“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Psalm 56:3; “I will trust, and not be afraid.” Isaiah 12:2. John 6:20. But he saith unto them, “It is I; be not afraid.”

God pleads, God admonishes, God commands and God calls to us every single day to not be afraid, but to simply trust Him in everything. He stands at the door of our heart and cries daily: “It is I! Be not afraid!” The Christian life is a constant battle between fear and trust; anxiety and trust, and doubt and confidence. We must learn to be never shaken with fear for we dishonor God when we allow fear to seize our hearts and minds causing us to not believe God or His Word. Luke 1:74 says that God wants us “to serve Him without fear all of our days.” We cannot serve God; we cannot love God with all of our heart when we live in fear. The word “fear” is used 385 times in the Bible so it is a topic God expects us to understand. Fear is sand in the machinery of life and all of the devil’s modus operandi is aimed to get us to fear. Wherever and whenever we fear, we cannot have faith. There is a trend downward that leads to unbelief which is the greatest sin a person can commit. It begins with doubt, progresses to worry and then develops into fear. Fear is believing or faith in reverse. It is believing the words of Satan and the world over the Word of God. Fear always builds unbelief and unbelief defeats the promises of God in your life. Matthew 13: 58 (ESV): And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. There are no mighty works of faith, there are no works of great deliverance and there are no shining forth of the glory of Jesus Christ when unbelief dominates our thoughts and attitudes. Fear always leads us to the altar of unbelief. Fear always builds unbelief and unbelief is the root and essence of all sin. Unbelief always causes the heart to fall away from the living God.

Hebrews 3:12 it says, “Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, leading you to fall away from the living God.”
Piper: The new birth introduces a person into a life of warfare. That warfare is called the “fight of faith” in 2 Timothy 4:7; 1 Timothy 6:12. And here in Hebrews 3:12 it is called the battle against unbelief. “Take care [that’s the vigilance of battle], brethren, lest there be in you and evil heart of unbelief [there’s the enemy in the warfare], leading you to fall away from the living God [there’s the warning against not taking the warfare seriously].”

In other words the most basic battle of our life is the battle to believe in the living God, and not to allow our heart to become an evil heart of unbelief.

The main point of this text is that the people of God should not be a fearful people. We should not be a people who are anxious or troubled or worried or fretful about things that threaten our life and happiness: economic adversity, hostile people, satanic opposition, guilt-laden consciences, deteriorating health, and death. The mark of God’s people is not incapacitating fear, but rather courageous confidence in God.

Spurgeon: We must not fear; for fear dishonors God. Doubt the Eternal, distrust the Omnipotent? O, traitorous fear! Thinkest thou that the arm which piled the heavens, and sustains the pillars of the earth shall ever be palsied? Shall the brow which eternal ages have rolled over without scathing it, at last be furrowed by old age? What! Shall the Eternal fail thee? Shall the faithful Promiser break his oath? Thou dishonorest God, O unbelief! Get thee hence! God is too wise to err, too good to be unkind; leave off doubting him, and begin to trust him, for in so doing, thou wilt put a crown on his head, but in doubting him thou dost trample his crown beneath thy feet.

Fear is to Satan what Faith is to God. Faith does God’s work. Fear does Satan’s work.
God operates on the basis of faith, which enables believers to resist one of the devil’s chief operative tactics — fear. God has not given believers a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline (sound mind or literally “a saved mind”). (2Timothy 1:7). Peter exhorts believers to resist our adversary, the devil, remaining firm (stable, immovable) in our faith (1Peter 5:9). In this present evil age believers are to walk by faith, not by sight (2Corinthians 5:7) Paul instructs believers to take up “the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one (including those intended to make us fearful)” (Ephesians 6:16). John adds that whoever is born of God overcomes (keeps on continuously conquering) the world (including its fears) and this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1John 5:4,5)

Hebrews 13:5b,6 (Amplified): For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not! 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm. I will not fear or dread or be terrified. What can man do to me?

If this verse is truth and the Word of the Living God, then why would we ever fear O ye of little faith? Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real.

Dr. E. Stanley Jones describes the relationship between faith and fear this way:
I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath—these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely—these are my native air. We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality.” The only thing that conquers fear is faith in the Lord.

