Fear Not

By Carl Kimbro, Fellowship Bible Church NWA, Celebrate Recovery brother in Christ

Has fear kept you from making a decision or a change in your life you know you need to make? When
we lived in Atlanta I had a buying job I hated. I was miserable all day and couldn’t sleep at night. I knew I
needed to change jobs, but I feared failure. I was good at what I did, and I couldn’t envision myself being
successful at anything else. Fear kept me from changing jobs. Eventually, the company closed its doors,
and now I was unprepared and unemployed. Fear controlled me and kept me from making a change I
knew I needed to make until it was too late!

Scripture tells us that as a child of God, he is with us, and we don’t need to live in fear. The term “Fear
Not” or something similar is used at least 80 times in the bible. It’s God’s way of countering the enemy’s
attempts to destroy our hope and increase our fear. 

Deuteronomy 31:8 says: 
“He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid, and do not be discouraged.” 

With God, never means never! 

God is always with us in times of trouble. There may be times we don’t feel his presence. But, he is there in
every situation helping us overcome our fears and working for our greater good. Knowing he is present
should calm our fears and encourage our souls.

Do you remember as a child how fearless you felt in a bad situation when a parent said to you: “Don’t be
afraid. I am here and I will help you.” Suddenly you knew it was going to be alright. All your fears and
anxiety went away almost immediately. 

God makes a similar promise in Isaiah 41:13: 
“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear for I will help you”.

God’s promise is simple. As our Lord, he will take our right hand and walk beside us. He will guide and
help us and provide us the strength to get through any situation. His presence in our daily lives will help us
overcome fear. In his presence, we are safe and secure and no longer have to fear our circumstances. He
promises to help us and God always keeps his promises.

In closing, remember God doesn’t want us to live in fear. If we take hold of his promises we can
overcome our fears. We no longer have to fear we aren’t good enough. We no longer have to hold back
at Celebrate Recovery fearful that we will fail and our delivery from our hurts, habits and hang-ups won’t
come. We no longer need to fear being rejected because our problem is so messed up. God is by our
side holding our right hand. He won’t leave or forsake us. So, turn your fears and troubles over to God
and let him work a miracle in your life.

Click HERE to listen to No Longer Slaves from Bridgette Morris/Gateway Worship Voices

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