Today we continue with another article

... about “Do Not be Afraid” and I pray it will be an encouragement to you.

1. What to do when fear knocks. Max Lucado: “Fear, it seems, has taken a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop.  Oversize and rude, fear is unwilling to share the heart with happiness. Happiness complies.  Do you ever see the two together? Can one be happy and afraid at the same time? Clear thinking and afraid? No. Fear is the big bully in the high school hallway: brash, loud, and unproductive.” For all the noise that fear makes and all the room it takes, fear does little good. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to walk out of the prison that fear makes? Wouldn’t it be great that when fear knocks we refuse to answer the door?

Imagine your life wholly untouched by fear and anxiety. What if faith, not fear, was your default reactions to threats? Imagine living a day, just one day, absent of the dread of failure, rejection, calamity, and insecurity. 

2. Why be afraid. Matthew 8:23‑27 (NKJV) “Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 

And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" 

Jesus asked...Why are you fearful...why are you so afraid? Is He serious...He must be kidding. Teasing obviously. Like one swimmer asking the other one - why are you wet? Jesus is not kidding...He is sincere...why are you so afraid? You see, believers in Christ are not set apart by the lack of storms...they are set apart by Whom they find in the storm with them. He was sleeping.

3. Does God care when we are fearful. Mark 4:38 (NKJV) “But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" This is very interesting...they do not ask Jesus about His strength...Can you still the storm? Or His knowledge - Are you aware of the storm? Or His know how - Do you have any experience with storms? They raise doubt about Jesus’ character...Do you not care? Fear does this! Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness...if God can keep His eyes shut when mine are wide open and He can sleep when I think I am going under...Does He really care? Fear unleashes doubts, anger stirring doubts. Lucado – “Fear creates a form of spiritual amnesia. It dulls our miracle memory. It makes us forget what Jesus has done and how good God is.” Do not be afraid!