Category Archives: Fear

Advocate, Angels, Bible, Caregiver, Comfort, Cowardice, Fear, Hand, Protection, Scripture

THE WAVE OF HIS HAND

ZECHARIAH 2:9

“For behold, I am going to wave My hand over them so that they will be plunder for their slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of armies has sent Me.”

I have known several young ladies who were beauty queens. My high school sweetheart was Miss Pelham. So was my sister. They both went on to compete in the Miss Georgia contest. One thing you have to practice as a beauty contestant is your hand wave. When you are riding in parades and such, you are expected to wave like a beauty queen. Don’t ask me how to do it because I have no clue, lol.

The angel who was delivering this message now switches to the first person. As God’s messenger, he will wave his hand over their enemies and defeat them. Look at that again. All he has to do is wave his hand. Wow! Now that is power. That is all it took – a wave of his hand, as God’s messenger. His power wasn’t his power. It was God’s. He pointed to that. “Then you will know that the LORD of armies has sent Me.

APPLICATION

In Job 27:11, Job tells his friends this. “I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.” God’s hand represented God’s way of dealing with the wicked. His method of operation is evident in His hands. God will deal with the evil forces of this world one day. We just have wait and watch.

So why do we cower in fear? All God has to do is wave His hand at those who try to defeat us. We are under His protection. We are His children. God tells us over and over in His Word to not be afraid. Yet we doubt His abilities. Now, if you asked someone if they believed God could do all these things, you would get an affirmative answer. Their behaviors, however, tell a different story.

My hands have been used to protect, soothe, comfort, wipe away tears and hold someone dear. God does the same with His hands toward us. If someone was attacking one of my loved ones, I would use my hands to defend them the best that I could. If we, as humans, will do that, don’t you think our heavenly will do that and so much more?

You’ve got the whole world in Your hands.

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Abiding, Angels, Authority, Awe, Bible, Encouragement, Fear, Hearing, Listening, Scripture

WHO IS THAT MAN?

ZECHARIAH 1:8

“I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him.” 

Have you ever been out at night and saw someone in the distance that you could not quite make out? I know I’ve done that several times. It usually doesn’t bother me if I’m with someone else or it’s in a place that I know. But if that happens when I’m alone or in an uncertain area, I can get a little concerned. I may even holler at the person to identify themselves. I am sure you’ve been there.

Zechariah sees a man riding a red horse and he was among the myrtle trees. Many scholars speculate who this man may be. Was it Michael, the archangel? Was it just an angel? Was it Jesus? We don’t know for certain since he does not identify himself by name. But we know one thing. He was in charge of those who rode behind him. We will see him over the next several verses. He has a message for Zechariah.

APPLICATION

What would you do if an angel or the Lord appeared before you? Well, Carl, I would probably run away terrified. Really? I have to believe if the Lord sent an angel to me or if He Himself appeared, I would know it. I would want to be in His presence.

Remember Paul’s experience? Acts 9:5-6 reads, “5 And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.’”

Whenever an angel or the Lord appears, they bring a message. Sometimes it is a message of judgment. Sometimes it is a message of direction. God is still delivering His message. It comes in the form of a book – the Bible. In its pages are all the messages from Him you need to hear. We don’t need an angel to appear to us. We just need to spend more time reading and listening.

As I have spent more and more time in the Word, He has revealed more and more of Himself to me. His Word is inexhaustible. It will never get old. Take some time today and dig in deeper to this verse. Dissect it. Tear it apart and put it back together again. Most importantly, listen to the Lord as He speaks to you, just like that man who appeared to Zechariah.

Lord God, I do not have to wonder who You are. You have shown Yourself to me time and time again through Your Word.

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Battles, Bible, Devil, Evil, Fear, Scripture, Strength

LIMP HANDS

ZEPHANIAH 3:16

“On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: ‘Do not be afraid, Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.’”

I have had the opportunity to meet a number of college and pro athletes in my life. These guys are impressive with their size and physical builds. Standing next to most of them I felt like a dwarf. I have seen what they could do on the football field or basketball court. One of those athletes, though, had the limpest handshake I have ever felt. It was like shaking hands with a dead fish. No grip, no firmness. It just did not match his physique at all.