Faith obeys God in spite of circumstances or consequences, and it is not afraid of what others may say or do. Elijah went from victory to defeat because he started walking by sight and not by faith. He believed the wicked queen Jezebel’s words but not God’s word, and he forgot how God had cared for him for three and a half years. Fear replaced faith, and he ran for his life. We need to obey the words: “Do not be afraid; only believe.” (Mark 5:36).Only he who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life,” can say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” -Alexander Maclaren

Spurgeon: Your worst enemy is within your own bosom. Get to your knees and cry for help; and then rise up, saying, “I will trust, and not be afraid.” He goes on to add that we need to “Get away from the world and nestle under God’s wing. Exchange doubt for certainty and fear for confidence. Faith laughs at what fear weeps over. Faith leaps over mountains at whose feet mere mortal strength lies down to die.”

The Bible makes it clear time and time again we are not to fear circumstances, people, problems, or any earthly thing. Listen to these words!

Exodus 3:12a: Do not fear, Moses. I will be with you every step of the way.

2 Chronicles 20:14,15,17: Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 He said, Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.17 You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord, Who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.

Psalm 3:3-6: But You, Eternal One, wrap around me like an impenetrable shield. You give me glory and lift my eyes up to the heavens.4 I lift my voice to You, Eternal One, and You answer me from Your sacred heights. [pause] 5 I lie down at night and fall asleep. I awake in the morning—healthy, strong, vibrant—because the Eternal supports me.
6 No longer will I fear my tens of thousands of enemies who have surrounded me!

The Five Pillars of Fearlessness:

Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1.”For I am with you”—”Do not fear, for I am with you.” 2. “I am your God”—”Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God.” 3. “I will strengthen you.” 4. “Surely I will help you.” 5.”Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Reinstated, the five pillars of fearlessness are: 1. God is with me; 2.God is my God; 3. God will strengthen me; 4.God will help me; 5.God will uphold me.

Piper: When God calls you to be free from fear (to overcome this natural emotion and have peace), he does not leave the command hanging in the air. He puts pillars under it. Five of them. That’s the nature of all biblical commands. They come with divine support.
1. Fear not . . . God is with you;
2. Fear not . . . God is your God;
3. Fear not . . . God will strengthen you;
4. Fear not . . . God will help you;
5. Fear not . . . God will uphold you.

The Key to Overcoming Fear

The key to overcoming fear is resting on the pillars of the promises of God. Stop defining and limiting your future in terms of your past and start defining it in terms of your God. Recognize that God is greater than your personality. God is greater than your past experiences of timidity. God is greater than your “family of origin.” And God calls you to joyful fearlessness. The crucial factor in your fearless living is not your family, but your God. “Let not your hearts be troubled, BELIEVE IN GOD.” Believe in God! Trust God! Let God be your God! Your help. Your strength. He will uphold you with his righteous right hand.

I Peter 5:6-8a (The Voice): So bow down under God’s strong hand; then when the time comes, God will lift you up. 7 Since God cares for you, let Him carry all your burdens and worries.8 Most importantly, be disciplined and stay on guard. Your enemy the devil is prowling around outside like a roaring lion, just waiting and hoping for the chance to devour someone. 9 Resist him and be strong in your faith,

Amplified: Verse 7: Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

Piper: That’s the point of verse 7: “Be humble by casting all your anxiety on God.” The secret of humility is being able to cast your anxiety on God. Note the connection between humbling yourself under God’s mighty hand in verse 6 and casting your anxiety on God in verse 7. God is the focus in both verses, and the connection is this: before you can put yourself humbly under God’s mighty hand, you have to put your anxiety confidently in God’s mighty hand. You do it by trusting the second half of verse 7 very specifically in relation to your specific anxiety. The first half of verse 7 says, ” . . . casting all your anxiety on him . . . ” and the second half of the verse says, ” . . . because he cares for you.” Here is where the rubber meets the road. How do you practically make the anxiety transfer from your back to God’s back? The answer is: trust that he cares for you. Believe this promise. Trust him. It’s a matter of practical trust. That promise does not hang in the air. It is connected to a command and the promise is meant to show you how to obey the command. The command is, Cast your anxiety on God. The promise is, God cares for you. That means, he cares about the thing that has you worrying. He wants to be trusted for that.

