2024 Fasting Devotional

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

2 Timothy 1:7

One of my favorite stories comes from motivational speaker, Les Brown. He talked about living in a neighborhood, during his childhood years, when he had to pass a dog every day on his way to and from school.  This dog would bark, growl, and chase after Les every time he saw him so that Les had to run to escape the dog’s wrath.

One day, Les reports heading home from school and he was tired. He was in no mood to run from this mutt but, sure enough, as soon as the dog saw Les he came after him. Les was done with this game and when the dog got to him, he turned around, looked the dog straight in the eyes and yelled, “NO!” The dog stopped, looked at Les, and then opened his mouth. And what happened next? Les says, “The dog had no teeth! The only thing he could do was gum me to death!” Les used this story to teach a valuable lesson about fear. He said, “Fear often stands for “False Expectations Appearing Real.”

I am surprised by the number of people who call themselves Christians but live in almost constant fear. They are afraid of people, afraid of what they might lose or what they might gain, afraid of commitment, or afraid of getting sick. None of this should be true for those of us who truly believe God’s Word and have placed our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

And yet, fear must be one of the most common struggles for the disciple of Jesus Christ? How do we know this is true? Because God felt the need to continuously address this issue in His Word. In addition to the above verse from Paul’s second letter to Timothy, look at the following verses:

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10).

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18).

 “ Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

These verses should at least help you to get rid of any sense of shame for being afraid – it happens to all of us!  However, despite the fact that all of us struggle with fear, God still commands us regularly to not be afraid. As you can see from 2 Timothy 1:7, fear does not come from God – it is part of our sin condition. And like all sin, we can overcome fear by relying on our faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit within us, that spirit of “power and love and self-control.”

So how do we overcome fear? The Lord has actually given us a way to handle fear in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippian church.  He writes, “[Do] not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, ESV). Let me ask you:

• What is your first reaction when you are scared or feel anxious? Do you go to God first?
• When you pray and ask Him for help, do you do it with thanksgiving?
• Are you aware that the very next verse in Philippians comes with a promise? “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, ESV).

Pray, my friend, with thanksgiving. Give God all of your fears for He will gladly take them from you so that you can receive His transcendent peace.