God promises His people strength in today’s verse. He says, “Do not be afraid, Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.” The Hebrew word for “limp” means to relax or sink. Now put that in the verse. God was saying to them to have no fear, don’t sink down or relax. You see, God knew they were going to face more challenges, so they needed to stay strong and show no fear. He was with them.

APPLICATION

We often fall into that trap of sinking or relaxing. Let me remind you that we cannot afford that luxury. Luke 4:13 comes at the conclusion of Jesus’ testing in the wilderness by Satan. He had given Jesus his best shot and failed to cause Him to sin. Did he give up? I don’t think so. Look at the verse. “And so when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”

We can’t have limp hands when it is time to battle the forces of evil. If the devil plotted an “opportune time” against the Son of God, you had better believe he is plotting against us. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Strengthen your hands! Gird up and prepare for battle today. This is not an attempt to put fear in you. In fact, my purpose is just the opposite. We have the Supreme Commander leading us. Why should we fear? But we have to prepare ourselves through prayer to wield the Sword of God, His Word, in combat against those opposed to the kingdom. Grab your sword, beloved.

I am thankful that through daily wielding of the Word, my hands are strong and not limp. 

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Belief, Bible, Fear, Hope, Salvation, Scripture, Strength, Victors

TO NO AVAIL

NAHUM 3:15

“There fire will consume you, the sword will cut you down; it will consume you as the creeping locust consumes a crop. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, multiply yourself like the migratory locust.”

I do not like being told there is no hope, so quit trying. But there are sometimes when we just know we can’t do it. A few years ago, I had to go through a physical challenge and score so many points to become a Reserve Officer with my local Sheriff’s Office. Due to a bad, left shoulder I could not complete the necessary pull-ups or push-ups. My other scores were okay, but not good enough to accomplish the score needed. I had to stop the challenge before I finished. I hated that.

Today’s verse may not be clear at first glance. But Nahum is continuing the prophecy against Nineveh. He ends this verse basically daring Nineveh to try to strengthen themselves against the hand of God. They could become as numerous as the locusts, but they would not prevail. It was all to no avail.

APPLICATION

Don’t listen to the naysayers. While we are in Christ, we never give up. There is always hope. He will never leave you or forsake you. We know that because He tells us that repeatedly in Scripture. I have not personally counted them, but I have been told that “do not fear” occurs 365 times in the Bible. That’s enough for every day of the year!

When the world says, “Just give in. Quit trying” you look them right in the eye and tell them you have a Conqueror on your side who cannot be defeated. Your life is in Him, not your circumstances. Do not give in!!! Do not!

There have been times in my life when I wanted to throw in the towel. I had believed the lies. I thought it was all to no avail. Why keep trying? But my precious Lord and Savior reminded me of what He had saved me to accomplish for Him. He didn’t so much save me from something as He saved me toward something. Life was worth it because of Him. Believe that today.

I will believe in You, my Lord, when all else seems to fail. You are my rock and my salvation.

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Belief, Bible, Blessing, Christ's Return, Confidence, Contentment, Encouragement, Eternity, Fear, Promises, Rest

I AM NOT AFRAID

MICAH 4:4

“Instead, each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid, because the mouth of the LORD of armies has spoken.”

When I was growing up, my friends and I would often dare each other to do something. Sometimes it was approaching a scary looking house and knocking on the door. We had a few houses like that in my hometown. Other times it was to do some stupid physical challenge. We always said, “I’m not afraid.” Of course, inside we were trembling.

Finally, one day we can all say with confidence that we are not afraid. Just like Micah describes here in today’s verse, we can sit under our vine or fig tree (I don’t have either of these, lol) and rest. The LORD of armies has spoken. When God speaks, all is settled.

APPLICATION

Won’t that be great? No more worries. No more problems. All is at rest. That is hard to imagine, isn’t it? We live with issues and problems every day. Some of those are big, like dealing with cancer or the loss of a loved one. Other things are small, like paying that bill or a challenging child. We all have to deal with these kinds of things now.

But one day soon we will have perfect rest. I love to fish (as you who read my blogs regularly or who know me personally can attest). I love to be on the lake or at a pond early in the morning when the water is calm. It is like glass. That kind of peaceful scene will be forever. No more disturbances.

