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Overcoming fear
(part 1)
1 Cor 3:21-23
Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours. 23And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
Fear is one of the most dreaded killer of humanbeings. It not only kills physically but also mentally. Fear of death, unknown future,
sickness, goes on and on. It brings back vivid memory of bad experiences from the past making them alive, projecting bad possibilities
in future.
We can overcome the fear by the following methods.
- Growing in the knowledge of God's love for us
- Constantly assuring ourselves with the promises of God
- There by learning to trust God that he is in control of our lives
Let us meditate on these aspects one by one in light of sacred scriptures
Growing in the knowledge of God's love for us
John3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
In both of the above passages Jesus declares God's love for us. In the first passage, Jesus explains to Nicodemus how much God loved
this world that He has given His own son as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Not only he gave His only son for us, nothing
in this world surprises Him. If we are children of God even our hairs are numbered. We are precious in His sight.
Thats why we cannot measure the love of God.
Let us read one more scripture portion to corroborate that fact.
Eph 3:14-19
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
In the above bible passage Paul is urging the believers at Ephesian church that they may know or comprehend Christ's immeasurable love
for us which transcends knowledge. What a comforting thing it is to know that God loves us so much that minds cannot fully understand
it, yet bible invites us to know that love, to experience that love by being in relationship with God by reading God's word and through prayer.
Constantly assuring ourselves with the promises of God:
This is extremely important for child of God in this chaotic world. All the things around us, people, media
everywhere this world tries to send fearful, depressive messages to human mind. We need to constantly reassure
ourselves with the truth of the word of God and His promises for us. Let us meditate few important scriture portions.
2 Cor 1:20
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
In this scripture portion Bible declares that all God's promises are "Amen" in Christ Jesus, meaning all God's
promises can be claimed by anyone who believes in Jesus Christ. Can you believe the power available to us
my friends, all of God's promises whatsoever they may be applies to us.
If you belong to Christ all these are yours.
One may ask following questions
- I do not know if I am in Christ?
- or I do not know if I am saved?
- or How do I know if I am in Christ?
Here are the answers to above questions:
Bible says whoever confesses that he or she is a sinner and believes that God sent Jesus
to the cross to die for our sins is saved. Many times one may say that "I have already done that but
I am not sure if I am in Christ". Often this happens since we do not grow in spiritual knowledge
and due to this there is no assurance of salvation.
My dear friend, please read this carefully:
We need to understand the moment we confess our sins to God, ask for forgivesness and invite Jesus into
our hearts its a new beginning. Its the beginning of a new personal relationship with Jesus.
For a relationship to grow one must spend time with the other. So how do you spend time
with Jesus? The answer is by reading God's word(bible). Because when we are reading God's word we understand
who God is, what is he like, His likes and dislikes, His love for us, His glory. One more important way to spend time
with Jesus is to pray, one may say that I don't know how to pray, prayer is just a conversation with God knowing
that God knows every thought that comes to us and He promised that He will hear us whenever we pray.
So all God's promises applies to believers in Jesus Christ or those who are in Christ.
Lets read one more scripture portion from Romans
Romans 31-35
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns?
It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Romans 8:37-39
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death
nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth,
nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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