2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
INSIGHT
-Fear in Greek is written as phobos and it means dread or terror. Fear is a feeling of apprehension arising due to anxiety in the presence of; or anticipation of danger, and moving to its avoidance. Fear is the natural consequence of sin (Gen 3:10; Gen 4:13-14; Pro 28:1), it comes as a punishment (Deu 28:25-28). The fear of man and of evils are dangers to be avoided, from which the fear of God delivers (Num 14:9; num 21:34; Ps 23:4; Ps 31;14). Human Fear over all creatures (Gen 9:2), humans fear the animals (Amos 3:8), people fear others (Gen 32:11, Gen 26:7), nations fear nations (2 sam 10:19), people fear war (Exo 14:10), fear of enemies (Deu 2:4), fear of subjugation (Deu 7:18; Deu 28:10), people are afraid of death (Gen 32:11), disaster (Zep 3:15-16), sudden panic (Pro 3:25), adversity (Job 6:21), the unknown (Gen 19:30) and fear of the Day of the Lord (Zep 1:14-18). The fear of the Lord is an inducement to obedience and service, to do His will and it is the beginning of wisdom. It is also equated to the knowledge of the Holy One (Pro 9:10, Pro 1:7, Ps 111:10) and is the whole duty of man (Ecc 12:13). Several other instances reference the word fear including; fear of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, when he saw the angel of the Lord (Lk 1:12). God commands us never to fear through numerous scriptures including, Deu 3:22; You must not fear them the Lord your God Himself fights for you. John 14:27; Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you, I do not give to you as the world gives, do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid etc.
-Sometimes we fear for our future, our children’s future, our families, our financial progression, our health and safety, food security, job security, peace in our nation, fear of the unknown etc. Christ reminds us that He has bestowed upon us the Spirit of adoption of sons by whom we cry Abba Father and not of bondage to fear (Rom 8:15). He has given us a spirit of power to overcome all evil and temptations, and to function in the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of love for Him and our neighbour’s and sound mind to know him more and have a special relationship with Him for He dwells in our hearts. Christ invites us to come to Him with boldness and confidence unto the throne of grace, with the assurance that we will find rest.
PRAYER
All glory, honor, power and praise belongs to You Jesus our Lord and King. We thank You for Your goodness and mercy upon our lives and for enabling us to see this day filled with peace. Deliver us Jesus from fear for Your perfect love casts our all fear. Thank You Holy Spirit for giving us the spirit of power, love and sound mind, that we may remain in You as You are in us. Have mercy on us Lord and all those who are sick and suffering that You may grant us rest. Amen
Exodus 20:19-21 Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.
INSIGHT: -In Hebrew, fear is written as yirah & it means fright, dread, apprehension, anxiety, panic, consternation, reverence, respect, live. -John 14:16, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— -During the time of Moses, he mediated for the people but now there is no need to fear for Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.
PRAYER: Thank You Father, for the gift of life & Your graces upon us & our families. May Your presence always be with us & lead us to know You & love You more. Amen
Blessed Week.
Genesis 9:2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.
INSIGHT: -Gen 1:28, Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” -God gave man dominion over all birds, fish & all other living creatures; that they should fear him.
PRAYER: Lord our Father, we thank You for Your beautiful creation. May we always be at peace with Your creation & within ourselves. May Your peace & wisdom that surpasses all understanding always be with us. Amen
Psalm 118:4-6 Let those who fear the Lord now say, “His mercy endures forever.” I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
INSIGHT: -Prov 8:13, The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. Prov 22:4, By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life. -Those who fear the Lord revere Him for they hate evil, pride & arrogance. The Lord gives them riches, honor & life & He protects them always.
PRAYER: Lord our Father, full of mercy & grace. We thank You & give You praise. Instruct us in Your wisdom & meekness as we seek to fear You always. Amen
1 John 4:18 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.
INSIGHT: -Love is an affection that does not produce fear. We are perfected in the love of Christ by loving Him & our neighbour. In Christ there is no guilt of sin for He forgives us by His everlasting mercy, for in Him there is no sin & those who abide in Him; abide forever. God is love.
PRAYER: Lord our Father, have mercy on us & forgive us all our sins. May Your love be perfected in our hearts, souls & minds. Amen
Matthew 28:5-8 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
INSIGHT: -Matthew discribes the events after the resurrection of Christ. The women were by the sepulchre & were in fear first because of the angel & the divine mistery of Christ resurrection not knowing what to expect. This news increased their faith & they were filled with joy.
SUMMARY: -During the time of Moses the fear of God was to test them & prevent them from sin/ God gave man dominion over all other living creatures that they may fear him/ The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, arrogance & a perverse mouth/ There is no fear in love but perfect love cast out fear
PRAYER: Lord our Father, we humbly come before Your holy presence. May Your love be perfected in our hearts to cast out all fear. Guide us to always love You & our neighbour as ourselves. May Your peace & unity reign among us & lead us in all things. Amen
Hebrews 13:5-6
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
INSIGHT
– Fear can reflect on the limitations in a person’s life and as such covetousness checks in. The Lord commanded us saying; ‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbour’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour’s’ (Deu 5:21). Such dissatisfaction and discontent has caused anxiety, jealousy and depression among many and heightened immorality and crime in our societies today. Jesus gave us the law of love which casts out all fear; including fear of deprivation and lack, and calls us to be contented with what we have. The Holy Spirit our Helper, Provider and Protector; knows our needs before we ask of Him and gives us all things according to His abundant mercy and grace. His purpose must prevail and calls us to have complete faith in Him for He has promised us that; He will never leave us nor forsake us. Through the same confidence we believe that He who began good work in us will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).
