DON'T BE AFRAID

DON'T BE AFRAID

'Why are you so fearful?' Mark 4:40 NKJV

Don't be afraid to be different

There’s no need to be afraid to be different. We should embrace our uniqueness, and use it to our advantage. By doing so, we can stand out and be more successful. If we can learn to embrace our differences, we can better connect with others. This can lead to new opportunities and relationships.

By being true to ourselves, we can build a strong foundation for our future. We can be confident and proud of who we are, and that will reflect positively on our businesses and ourselves.

NOTICE HOW the disciples reacted to the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and see if you recognize any of the same traits in yourself: 1) Fear makes us doubt God's care. The disciples asked Jesus, 'Do You not care that we are perishing?" (v. 38 NKJV). They didn't ask 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?' Instead they voiced doubts about His character: 'Do you not care?" If you let it, fear will erode your confidence in God's love and make you forget His faithfulness. 2) Fear makes us reach for control Jesus was asleep, so the disciples woke Him and said, 'Do something, quick!"

Fear comes from a perceived loss of control. When we're afraid, we grab for a component of life that we can manage like our diet, or our job, or the neatness of our house, or in many cases - people. The more insecure we feel. 92.3fm the more controlling we tend to become. 3) Fear makes us forgetful. The Bible says, 'He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick' (Matthew 8:16 NKJV). What a résumé! But fear gives us spiritual amnesia; it makes us forget what Jesus has already done and how good He has been to us. And what was Jesus' response? Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Faith doesn't eliminate fear, it silences it, robs it of its power, and draws us closer to God. And when that happens things begin to change for the better.

'Oh, that [we] would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness.' Psalm 107:8 NKJV

WHEN YOU'VE been through hard times, it can make you want to cut back on trusting. Security harbour starts looking good. Now it's okay to rest and regroup, but don’t quit on God, and start playing it safe. When you've been through back-to-back storms, don’t settle for safety and miss what God has planned for you. The Bible says: "Those who go down the sea in ships, who do business on great waters...see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths, their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro...stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet, so He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness' (vv. 23-31 NKJV). Where do we see God's wonders?In life's storms! Jesus issued 125 recorded commandments. Twenty-one of them are 'Don't be afraid' or 'Have courage. The second most common commandment, to love God and your neighbour, appears on only eight occasions. That means the one statement Jesus made more than any other 'Don't be afraid! Why? Because He wants you to trust Him more!

'Why are you so fearful?' Mark 4:40 NKJV

FOLLOWING JESUS invariably means going through storms. When you're in over your head and sinking fast, you learn things about the Lord you'd never know otherwise. At first you wonder, 'How did I get into this mess? Then you start to see His hand at work and end up saying, 'Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" (v. 41 NKJV). The disciples finally reached a place where they were willing to follow Jesus-without question.

And that's God's plan for you. 'Don't be afraid' isn't a call to naivety or ignorance. God does not want us to be oblivious to the challenges life brings. But as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus the waves couldn't take him under. So look to God, stand on His Word, and recall His goodness. The Bible says, 'We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard that we do not drift away from it' (Hebrews 2:1 NAS). Do whatever it takes to keep your eyes on the Lord. C. S. Lewis wrote: 'Moods will change, whatever view your reason takes. I know that by experience. Now that I'm a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable, but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable....that's why faith is such a necessary virtue: Unless

you teach your moods "where to get off," you can never be either a sound Christian or a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro with his beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of his digestion. Consequently, one must train the habit of faith. So the word for you today is: Don't be afraid.

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