~ One of my many favorite verse is 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."
Fear and intimidation can be very real for some people. It can immobilize a person spiritually. It can hinder us from moving forward and doing God's will. And, it can detour us from completely trusting God. The Merriam-Webster defines fear as: to be afraid or apprehensive. It defines intimidation as: to make timid or fearful. Fear & intimidation can cause us to be filled with anxiety, nervousness and worry. It is a toll that the devil will use to keep us from performing that tasks that God has for us. John 10:10 KJV says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal , and to kill , and to destroy : I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” The devil is the thief that comes to steal our joy and boldness. He comes to kill us spiritually so that we can not obtain have an abundant life. He will use whatever tactic he can use to completely destroy our faith in God. We can not allow Him to do that. We can not allow Him to use fear and intimidation to keep us down.
No matter what we may be faced with, we must remember that as a Child of God, fear does not have to control us. Because the mighty, all-powerful God is right beside us the whole time. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” So, We do not have to be dismayed or intimidated, because He is on our side. In Isaiah, it said, do not be dismayed for I am thy God. He is OUR God. In Matthew 19:26, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible; but with God ALL things are possible.” The God with whom ALL things are possible is our God. That makes it personal or individualized. Psalm 139:13 NIRV says, “You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother's body.” And, Matthew 10:30 KJV says, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” He knows everything that there is to know about you. Our relationship with Him becomes individualized. He know the things that cause fear and intimidation in us. And, He has the individualized answer for each of us.
Also, He has promised to strengthen and help us. Which means that he will assist us and give us the strength, courage and boldness we need to make it through whatever we are facing. Sometimes, the fear and intimidation that we face keeps us from boldly doing the tasks God has for us. Boldness is more than not being timid. It is about being adventuresome…what else does God have for me in the days, months and years to come. It is about being confident…Philippians 1:6 KJV, “ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” It is being courageous…having the fortitude and backbone to venture forward no matter what you are face with. It is being determined…Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded , that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If He promised to give us the strength, courage and boldness we need, then you can count on it…He’ll give it to you.
And, His righteous right hand of power will grasp a hold of us and be the strong foundation we need to be able to withstand whatever we are facing. A strong, firm foundation is important. We have to have something solid and dependable to stand on. Otherwise, our strength will become shaky and fail us when we need it the most. A house built upon a unsure and weak foundation will tumble and fall the moment a strong gust of wind come along. But, a house built on a strong, sure foundation will withstand the storms that come. We need His right hand of power in our lives to keep us a sure foundation.
Sometimes, even though we may read verses like this often, we need to be reminded that we do not have to be afraid and intimidated. We do not have to face things alone. God is right by our side every step of the way. I guess this verse came to my mind today when I begin to think about some things that I am faced with. I needed that reminder that God is going to help me be what I need to be and do what I need to do. He is a great great & mighty God. And, I am SO thankful for the Word of God to help me from day to day remain focused on Him. ♥
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