PRAYER
May Your grace Lord satisfy our souls so that we may be contented with such things as You have given us. We thank You Jesus for this far that You have brought us and have confidence that You who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until You come again. Holy Spirit our Helper; we thank You for dwelling deep in our hearts. You know our thoughts and hearts desires, align us with Your truth. We trust in Your word Lord that You will never leave us nor forsake us. We humbly ask You Lord to cast out all fear from our hearts for You have bestowed upon us victory through Your death and resurrection that no harm can ever befall us. We believe and trust in You Jesus; now and forever. Amen
Deuteronomy 3:22
You must not fear them, for the Lord your God Himself fights for you.’
INSIGHT
-The Lord encouraged the Israelites under the leadership of Moses and Joshua as they journeyed to the promised land. They encountered many obstacles and opposition especially from the neighbouring nations who waged war against them. God was always by their side for He sent His fear before them, caused confusion among the pagan nations and fought their battles. When they were at the point of despair; the Lord encouraged them through Moses saying, “look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged (Deu 1:21). Sometimes we go through many battles in our homes, families, jobs, businesses, projects, education, relationships, marriages, nation etc, but the Lord is telling us not to fear or be discouraged, for He Himself is fighting for us.
PRAYER
You are our Light and Salvation Lord whom shall we fear, You are the Strength of our lives, whom shall we be afraid. Fight all our battles Jehovah our Lord and King for we are insufficient without You. Forgive us all our trespasses, Jesus and cover us with Your precious blood. Many are the challenges that we encounter Lord but You deliver us from them from all, we trust in You. Protect us Lord from all the snares and accusations from the evil one and grant us victory in all things. By Your powerful and saving arm Lord; help us to reach our destinies according to Your merciful love. Set all the crooked paths straight Lord and fight for us Father in our homes, families, jobs, businesses, relationships, marriages, studies, leadership, societies, nation and grant us success in all areas of our lives. Level all the mountains for us Jesus and help us to inherit all that You have promised us from old through Your grace; for we are Your children. Amen
1 John 4:18
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.
INSIGHT
-Apostle John describes love from three dimensions in this verse, our social value for others, our moral test through the fear of the Lord and the doctrinal test of believing the truth about Jesus Christ. John also tells us that we must love one another because God is love and demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son as the propitiation for our sins (1 Jn 4:7-11). Love that comes from God alienates us from fear of loss, harm, death, the day of judgement and all forms of fear as He perfects us in love. We can be assured then that God abides in us and us in Him if we see His Spirit producing in us love for one another and confession of the truth about Jesus Christ. As we love one another Gods’ love is perfected in us and if we love then we demonstrate His perfect love which cannot be defiled or has the ability to defile another. Close relationships founded on love come with safety, peace and comfort as such relationships endure through commitment, perseverance, forgiveness and prayer. When we share love with others, it means that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and we belong to the family of Jesus; now and forever. Amen
PRAYER
God of love; we thank You for Your love and mercy upon our lives. We have seen Your hand in all things, we exult Your holy name. Fill us Holy Spirit with Your perfect love, that we may demonstrate the same love in all our relationships and interaction. Be at the centre of our lives Holy Spirit we welcome You and help us to encounter You in a special way; everyday. Our Father who at in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from all evil. For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
Acts 10:34-36
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ He is Lord of all.
INSIGHT
-Cornelius was a centurion of the Italian Regiment, a devout man who gave alms and prayed always with his family. His prayers were received and his alms came to the memorial of God. He was then sent to Peter the apostle who baptized him and revealed to him the truth about Jesus. Apostle Peter witnessed that God shows no partiality but receives both Jews and Gentiles who received; and continue to receive the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the God of all and calls everyone to believe in Him for He is the only way, truth and life and no one comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). Jesus calls us to fear Him through reverential love for Him and love for our neighbors, as we pray for one another, give alms, respect, forgive and always seek His face.
SUMMARY
The word fear comes from the Greek word phobos which means dread or fright. Phobia is derived from the word phobos which means an excessive and irrational fear reaction. Fear is an object of anxiety triggered by horrible past experiences, animals, places, situations or objects. Throughout scripture; God commands us not to fear for He is our God and will always be with us until the end of time. God has also promised to strengthen us and uphold us by His righteous right hand always (Isa 41:10). Fear causes a major limitation to ones purpose as it is an object of weakness; but God calls us to have courage and strength in Him. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God and have been given authority and victory over all things through His blood. God calls us to always walk in faith and be encouraged in Him for without faith we cannot please Him. Through faith in Christ then we have confidence of eternal life with Him and we can do all things through Him Who strengthens us.
PRAYER
We thank You Holy Spirit for journeying with us through the uncertainty of deep valleys, flames of trials, hardship, pain and losses. You have always strengthened us through many fears and tribulations and have given us victory through Your saving arm. All glory, power and strength belongs to You Jesus. Cover us with Your precious blood Jesus and deliver us from all forms of fear. Have mercy Lord on all those who are sick and suffering in our society that You have heal their wounds. Be with us all Father and help us overcome the challenges that face us through Your merciful love. Remember with mercy Jesus; all those who do not know You that You have bring them to Your salvation. We need Your grace everyday Jesus, take control of our lives, relationships, families, marriages, education, businesses, jobs, projects, future, nation and the entire world, we humbly beseech You. In Your strength Lord You have given us the joy of Your salvation; we will always rejoice in You. Amen