be able to say, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NKJV). If you need to, draw closer to God today.
2. A Christian’s transition to eternity is always a win. You can face it with the grit of Lt. Col. William Travis during the siege of the Alamo. He knew Santa Anna’s troops would overtake the mission. Still, he ended a letter 11 days before it happened with, “Victory over death.” He began a postscript with the words, “The Lord is on our side.” To face any fear of death, write your own letter, re-wording the essence of Col. Travis’ optimism based on the verses in this post.

Further Fuel: Isaiah 41:10; II Corinthians 5:8; Psalm 116:15.

 

Much-Afraid is the name of the main character in the book Hinds’ Feet on High Places (1955) by Hannah Hurnard. It’s also the name of a minor character in Pilgrim’s Progress II (1684) by John Bunyan. Both Christian allegories admit that fear happens in a Christian’s life, but also that God doesn’t want us to live in fear. He doesn’t want anxiety to knock on our door, enter, and linger. He doesn’t want despair to take up residence in our thoughts. A prominent Biblical theme emerges. Throughout the Bible, God yokes together the words “Fear/not.”

Let’s look closer at what those words mean in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, when spoken by angels, Jesus, and the Apostles Peter and Paul.

“Fear Not” in the Old Testament

Don’t fear your known enemies. Israel frequently found themselves engaged in battle. Barbaric warfare led to gruesome deaths. God frequently told Israel not to be fearful when facing the enemy. Deuteronomy 20 opens with God assuring them that no soldiers, horses, nor chariots outnumbering them would be cause for alarm as long as He led the charge (Deuteronomy 20:1). God often repeated that promise.

Don’t fear your unknown future. God told various people that He had their futures in His hands. He consoled a displaced Hagar who thought she and her son, Ishmael, were bound to die (Genesis 21:17-18). He spoke peace to an aged Jacob’s troubled mind (Genesis 46:2-3). He strengthened the prophet Daniel who was in a weakened condition when it seemed God hadn’t heard his prayers (Daniel 10:18-19).

Through the Old Testament prophets, God re-emphasized both of these reasons for Israel not to fear.

“Fear Not” During Angelic Visits

In the Gospels, “Fear not” is often the introductory words of angels appearing to humans. Their message: No need to panic. The sudden appearance of an angel startled people. So the heavenly messengers prefaced their dispatches from God with the succinct phrase to bring calmness.

• It’s what an angel said to Zacharias in the temple (Luke 1:13).
• An angel told it to young Mary after he suddenly materialized (Luke 1:28-31).
• The angel appearing to shepherds on the Bethlehem hillside used the same words (Luke 2:9-11).
• An angel used the phrase to console the unsuspecting women at Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 28:5-7).

Fear, even panic, is often a natural immediate response to situations that bring an abrupt sense of threat. There’s a fitting Proverb for anyone of any century caught off-guard in that way: “Be not afraid of sudden fear.” (Prov. 3:25a, KJV).

In almost all of the examples above (from Old or New Testaments), when God relieved the fears of His followers, He gave them something to do. God refocused their attention from fearful thoughts to meaningful action.

 When Jesus said “Fear Not”

While on earth Jesus often told His disciples and others not to fear. For the disciples, He addressed fearful moments during their training as stepping stones to greater spiritual growth.  What things did Jesus mean when He said not to be afraid?

Trust God to provide for you. Like today, sparrows most likely outnumbered the human population in Jesus’ day. He told His listeners that God knows every time a sparrow falls to the ground. He added, “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31, NKJV).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used how well God sustains the flora and fauna as an example. He then said not to fear the uncertain future, for God will meet our needs here while getting us to His Heavenly kingdom (Luke 12:32).

Trust God to protect you. The day a severe storm on the Sea of Galilee caught the boatload of disciples off guard, Jesus told them not to be alarmed, but to trust Him (Matthew 8:26). William Barclay capsulized Jesus calming both the storm and the disciples: “In every storm that shakes the human heart there is peace with Jesus Christ.”

Trust God to help you. Jairus found Jesus and requested Him to come heal his dying daughter. En route, he witnessed Jesus healing the woman with the issue of blood. Then a servant rushed to Jairus with the report that his sick daughter had died. Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid; only keep on believing [in Me and my power]” (Mark 5:36, AMP).

Why Peter and Paul Could Say “Fear Not”

I once visited a woman in the hospital whose mind was constantly troubled. While I was there, her doctor stepped in. He told her “I have news for you. You’ll be going home soon.” She misinterpreted. As soon as he left, she turned to me and said, “Did you hear that? He said I’m going to die.”

The Apostles Peter and Paul learned that most things we fear are temporary situations. Both had lived through moments that could produce anxiousness. They advised their readers not to be distracted by troublesome thoughts.

• Peter had faith to walk on the water to Jesus. All went well until a rising wave caught his attention. Peter eventually did the best thing. “But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30, AMP).

