Whom Shall I fear?
ICS Daily Devotions
1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
God doesn’t want us to carry cares in our lives, because fear, anxiety, and concern do not come from God. Jesus has given us His peace, which is different from the peace the world offers. The peace the world offers depends on circumstances and therefore changes, but our environment is constantly changing, so we can lose our peace very quickly when things change.
We must remember that the devil seeks to steal the Word from our lives to rob us of our peace and joy. Unable to appear before us in physical form, the weapon he uses is to instil fear and anxiety in our lives. Fear, by definition, is an attitude of being continually anxious.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Fear does not originate from God, nor does God use it to teach us a lesson. Instead, God has given us a spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind. Therefore, a sound mind and a heart and a mind that are filled with God’s peace belong to us. However, we have a part to play in taking hold of what belongs to us when the devil uses fear to immobilise us and hold us in bondage.
For many, their chief fear is the fear of man. It can be verbal—what they say to you or about you, or non-verbal—what they do to you or behind your back. Fear of men keeps many from taking a stand for what they know is right.
The devil intimidates us with fear of what people can and will do to us. This leaves us self-conscious, afraid of what others may think of us and how it may affect our promotion. We fear offending bosses, superiors, suppliers and, at times, friends. Subconsciously or consciously, we have given power to what they think of us and what they say about us, letting it torment us with fear of isolation or rejection.
One of the greatest miseries is to place our happiness and peace subject to what people think and say about us! Therefore, refuse to allow or empower people to determine your joy and peace! Instead, we should stand on our biblical conviction and our walk with the Lord.
Psalms 27:1-2 (NKJV) The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
We should also learn to be like David, whose trust in God gave him the strength for life. All that mattered to David was that God was with him, whether he was facing the lion, the bear, Goliath, the Philistines, King Saul, or any other enemies—nothing frightened him.
Reflection: Have you allowed the fear of man to rob you of your peace? How is God inviting you to replace this fear with the truths about Him?
Sermon Series: Are You Casting Your Cares to the Lord
