TRUST OVERCOMES FEAR

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Fear engages an ongoing assault on our heart and mind. If left unchecked, fear can whip our imagination into a frenzy of anxiety. Though only an ounce of what we fear may ever come to pass, we tend to give it a ton of attention. It is madness when we are overcome by fear. It may be the fear of death that dilutes our faith. It may be the fear of failure that drives us to control. It may be the fear of rejection that keeps us from speaking up. It may be the fear of financial ruin that refrains us from taking risks. It may be the fear of divorce that shatters our dreams of a fulfilling family. It may be the fear of losing a job that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whatever fear preoccupies our thinking, we are not alone.

Jesus walks with us through our valleys. He may not deliver us out of the valley, but He mostly certainly does not abandon us in the valley. He walks with us through the valley of doubt. He walks with us through the valley of shame. He walks with us through the valley of transition. He walks with us through the valley of disease. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. Our fear, many times, is but a shadow of Satan. It is not real. It seems like reality but it is not. It is but a reflection of the evil one. So we have no need to fear because our heavenly Father casts His bright light of love. A shadow assumes a light. Therefore, the light of Christ is there to guide us through the shadows of our soul. Death stands next to our path of life and attempts to cast a shadow, but the light of heaven guides our way. We trust Jesus. Trust overcomes fear.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:12

God blesses a nation because of its prayers, not its power. He blesses a nation because of its character, not its commerce. He blesses a nation because of its trust in Him, not its advanced technology. God blesses a nation because of its fear of the Lord, not its fear of man. God blesses a nation who loves God and expresses that love in caring for the impoverished and diseased. God blesses a nation because of His church, not the size of that nation’s economy.


Prosperity may be the result of a God-fearing nation, but it is not the cause. People believe in God when they get enough of themselves and realize there has to be more to this life than simply meeting their every need. God blesses a nation when individuals gather corporately in vibrant Christian worship; the church is God’s means to awaken a nation. Nations who try to control the church lose God’s blessing. God’s blessing cannot be governed.