Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. — Luke 12:32 NKJV

Fear feels terrible. It pulls the life out of the soul, causes us to curl into an embryonic state, and drains us of any feeling of contentment. Then, safety becomes our god, and we worship the risk-free life. The safety lover cannot do anything great and cannot accomplish noble deeds for God or for others.

The fear-filled cannot love deeply. Love is risky. They cannot give to the poor because they have no guarantee of return. The fear-filled cannot dream wildly. What if their dreams sputter and fall from the sky? No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear.

Jesus’s most common command emerges from the “fear not” genre. The gospels list more than 125 Christ-issued commands or warnings. Of these, twenty- one urge us to “not be afraid” or “not fear” or “have courage” or “take heart” or “be of good cheer.” The second most common command, to love God and neighbor, appears only eight times. If quantity is any indicator, Jesus takes our fears seriously. The one statement he made more than any other was this: don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. So easy to say; so not easy to do.

However, our Heavenly Father never gives us a directive without the tools to carry it out. He equips us with His presence and His strength, covering us with His protection. When fear comes tapping on the door of your heart, remember this:

The Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. — Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV

Please pray for me and all God’s people as I am praying for you. Next week we will continue to look at fear and how it handicaps us.