KEY PRINCIPLES FROM THIS MESSAGE:
There Is No Fear In Love – blog 5/16/26
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
– 2 Timothy 1:7
Self-control implies the ability to turn from our fears and face the Lord. This is how we conquer fear. People often quip, “Oh, just face fear head on!” The only way this advice ever results in success is if a person possesses true courage, which is nothing more than applied faith. If a person lacks faith, they have no courage. The only way a person gets faith is by understanding God’s Word (Romans 10:17).
Courage is given to those who turn to God. This is how fear is overcome.
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
– Proverbs 29:25
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I know this remedy I’m writing about is “simple” on paper but often complicated in practice. Fear has a habit of crippling us. I get it. But God promises to deliver us when we turn to Him. This is where the faith received from His Word comes in. We don’t have to stand up to fear, in the classical sense, we simply need to turn our backs on it. This happens automatically when we turn to God. This is precisely why the Lord commands us to be strong and courageous – it’s because we all have the power to do so!
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
– Joshua 1:9
Fear is but a shadow; it has no real power over you. Turn your back on it and stare into the face of God. Trust in Him and your fear will be forced back into the darkness from which it came.
Love conquers all (1Co 13:8), starting with fear.
William Lane on Heb 13:10
The declaration that the adherents of the old cultus have no right to eat from the altar asserts that they have no share in the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha and are excluded from its benefits.
We are not to mistake our time in this world as an opportunity to fellowship in darkness with those who are “of” this world (ref: Php 3:20; 2Co 6:14-8; 1Pe 3:13-17).