Luke 12:32

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

People who work in marketing are well aware that man by nature is motivated more by fear than by love or happiness.

In other words, we will do more and act more quickly to avoid something bad than to pursue something good.

Of course, God knows our nature. Well over 100 times in scripture, we are told to “fear not” or “be not afraid” or to “not fear.”

As we go into the new year, we will be busy with many things: school, work, family, church, our communities, and many other activities.

With all of these things going on, it’s easy to get caught up in worry or to be afraid that things will not go well.

Maybe I won’t do well in class. Maybe I’ll lose my job or customers. Maybe I’ll get sick, or maybe someone I love will get sick or die. There are many things we can conjure up to worry about or to fear.

Sometimes we just fear the unknown.

But, God doesn’t want us to be afraid. He tells us over and over in the Bible to “fear not.”

Wow, that’s easy to say, not easy to do. How do we do it?

Often, the best way to get rid of a bad habit is to replace it with a good habit. Focus on something else. Just trying to talk yourself out of being afraid or worrying may not do it. You know, when you try not to think about something, it’s the only thing you can think about.

How about we replace worry and fear with trust in the Lord, faith and prayer.

Isaiah 41:10 — Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

As 2019 begins, let’s resolve to fear not, and look to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has won the victory over sin and death and all evil.

Revelation 1:17-18 — And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

May God Bless You and Happy New Year!