‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’

Isaiah 41:10

Christians are happy because they are delivered from all fear. A Christian who believes the Bible, studies it, and remembers it is not afraid of anything or anybody. A great many wealthy people have their joy spoiled because they are constantly thinking that some calamity may overtake them. People who have all the comforts of life do not enjoy them because they fear some calamity may come and sweep the comforts away. Those with very little, who are perhaps barely getting by, do not enjoy what they have because they fear they may be thrown out of work and not be able to make a living. The true Christian is delivered from all those fears.

There is one verse in the Bible that will take away all anxiety as long as you live: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God”(Romans 8:28). If a person believes the Bible and keeps it n mind, he is not afraid of calamity; nor is he afraid of any man. Many people are afraid of men and tormented by the fear of men. They want to take a stand as a Christian, but they are afraid of being laughed at or persecuted at home or on their jobs. But a Christian is not afraid of man. The Christian reads Romans 8:31 and says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” A Christian does not fear any man or woman on earth. A living faith in Jesus Christ takes away all fear of man forever.

It takes away the fear of death. People’s lives are shadowed and darkened by the fear of death . Right in the middle of health and strength they say, “Oh, what if I have some terrible disease!”. But death has lost its terror for the Christian. A Christian knows that what men call death is for him simply to depart and be with Christ.

There is one word that fills the heart of the. Christian with joy but the heart of the unsaved with terror. That word is eternity. In eternity, sorrow, separation, sickness, and death are over forever. All is eternal sunshine. A Christian is delivered from fear of eternity. To people who do not know Christ, eternity is a dreadful thing to think about. But for people in Christ, eternity is the sweetest thing there is to think about.

Write out a card with these words, “Where will you spend eternity?” If you hand it to a person who is not a Christian, it will make him mad. But hand it to a Christian, and he will rejoice. He will answer, “Why, I will spend eternity with Christ in glory.”

R.A. Torrey

The idea of being free from fear is not some spiritual word game in which one declares on their own that they have no fear. Every person faces all manner of fear for fear will invade every part of life. As humans we face many unknowns and in that realm, fear becomes the uninvited guest. For those who are battling fear, let us not allow it to steal our joy and rob our peace, let us not allow it to condemn us as though we have failed in our faith in some way. Every person, including God’s people are subject to fear. When you read through the Bible, you will find that many times when God spoke to someone, He began the conversation with these words. “Fear not!”

When and where did fear begin? We read of fear first in the Garden of Eden.

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:8-10)

Thus we can conclude that fear finds its place where we are separated from God. It is the unrest that comes from moving out from the shelter of His presence. In the Garden we find that daily Adam and Eve were in the presence of God and it was only when they sinned and separated themselves from God that they were open to fear.

From that moment in history, God has had to constantly remind us to not fear. Even the heroes of faith battled fear. Let’s read about a few occasions where God met with people and began by reassuring them that they had no reason to fear:

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; Your reward [for obedience] shall be very great.”

Genesis 15:1

Then Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid! Take your stand [be firm and confident and undismayed] and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for those Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you while you [only need to] keep silent and remain calm.”

Exodus 14:13-14

When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately He spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!”

Matthew 14:26-27

He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Matthew 14:29-32

“….for He has said, “ I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “ The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me ?”

Hebrews 13:5-6

The simplicity of freedom from fear is not that we somehow have mustered up courage but that we trust in the presence of God. In each example and in the myriad of other examples we find in scripture, the common factor is the words, “Fear not, for I am with you.” When we receive Christ into our hearts and we are filled with the Holy Spirit we can truly say, “Emmanuel, God with us.” And since we know that God is with us and God is for us and that God loves us, fear loses its power in the presence of God.

There’s a song that gives us these words of assurance that fear has no place in the

life of a Christian:

Stand in Your Love

Bethel Music, Josh Baldwin

When darkness tries to roll over my bones

When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own

When brokenness and pain is all I know

I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken

‘Cause my fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

Shame no longer has a place to hide

And I am not a captive to the lies

I’m not afraid to leave my past behind

Oh, I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

Oh, I’m standing

There’s power that can break off every chain

There’s power that can empty out a grave

There’s resurrection power that can save

There’s power in Your name, power in Your name

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

Oh, when, when I’m standing in Your love

Oh, my fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

My fear doesn’t stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

Oh, I standing in Your love

Oh, standing on the rock

Oh, I am standing, standing in Your love.

So today whatever you’re facing, take your stand in the love of God over you and rest under the shelter of His wings and know that you will never face anything alone as a child of God.

Dr. John Thompson