Fearless #2

John Ortberg writes in his book, If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat:
“What would you guess is the most common command in Scripture?

“It is not for us to be more loving. That may be the core to God’s desire for human life, but that is not his most frequent instruction.

“Writers about spiritual life often speak of pride as being at the root of human fallenness, but the Bible’s most frequent imperative does not have to do with avoiding pride or gaining humility.

“It is not a command to guard sexual purity or to walk with integrity, important as those qualities are.

“The single command in Scripture that occurs more often than any other-God’s most frequently repeated instruction-is formulated in two words:

“Fear not. Do not be afraid. Be strong and courageous. You can trust me. Fear not. Why does God command us not to fear?” [If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, page 117-118]

I do believe that God does not want His children limited  by fear.  

In 2013, I will be examining scriptures that tell us not to fear. It's been said there are 366 scriptures regarding fear.  I don't know that we'll ever get to all of them, but I'm going to start with the New Testament and see how many scriptures we can examine together.

The first reference in the New Testament regarding fear that I came across was found in Matthew:

Matthew 1:20 (NKJV)

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

I imagine Joseph was struggling with a lot of feelings.  It's embarrassing to have your fiancee become pregnant with a child that is not yours.  It is asking a lot for Joseph to marry Mary and raise a child that was not his.  However, God called Joseph to parent the Savior of the world.  What an awesome responsibility!

Yet, God would not leave him on his own to do the job.  He instructed him in dreams - more than once.  He sent Wise Men with gifts that could support the young family as they hid out in Egypt when Herod tried to kill the Baby. Later, God let Joseph know when the time was right to go home.

Do you think God would do any less for you?  

Do not be afraid to take the next step that God has planned for you.  He might not appear to you in a dream, but you have the Word of God to tell you what you need to know.  If God has called you to do something, you can be sure He will back you up in any way you need so that you can accomplish His purpose.