Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Dreaded Four-Letter Word

Fear is a seemingly impossible barrier to break through, especially for those of us who've been afraid for so long. Even for those who have never really struggled with deep fear, it is inevitable that you have faced or will have to face something that may be a tiny bit scary for you :) I let unhealthy fear overtake my life to the point where I retreated into myself, afraid to speak up, afraid to have a voice, afraid to live out loud... always worried of what someone would think of me. It got so bad, that I didn't even want to read those “do not fear” scriptures, because they only reminded me of how fearful I was. I still have my struggles with those same fears today, but I see a major difference in my life! I've asked the Lord over and over (and over) to help me overcome, and He is giving me the victory day by day, and even moment by moment.
Today, I was reading Psalm 56 (NLT). It's a passage I've looked over and "read," but today, it really came alive for me. In that text, David had run away from King Saul, and ran right into Philistine territory, where King Achish reigned. The name of the place was Gath, the same place Goliath was from. David was not safe there; he became very afraid because the people found out who he was. They knew he was the one who killed Goliath, and  that he had slain "his tens of thousands" (1 Samuel 21:11 NIV). The Holy Spirit helped me see that David was truly afraid. As great of a warrior as he was, fear struck his heart as he became surrounded by the threats of mere men. I can imagine David talking to himself in this 56th Psalm, musing over his present situation. But in verse 3, David tells God, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you...” and in verse 4, he comes back with the same declaration, but in a different way: “I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?” Verse 11 is a repeat of verse 4, so we see that David was reassuring himself that he did NOT have to fear. He trusted God and praised God for his promises to deliver him. David also declared in Psalm 34:4 (NIV) “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” This is my prayer, that as I continually seek the Lord, He will answer me, and deliver me from all my fears. Is that your prayer today?

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