I choose to live in that peace today. I choose to believe my heavenly Father wants me to live that way. He does not desire troubles for me. Just the opposite, He desires peace. Only His peace can provide this for me. His peace gives me peace. Are you living in His peace today?

Thank You for giving me peace today, Lord. I choose to live in it.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Calling, Commands, Courage, Distractions, Enemies, Fear, God's Will, Gospel, Obedience, Scripture

A LARGE PLACE

JONAH 3:3

“So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk.”

I’ve been to some big cities – New York City, London, Nairobi, Minneapolis. I could go on. Fortunately, I did not have to walk to them. I had a car or another mode of transportation. But you know, I seldom thought about how big those cities were or too much about all the thousands of people in them who needed to hear about Jesus. I usually was on a mission to get something accomplished and didn’t want someone or something to slow me down. I repent of that. That was wrong.

Jonah was now going to Nineveh, that “exceedingly large city.” It was known for its greatness. Even though it was physically great, it was spiritually weak. The gods the Ninevites worshipped were not gods at all. We know that. Jonah knew that. And he was sent to tell them that.

APPLICATION

Now, let’s think about this for a second. Jonah was sent into enemy territory, to one of their greatest cities, and was told to tell them to repent. He probably expected laughter, at the very least. Jonah may have expected to be arrested and perhaps even killed. Why shouldn’t he expect that? No one likes to be told they are sinners.

But Jonah responded in the positive as fast as he had responded in the negative. He “got up and went” as compared to “got up to flee.” He was ready now to deliver God’s message no matter the cost. How about you? Are you willing to risk it all for Jesus? He may call on you to do just that.

I am finally at a point in my life where I really don’t care if people think I am a little crazy about Jesus. I have seen some amazing things in the past few years which have required me to reexamine how I see the Spirit moving. Living that out may put me at odds with some people. That’s okay, as long as I am true to my Savior’s calling. Will you do the same?

Father God, give me a Nineveh! Show me where you want me to be used.

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Advocate, Affliction, Asking, Belief, Bible, Darkness, Distress, Fear, Inspirational, Prayer, Scripture

DISTRESS

JONAH 2:2

“and he said, ‘I called out of my distress to the LORD, and He answered me. I called for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.’”

Have you ever been in distress? Through my illness and my two stem cell transplants, I can honestly say there were times I felt in distress. I was in anguish. I felt afflicted. Those were very adverse times. My health was fading, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. All I could do was turn to the Lord.

Jonah was in distress. His words remind me of Psalm 118:5 that says, “From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.” I find that kind of humorous – “a large place.” Jonah was indeed set in a large place – the belly of a big fish. He probably preferred a different setting.

APPLICATION

When you are in distress, what do you do? Who do you turn to? Some of us turn to alcohol. Others turn to drugs. Some get so involved in church they forget their distress. None of these work. You cannot medicate yourself or busy yourself out of distress. There is only one answer – Jesus.

Even in the belly of that fish, Jonah knew God would hear him. He did not know how God would answer, but at least He knew his prayers were ascending. They were not bouncing off the walls of that belly. We often feel our prayers are hitting the ceiling and going nowhere. Do not doubt the hearing capability of God.

There are so many examples I could give you of how God came through for me during times of distress. He would send a friend to see me in the hospital. He might burden someone to email me or call me. Just call on Him amid your distress. He can work miracles in and through us, if we will just believe.

O Lord, I have called on You many times, and You have always come through for me.

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Belief, Bible, Choices, Disciplemaking, Evangelism, Fear, Power, Praise, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture, Testimony

NOW I BELIEVE

JONAH 1:16

“Then the men became extremely afraid of the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.”

Sometimes seeing is believing. For instance, try to explain to someone who has never seen the ocean what it is. It’s more than a large body of water. It has its own ecosystem with fish and clams and shrimp. It has waves (they may ask what a wave is) that break on the shore. Explain that, lol.

These sailors were now seeing the power of God in the stillness of the sea. They saw His power in the storm, but this stillness was supernatural. The storm stopped when they threw Jonah overboard. His words had come true. They worshipped Jehovah God right there on the deck of the ship and probably offered a sacrifice as they made those vows. They now belonged to Him.

