Fear -- it grips us tightly, it consumes our thinking, it can make us feel hopeless and helpless. Tomorrow my dad will be going for a lung scan after completing a very difficult round of chemo. It's hard not to fear the worst. This morning I opened up Oswald Chamber's "Utmost for His Highest" to find the devotion for today is titled "God's Assurance". This is an excerpt of what I read:
God says, "I will never leave you," so that then I "may boldly say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear'" (Heb. 13:5-6) In other words, I will not be obsessed with apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted by fear, but I will remember God's word of assurance. I will be full of courage, like a child who strives to reach the standard his father has set for him. The faith of many people begins to falter when apprehensions enter their thinking and they forget the meaning of God's assurance -- they forget to take a deep spiritual breath. The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God's assurance to us.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Thank you for reminding me of your love and assurance!
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