Lay a Specific Anxiety on God

So often we trust God in the abstract. Yes, he is a trustworthy God. Yes, he can save sinners in general. Yes, he will work it all out, generally speaking, for my good. But a text like this means, Lay a specific anxiety on God. Trust him specifically that he cares about that. Believe that he is God. His purposes cannot be thwarted. “I know that you can do all things, says Job, and no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

Let’s look at the first usage of the word “fear” in the Bible which sets a pattern and definition for fear.

Genesis 3:8-10: And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool[c] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Fear is the first emotion of Adam and Eve after the fall in the Garden. Originally fear had no place in paradise in the Garden of Eden. God did not create men and women to fear. Fear was the fruit of listening to Satan and being disobedient to God’s command. Satan deceived Eve and in that deception caused her to fear. Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear causes you to run from the presence of the Lord and hide from His voice. Fear causes you to lose intimacy with God, to lose close fellowship with God and for your life to be naked spiritually, rooted in the flesh. Fear causes us to disobey God and ruin from His commandment and not believe His Word. In fear, we are in essence calling God a liar. We are saying that His promise is not true and He is not big enough to take care of our problem. When we fear we are making the confession that something is more powerful and great and superior in strength than God Almighty. To fear is to follow in the footsteps of Eve. We cannot enjoy God, we cannot live in His presence, and we cannot grow in His Word when fear dominates our hearts. Fear always causes our heart to turn away from God and embrace our anxious worries and fears. Fear is one the greatest enemies to our Christian walk and we must daily battle its temptation and its deadly consequences.

Through distrust, Satan seduced Adam and Eve away from submitting to the most wonderful, lovable, giving, concerned, sensitive and helpful Personality in all creation—God. Can you imagine that? The Devil convinced them that God could not be trusted! Distrust is a powerful incentive whose fruit is divorce. Our first parents sinned and division began. The world has not been united since. When there is distrust, faith evaporates. Fear, anxiety and depression escalate.

As Jesus taught Peter so must we quit dancing and wavering between faith and fear: Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached for Peter and caught him. “O you of little faith. Why did you doubt and dance back and forth between following Me and heeding fear?”

By the touch of Jesus all fear melts away: Matthew 17:7: But Jesus—who was, by this time, used to His disciples being plagued by fear—touched them. “Get up. Don’t be afraid.”

Tommy Tinney: When you focus your attention on the wrong thing, you are actually worshipping it! You are allotting time and faith to it! Either believe God or believe Satan’s press release on your problem. Jesus constantly admonishes us to believe God and act on His Word. He said, in essence, “The lily takes no thought about what it will wear…It doesn’t worry about how this is going to happen or how that is going to happen. All it does is lift up its head, knowing that God is going to take care of it.” Jesus warned us not to worry! Worry is not worship! Some people worry on their knees and call it prayer. Others have mastered the art of worrying with their hands in the air, calling it worship. Worship is not worry! Worry always glorifies the problem while minimizing the value, power and potential of the Solution. Magnifying God minimizes the problem! When things get difficult and the enemy shows up without welcome to crash your party with God, don’t get distracted. Above all, don’t allow this distracting problem to derail your worship and move you onto its own unfair battlefield with the prideful thought, Let me get in there and fight this fight. II don’t remember God saying that we were greater than our enemies, but I do seem to remember He said, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Deliverance and provision come when we become so focused on Him…Always remember God is more important than your enemy or your problem. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted or driven by your problem.

In the words of Isaiah 28:16, “He who believes shall not be in haste.” Trusting in a loving and sovereign God takes the jitters out of life. Abraham is the father of all those who believe because he overcame fear with child-like faith and trust. Genesis 15:1 (NIV): After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram I am your shield, your very great reward.

