Job 12:10 ” In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”

God is the Lord of life.  Everything in this vast universe is under His watchful eye…not the tiniest detail  escapes Him.  Our very life breath is orchestrated under His guidance…so the next time you’re wondering if God even notices you and what you may be going through…take a  deep breath…feel your heart beating, and thank Him for being  in the palm of His mighty hand.

I John 4:4 “…Because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. “

If somehow this verse could be truly realized and utilized by all Christians, our mindset would be changed forever.  We would then be certain that the indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to not fall prey to the devil’s gimmicks  of doubt and fear.  We would then walk in faith and trust, ignoring those hailstones of doubt trying to freeze us in place with fear.  The devil’s greatest deception of Mankind is making us doubt God, ourselves, and  this verse.

Romans 8:31 ” If God is for us, who can be against us? “

Allow this verse to sink into your soul…pondering the words and meaning.  If the Almighty God is defending, protecting, and caring for you…what do you have to fear?  If the Maker of the Universe is ever watching over you…what could possibly make you afraid?  The enemy may want you to think that you’re alone and defenseless…but you have an all powerful Heavenly Father whispering, ” Fear not! “

I John 4:18 ” There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.”

There is no fear in perfect love…and God is love…thus fear is not of God.  There are at least 70 times in the Bible when  the Lord states,  “Fear not!”  But taking the head knowledge of not fearing and transferring it into heart knowledge is a continuous journey of building our relationship with God…of learning to trust and not fear.

Matthew 21:21 ” I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt…”

Doubt divides our mind into what we believe, and what suddenly we’re uncertain about.  It causes us to question, which leads to wavering, which leads to apprehension, which leads to anxiety, which leads to fear.  Doubt is like a cold, hard hailstone that the devil lobs our way, hoping it will freeze us up with fear.  That hailstone of doubt will turn our belief into disbelief, and our trust into mistrust.   Doubt comes first, and if allowed, fear will follow.

Psalm 53:5 ” There they were in great fear, where there was nothing to fear.”

Fear will wrap up our minds, making it play tricks on us.  Our mind will immediately race to worst case scenario anytime the phone rings in the middle of the night.  A fearful mind won’t allow us to sleep at night as the “what ifs” swirl around in our brain like bats.  Fear wraps up our mind, causing us to behave irrationally  and paranoiac.

Proverbs 4:25 ” Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”

Fear will wrap up your eyes, not allowing you to see clearly.  You will be looking, but not seeing…seeing but not perceiving correctly.   By turning a blind eye to atrocities…you are silently condoning the actions… and panicking  against becoming involved.  Fear will wrap up your eyes, making you blind to the truth.

Psalm 38: 13 ” I am like a deaf man who cannot hear.”

Fear will wrap up our ears making us unable to hear.   We can then turn a deaf ear to things…refusing to listen.  Or we’ll  hear, but not listen and understand what’s being said.  For fear causes our brain to be unable to focus on small details…so listening intently becomes difficult…because our brain is concentrating on the big picture of fight or flight.  Fear will wrap up our ears and make us unable to discern the Lord’s voice clearly.

Jeremiah 51: 46 ” Do not lose heart or be afraid.”

When fear wraps up our heart, we are unnerved and intimidated.  We become faint hearted and disheartened…fear preventing us from taking action.  As fear wraps up our heart, it destroys our confidence in ourselves…and sadly our confidence in the Lord.

Ezekiel 7:17 “…and every knee will become as weak as water.”

Fear wraps us up and renders us immobile.  We are stopped in our tracks…our knees knocking together and even giving way, unable to move.  We’re like deer caught in the headlights…panic stricken and frozen in fear.  But if we’re paralyzed in fear, we are of no use for the Kingdom…and the devil would like to keep us that way.