QUAKING IN YOUR BOOTS?

I have always known we Christians have been commanded not to be afraid; in fact, when I was growing up Joshua 1:9 was my favourite verse. It goes like this: Be strong and of a good courage; Be not afraid, nor dismayed, for I the Lord your God am with you wherever you go. There are actually 366 “fear not’s” in the Bible, one for every day of the year and even one for the extra day in a leap year!

But it wasn’t until recently that I discovered that feeding your fear disqualifies you from the battle completely! In Deuteronomy 20 when the Israelite troops were getting ready for war, this is what God commanded about those who were afraid. "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too." Wow!

All of us have been afraid at one time in our lives or the other, but once we allow that fear to paralyze us, we have been defeated already. Earlier in that chapter, God says, When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.

What else can I say? It’s your choice today. Will you allow fear to immobilize you and make you turn back, or will you go on, in spite of any fear you may feel, knowing that the Lord your God has promised to be with you wherever you go?