Deuteronomy 3:22: You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you. We don’t need to fight our problems, God fights for us. We don’t need to defend ourselves, God is our defender. We need to learn to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8: Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Psalm 27:1 (The Voice): The Eternal is my light amidst my darkness and my rescue in times of trouble. So whom shall I fear? He surrounds me with a fortress of protection. So nothing should cause me alarm.

Stop for a moment and think how many different sinful actions and attitudes come from anxiety. But what is the root of anxiety? And how can it be severed? To answer that we go to our text in Matthew 6. Four times in this text Jesus says that we should not be anxious.
1. Verse 25: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.”
2. Verse 27: “And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?”
3. Verse 31: “Therefore do not be anxious.”
4. Verse 34: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow.”
The verse that makes the root of anxiety explicit is verse 30: “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothes you, O men of little faith?” In other words Jesus says that the root of anxiety is lack of faith in our heavenly Father. But one of the greatest things about Jesus is that he does not want his people to be anxious. The main point of this text is that God does not secure his kingship by cultivating anxiety. On the contrary, the aim of God’s kingship is to free us from anxiety. God doesn’t need to keep us anxious in order to establish his power and superiority. Instead he exalts his power and superiority by working to take away our anxiety.

To be a true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ we cannot live in fear, worry and anxiety. The real problem behind anxiety is unbelief in the promises of God

II Peter 1:2-4: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Jesus deals with anxiety by calling us to an awareness of God. God does exist, and he cares. He is aware of our needs and is committed to meet our needs. Remaining aware of God frees us from the tyranny of things. It enables us to focus our lives on our relationship with God and go on living a righteous and productive life. We must see a glimpse of God as He truly is and His amazing attributes and our faith will be strengthened and our fear fade away. He is Yahweh and everything we will ever need. He is the solution to every problem we ever face. Worry is merely unbelief parading in disguise! The Scriptures repeatedly warn us against this grievous sin. Ian Maclaren ex-claims, “What does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it does empty today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. God gives us the power to bear all the sorrow of His making, but He does not guarantee to give us strength to bear the burdens of our own making such as worry induces.”

An experienced physician decided to analyze the “worriers” who were his patients. He found that 40 percent of them were apprehensive over things that never happened. About 30 percent concerned themselves with past matters now beyond their control. Another 12 percent anxiously feared the loss of their health, although their only illness was in their imagination. And the rest worried about their families, friends, and neighbors, but in most cases he discovered no basis for their fears.

The great saint George Mueller once said that “the beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”

Max Lucado: Consider the earth! Our globe’s weight has been estimated at six sextillion tons (a six with twenty-one zeroes). Yet it is precisely tilted at twenty-three degrees; any more or any less and our seasons would be lost in a melted polar flood. Though our globe revolves at the rate of one-thousand miles per hour or twenty-five thousand miles per day or nine million miles per year, none of us tumbles into orbit. As you stand … observing God’s workshop, let me pose a few questions. If he is able to place the stars in their sockets and suspend the sky like a curtain, do you think it is remotely possible that God is able to guide your life? If your God is mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that he is mighty enough to light your path? If he cares enough about the planet Saturn to give it rings or Venus to make it sparkle, is there an outside chance that he cares enough about you to meet your needs? Listen to what the Word of God says!

Psalm 63:6-8 (The Voice): Often at night I lie in bed and remember You, meditating on Your greatness till morning smiles through my window.7 You have been my constant helper; therefore, I sing for joy under the protection of Your wings.8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand reaches down and holds me up.

Psalm 34:4-10: (The Voice): When I needed the Lord, I looked for Him; I called out to Him, and He heard me and responded. He came and rescued me from everything that made me so afraid.5 Look to Him and shine, so shame will never contort your faces. 6 This poor soul cried, and the Eternal heard me. He rescued me from my troubles.7 The messenger of the Eternal God surrounds everyone who walks with Him and is always there to protect and rescue us. 8 Taste of His goodness; see how wonderful the Eternal truly is. Anyone who puts trust in Him will be blessed and comforted. 9 Revere the Eternal, you His saints, for those who worship Him will possess everything important in life.10 Young lions may grow tired and hungry, but those intent on knowing the Eternal God will have everything they need.