Peter could later write, “casting all your anxieties on Him because he cares for you”         (I Peter 5:7, ESV).

• On a ship at sea during a raging storm, Paul, a chained prisoner of Rome, offered hope for the survival of everyone on board. He told the distraught passengers he’d heard from an angel: “Saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.” (Acts 27:24-25, NKJV ).

Paul could tell the Philippians to trust God’s provision: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, NKJV).  

The Road Ahead:

1. Don’t fear perplexing situations. Do you ever question God’s provision or His protection? The disciples did. Along with the previous examples, when Jesus found them hiding in the upper room, He spoke “peace” to their temporary situation (John 20:19).  Try this prayer: “Lord, please replace my fear about _________________________ _____________________________________________ with faith that you are in control.”
2. Don’t fear powerful people. If a peer or authority figure has made themself your enemy, instead of fearing their words or actions, pray this prayer: “Lord, please replace my fear of ___________________________________ with faith that you are in control.”  Then, listen to what God will have you do in place of feeling fearful.

Further Fuel: Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 28:20.

I was seven years old, lying in bed with a high fever, not thinking clearly. In the next room, my family watched a black and white Frankenstein movie. The townspeople had gathered to pursue and destroy the monster. I heard their angry voices. I saw the TV flickering on the wall next to me. In my fevered state, I imagined the mob wanted to capture me.

So many of our fears are not substance but shadow, fragments of imagination. Based on a speck of reality stuck in our minds but out of focus, fear grows, morphing into a strange, new creature. We feel unsafe.

When my son, Ian, was four, he loved to listen to us read the story of David and Goliath. He knew every detail. Unlike other children his age, he didn’t imagine a monster under his bed at night. Ian imagined a Philistine standing in his closet. No substance. Just shadow.

Old Testament Flights of Fear

Some people in the Old Testament who had every reason to trust God were sidetracked by fear. What they believed in those times were mere shadows.

• A shadow appeared in Abraham’s imagination: If King Abimelech knew Sarah was his wife, he would kill Abraham and take her for himself. So Abraham lied, calling her his sister. (Genesis 20:10-11).
• A shadow appeared in the imaginations of the Israelites recently freed from Egypt: The sea breeze on their backs and Pharoah’s army quickly approaching meant they were trapped and would die. So they panicked. (Exodus 14:10-11).
• A shadow appeared in the imaginations of the 10 Israelite spies: They let their dismal feelings of doom define the Promised Land. So they reported, “Next to them (the Canaanites), we felt like grasshoppers!” (Numbers 13:33)
• A shadow appeared in Elijah’s imagination: When Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him, he was as good as dead. So he fled. Quite a few miles later God asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  (I Kings 19:9).

Fear can lead us wrong directions. It plays tricks on our minds. Fear prevented Abraham from being honest. It stole hope from the Israelites whom God had miraculously freed from Egypt. It stymied the 10 spies from seeing the possibility of what God had already promised. It sent Elijah on an unnecessary jaunt for self-preservation.

Running From Reality 

But some fears are not imagined shadows. The Old Testament makes that clear. Instead of growing from fragments of our imaginations, they’re based on actual, previously unpleasant experiences. In those situations, we fear history will repeat itself or that something worse will happen.

Moses and Gideon faced that kind of fear.

Moses declined to return to Egypt to free the Israelites based on what he knew. He’d been raised under that oppressive, political and religious system. He saw firsthand how Egypt depended on Jewish slave labor. He believed Pharoah would adamantly maintain that status quo. His fear took the form of excuses why he shouldn’t go.

Gideon hid in the winepress to thresh wheat because he’d seen the destructive power of the Midianite invaders. Judges 6:6 says, “Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites.” Then God summoned Gideon to lead a band of freedom fighters. Like Moses, he initially believed he stood no chance against such a formidable foe.

But Moses and Gideon stopped running. Both eventually traded their fear for confidence in God’s guidance. They triumphed over the outcomes they had fearfully anticipated.

Running Toward Reality 

Then there’s David. Like Moses and Gideon, his fears weren’t just scraps of imagination. King Saul made it clear he wanted to kill David. He was the Philistines’ most hated adversary. Others pursued him. David described them all, using “enemy” and “enemies” over 100 times in the Psalms. But look closer at David.

Plunge into his prose. There you find David’s prayers. What he feared most was facing his enemies in his own strength. He constantly pleaded for God’s help. David ran, but when he ran from his foes, he ran toward God.

In the Psalms, David used frequent images of safe places. He repeated the words “fortress,” “tower,” “sanctuary,” and “refuge,” places of safety from one’s enemies. The presence of fear sent David into the presence of God.

“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?” (Psalm 27:1, ESV).

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Psalm 56:3, NKJV).