APPLICATION

Many times, we never see the result of our witness. We plant seeds and leave, only to have someone else come along and water and perhaps reap the harvest. Jonah never saw the change in the sailors’ lives. He was swimming for his life. Hmmm, that applies to us today.

In the midst of our trials, we are so often so busy trying to survive that we forget others are watching us. They are observing how we handle this trial. Does our speech match our deeds? Is our walk matching our talk?

Don’t forget that. People are watching to see if your words become true. I am not saying you are a prophet, lol. I am saying that you need to speak truth at all times. Then you are to make sure you are walking in that truth. The people who are watching you are looking for glimpses of Jesus, whom you proclaim. Can they see Him?

O God, my Savior, You may throw me in a raging sea only for the benefit of someone else so they can see Your power. Use me Lord.

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Advocate, Battles, Bible, Courage, Fear, God's Will, Hiding, Peace, Protection, Rescue, Scripture, Storms

CRYING TO THE WRONG GOD

JONAH 1:5

“Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried out to his god, and they hurled the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the stern of the ship, had lain down, and fallen sound asleep.”

So many times, we get in a mess and try to figure it out all on our own. Or we enlist the help of others who make things worse. I remember one time I was trying fix something on one of our cars. I struggled for hours to put this part on, but it just would not go on for me. I asked my neighbor for help the next morning. You know what happened? It went on for him on the first try. He had the expertise I didn’t.

These sailors are crying out their gods for help. The problem with that is those gods did not exist. They had no power to calm the storm. This was a God storm. This was one created by Him. Only He could calm it and only when it was time. It wasn’t time yet.

APPLICATION

Who are you crying out to right now? If it is anything or anyone but God, you are wasting your breathe. Why do you think you can’t find the answers anywhere else? Is it pride? Or just plain stubbornness? I know you probably think I am being a bit harsh. I guess I am. I don’t want to offend you, but I do want to move you to the right place.

Jonah was sleeping during this storm not because he was at peace. He was simply ignoring it. He was hiding from God in the stern of the ship, oblivious to what He was doing to get his attention. We do the same thing. We withdraw and hide, pretending the problem will just go away. It won’t.

Thanks be to God that He does not quit. He does not let up. If that storm had calmed down at the cries of those sailors to their gods, they would have thought their gods did it. God was teaching those sailors a lesson as much as He was Jonah. Are you learning anything in your storm?

I hate the storms, Lord, but I do love the peace that comes afterwards. I will trust You through the storm.

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Accountability, Accused, Anxiety, Bible, Consequences, Death, Fear, Forgiveness, Judgment, Scripture

HERE IT COMES

OBADIAH 15

“For the day of the LORD is near for all the nations. Just as you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.

Doomsday! You know you can’t avoid it. The weight of it is excruciating. The dreaded bathroom scales. No one wants to step on that thing. Am I right? I am currently on ANOTHER diet, lol. I need to shed some pounds that have creeped on over the winter.

That dreaded moment is nothing in comparison with what was headed Edom’s way. “The day of the LORD” was commonly known as a day of judgment. Obadiah poured out those words, which were very similar to the prophet Joel, when he said in Joel 3:7, ‘thy reward shall return upon thine own head.’ Edom knew exactly what Obadiah meant! Doomsday!

APPLICATION

What are you dreading right now? Are you dreading death? How about the end of the world? Those are both definites. They are going to happen. I hope that doesn’t scare you. That’s not my intention. Fear can motivate you, if it is the right kind of fear. The fear of the Lord is a good thing. Let me explain.

The fear of the Lord is a reverence for His holiness. The fear of the Lord leads me to bow down before Him in awe of His presence. The Lord does not scare me. In fact, it is just the opposite. The thought of the Lord spurs me on to holy living.

I don’t fear the Lord in a negative way because He’s my Father. He’s my Protector. He’s my Shield and Buckler. He carries me in His arms when I am too weak to walk. He soothes me when I am anxious. There is nothing to dread! I welcome Him.

O sweet Lord, You comfort me beyond anything I could ever ask or think.

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