Do Not Fear
Bob Yandian
If Fear is a Choice, So is Faith and So is Peace
God has given us some answers for the days in which we live. First, DO NOT FEAR. Jesus said, “Do not fear. Do not let your heart be troubled.” Why? Because fear is a choice; you can either embrace it or reject it. If fear is a choice, so is faith and so is peace. The Word of God is simply telling us not to fear and instead, to choose faith and peace.
Do Not Fear
First, you may ask, “Well, how can I not fear?” When you see things happening around you, when you watch the news and your heart is discouraged because of what’s happening in our country and around the world, don’t be moved by the circumstances. Come back to the Word of God because your peace is not founded on what happens in our nation or around the world. Your peace is founded on God and His Word. Focus your eyes on the promises of God. Spend more time fellowshipping with God, commune with Him. Serve the Lord. Fellowship with the Lord in prayer, fellowship with Him in worship, and determine to become stronger in His Word.
Secondly, look past the pressures to the answers that are on the way. The pressures are temporary but, the answers are eternal. On the other side of birth pangs is a child, the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ!
The third answer is to pray. Put your trust in God and go to your knees to pray for your nation, but remember there is a greater kingdom coming! What is needed today is the prayer of faith. The answers to our problems are not economic and they are not political. We need revival. We need a touch from God. We need hearts that are open to Him and realize only God can turn things around in our nation and in our world.
Number one, don’t fear. Number two, look past the pressures to the answers coming; and number three, pray.
Number four, don’t consign all these situations in the world today to end times and just give up. That is not what God has asked us to do. Don’t stay in your house, close all the doors and windows, and just sit there hoping for the Rapture. God has not asked us to do that. What are we supposed to do until He comes? Occupy. That is a military term. We are to put watchmen on the walls and guard and protect what God has entrusted to us. Pray, resist the devil, and hinder his work as much as possible. During the Tribulation, the Bible says people will eat and drink, marry and be given in marriage (Luke 17:27-30). You may ask, “How can people eat, drink, have parties, marry and be given in marriage during the time of the Tribulation?” The fact is this won’t be isolated to the Tribulation; we are seeing the same thing today. People are closing their eyes and covering their ears, ignoring what is happening all around them with the attitude that they are just going to exist in life.
As Christians, we should be enjoying life, but we should not ignore what’s going on around us. Our prayers are necessary. Our faith is necessary. Jesus Christ is coming soon and as long as we’re in this earth we still have authority over the devil, to tread on serpents and scorpions, over all the works of the enemy. The devil may have some temporary victories, but he will not have an eternal victory. Jesus Christ has the final victory!
Jannes and Jambres
2 Timothy 3:9: (ESV) “But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” “Their” is referring to Jannes and Jambres, the magicians assigned by Pharaoh. They resisted Moses and every miracle Moses performed, they imitated through magic. It seemed like Jannes and Jambres were winning, but in the end, Moses won. In a similar way, Jesus Christ and the Church win! Our trust should not be on Wall Street. Our trust should not be in the investment counselor. Our trust must be in God. Our highest priority is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto us. I want to challenge you to commit yourself to prayer and more study of the Word of God. You may think, “I just don’t have time.” Yes, you do. You have time to slide in a CD while you’re driving around town or listen to MP3 teachings of the Word while you’re cleaning or working in the yard. Turn off the radio and the music you normally listen to or at least listen to these things much less than you are now. Spend more time on your knees in prayer for our nation. We’re losing freedoms every day, but at the same time, we must realize that whom the Son has set free is free indeed. Our deliverance is now. His name is Jesus Christ. Make up your mind to pray. Make up your mind to read the Word more. Make a commitment in your heart to spend more time with God in fellowship, in praise, and in worship.