Whether the fear we feel is based on shadow or substance, like David, we can convert it. Karle Wilson Baker concluded his poem, Courage with the words, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

The Road Ahead:

1. Facing the unproven. Don’t let fear of a pre-conceived outcome sidetrack your trust in God. That perceived shadow hasn’t proven to be true. Don’t let it materialize into Abraham’s lie, the Israelites’ doubt, or Elijah’s fright and flight. God, however, has proven Himself to you over and over. Give God the shadows in your mind. Let Him give you refuge.
2. Facing the unknown. You might not fear a pre-conceived outcome. Perhaps you stand at a crossroads and simply feel apprehensive about the unknown. God encouraged Joshua before he stepped into Moses’ giant sandals to lead Israel into the Promised Land. God said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, ESV). Corrie Ten Boom summed it up: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

Further Fuel: Psalm 34:4; Isaiah 41:10. 

 

The theme for that week’s Bible study: life’s problems. Someone mentioned Job’s sufferings. Another person asked, “Do you think Job saying, ‘The thing I greatly feared has come upon me,’ shows that his fear caused his problems?”

When I consider that verse in context with the entire book of Job—and with the rest of the Bible—I never think that Job’s sufferings are the result of his fears. But the question set me to thinking about a Biblical theology of fear.

Let’s begin by putting the person Job into perspective.

Job in Context

Here’s how Job is introduced— “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1, NKJV).  Thinking contrary to God’s ways repulsed Job. Whatever fear he felt, above all, Job respected and followed God’s precepts.

The Holy Spirit would not have guided someone to write those things about a man we should recall for having destructive thoughts. What God says about Job is even more helpful.

In the opening chapter, God tells Satan,  “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil” (Job 1:8, NLT).

Then in the final chapter, God tells Job’s friends, ““My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7, ESV). God’s last words to them are “And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (42:8, ESV).

God speaks of Job only in glowing terms. As a man of extraordinary character who’s in good standing with Him. There’s no hint whatsoever that God held Job responsible for his predicament. Chapter one establishes the real cause of Job’s troubles: Satan attacking him.

Job’s Trials in Context

What was Job’s fear? Moreover, how could his inner feelings have turned what he feared into a tangible reality? Here are the things he suffered before he said, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me” (3:25, NKJV), and why his fear couldn’t have caused them.

• Job’s fear didn’t steal or destroy his livestock. Any concern he felt that they might be stolen had no control over the Sabeans taking his oxen and donkeys (Job 1:14-15) nor the Chaldeans rustling his camels (1:17). Nor could Job’s thoughts have evoked a fire from the sky that consumed his sheep (1:16).
• Job’s fear didn’t control the weather that killed his children. A wind of tornado strength caused the building where his children ate and drank to collapse onto them (1:18-19). Jesus made it clear that God controls the weather. He said God sends sunshine and rain on both the godly and the ungodly (Matthew 5:45).
• Job’s fear didn’t make him break out with boils. The Bible says clearly that Satan brought them on him (Job 2:7).
• Job’s fear didn’t persuade his wife to suggest he curse God and die. Her husband’s extreme losses affected her too. When she expressed her feelings, Job denounced her line of thinking (2:9-10).

Job’s Fear and Faith in Context

Job may have rightfully believed his livestock was in jeopardy. The Sabeans and Chaldeans were marauders who frequently helped themselves to other people’s property.

Job felt uneasy about his children’s spiritual well-being. (1:5). That concern has driven a lot of Christian parents to pray for their children.

But what was Job’s response to his whirlwind tragedies? When Job lost everything, he worshiped God. Yes, he feared certain things. However, in his darkest hour, Job’s faith shined through stronger than his fear. Job 2:10 states emphatically that Job did not sin by anything he said.

Furthermore, God did not punish Job for any fear he felt, no matter how strong it may have been. Instead, God rewarded Job’s faith with twice as much as he had before (42:10), gave him comfort from other family members (verse 11), and granted Job another 140 years of life (verse 16).

Healthy Fear in Context

We teach children to avoid things that can hurt them. Hot things. Sharp items. Busy traffic. Strangers. We create a protective environment of healthy fear.

As adults, we all fear something. A few common fears top most people’s lists. For some, it’s vermin; they abhor rats, snakes, roaches, or spiders. For others, it’s extreme physical locations, so they stay clear of boarding a ship or an airplane, or evade crowds or closed in spaces. Researchers constantly conclude that the most common fear is public speaking.

Fear can be our enemy. But in the right situations, fear can be a gift from God.

The Road Ahead:

Job had some outstanding qualities worth imitating. Let’s look at two of them to practice in the place of fear.

1. Job trusted God. How deep into an ocean of problems are you willing to sink while trusting God to be with you? If things do get worse, God has promised His presence. From the midst of his misery, Job said of God, “Even though He kills me; I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15a, AMP).
2. Job remained patient. As Christians, we live in hope. But hope needs patience. Here’s the only mention of Job in the New Testament— “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11, NKJV).

Further Fuel: Psalm 56:3; John 14:27.