You are God’s valued treasure of all treasures: Matthew 10:29-30: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Psalm 118:6: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 56:3,4: When struck by fear, I let go, depending securely upon You alone. In God—whose word I praise— in God I place my trust. I shall not let fear come in, for what can measly men do to me?

We must train and guard our thoughts, attitudes and mind to not let fear creep in and establish a stronghold. We let every fear go and securely and confidently depend on God alone.

Psalm 91:1-4;14-16 (The Voice) He who takes refuge in the shelter of the Most High will be safe in the shadow of the Almighty.2 He will say to the Eternal, “My shelter, my mighty fortress, my God, I place all my trust in You.”3 For He will rescue you from the snares set by your enemies who entrap you and from deadly plagues.4 Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers, will protect you under His great wings; His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you. 14 “Because he clings to Me in love, I will rescue him from harm; I will set him above danger. Because he has known Me by name,15 He will call on Me, and I will answer. I’ll be with him through hard times; I’ll rescue him and grant him honor. I’ll reward him with many good years on this earth and let him witness My salvation.

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

We must see with the eye of faith not the eye of fear.

2 Kings 6:8-17 (ESV): Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice. 11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Do you think that is just a nice Bible story that may make a good movie but this never happens today?

One night, John Paton, and his wife-a missionary couple in the New Hebrides Islands-were awakened by chants outside their mission station. Looking out, they saw that scores of hostile islanders had surrounded the station with torches, intent on burning the place down and killing the missionary couple. The Patons go down on their knees and prayed throughout the night, asking God to deliver them. The tense, dark hours passed, yet the islanders kept their distance. Finally around daybreak, the Patons looked out the window-and the hostile tribesmen were gone. John Patton was baffled. There seemed to be nothing preventing the islanders from attacking, yet no attack came. Paton didn’t find out why the islanders left so mysteriously until a year later, when the chief of the tribe was won to Christ. Remembering the night long siege of a year before, John Paton asked the newly converted chief why the tribesmen had departed instead of burning the mission station to the ground. “We were afraid of the men who were with you,” the chief replied. “What men?” asked Paton. “There were a hundred tall men around the mission house that night,” said the chief. “Their clothing shone with light, and they had swords in their hands. We knew they would never let us harm you, so we went back to our village.”

Why do we fear? Why don’t we trust our God? Oh the exceeding greatness of the power of faith! Yet so often our eyes are blind and we do not see God’s awesome power and glory. We only let our minds get lost in the circumstances, the impossibility of the situation and we wallow in fear and worry. Jeremiah the prophet declared “Is anything too hard for God?”

Isaiah 35:4: Tell those who worry, the anxious and fearful, “Take strength; have courage! There’s nothing to fear. Look, here—your God! Right here is your God! The balance is shifting; God will right all wrongs. None other than God will give you success. He is coming to make you safe.”

This is the Word of the Lord: There is NOTHING to fear, NOTHING to worry about, and NOTHING to be anxious about for we lift up our eyes and behold our GOD. He is Yahweh the coming one, the one who is whatever we need in any circumstance.

A W Pink adds that fear is the result of distrust, of taking the eye off God, of being unduly occupied with difficulties and troubles.

O God, give us fearless hearts so aflame for Thee that we might fear less and less. Amen.

FEAR CAN MAKE US FORGET GOD!

I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, and of the son of man who is made like grass; that you have forgotten the LORD your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; that you fear (to the point of trembling) continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, as he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor? (NASB, Isaiah 51:12, 13)

Let us not forget the Lord our Maker by living in fear. Psalm 16:8 should be the daily confession and cry of our heart.

Psalm 16:8
He is ever present with me; at all times He goes before me. I will not live in fear or abandon my calling because He stands at my right hand.

We can either live in fear and abandon our calling or we live in faith and fulfill our calling. There is no middle ground. We will never live in fear if we realize and understand God is ever present with us ever moment of the day, that He goes before us and that He stands with us as our impenetrable shield. He is our rock, our defender, our refuge, our strength, our salvation, our deliverer, our Heavenly Father, our caregiver, our fortress, our power, our healer, our shepherd, our peace, our righteousness and our provision. We need never fear.

By Tim Rowe
Goodness of God Ministries