Day 363: 1 Kings 17:13

"Elijah said to her, Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son." ~1 Kings 17:13, NIV

God was doing a big thing in Israel - He had forbidden the clouds to produce rain because Elijah had asked, as a sign to the evil King of the time. However, that also meant that the people were suffering, such as the widow Elijah is talking to in this verse. This widow was preparing herself and her son to die, but Elijah asked her to first make him some bread and get him some water.

She was incredulous, but did so, using up the last of her resources. When Elijah told her to go back and make something for herself, oh shock! All of the resources had been replenished!

Elijah was God's voice to this widow, telling her not to be afraid, that He was going to take care of her through the prophet. And today we can also hear God speaking through Elijah, promising to take care of us, to deliver us in our time of need.

He is here, and He loves you, and wants to be as near to you as you will let Him - nearer, more present, even.

Day 361: Psalm 31:1

"In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness." ~Psalm 31:1, NIV

The psalmists, oh we've heard an awful lot about them this year, and it's been mostly the same thing - they made a lot of good choices. In the end, they always went to their wise and good God to give them strength and courage, and to take away all their fear.

It is a choice, something we must choose every day. It's not a one time decision - it's an every time we get scared, every time something big and bad comes up decision. We can do it.

Because all it involves is having a little faith and enough hope that God is good and faithful, strong enough to save us. Amen?

Day 358: Psalm 18:17

"He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me." ~Psalm 18:17, NIV

God loves His children. It's a simple fact that isn't always as simple to believe, but when the worst comes to worst, there's another fact to hold on to, equally as difficult to believe.

He's there. He will save you. He's saved countless others in your position - and the psalmists wrote about it. The God you believe in was the same yesterday, is the same today, and will be the same tomorrow.

The God who saved the psalmist yesterday, will save you today, and you progeny tomorrow. You will come up against enemies bigger than you can actually handle. But that doesn't mean they will defeat you - it just means you have to lean on the source of power, and believe in Him.

Day 333: Obadiah 1:17

"But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and Jacob will possess his inheritance." ~Obadiah 1:17, NIV


For the most part, there's an exception to every rule. So when your world is falling apart, that insinuates that not everything in your world is indeed, fallen apart.

There will always be a Mount Zion - a refuge in the deluge of catastrophe that God sends. You don't have to be afraid. God is waiting in the rain. Your inheritance is to know God and serve him. Jacob found Mount Zion, Jacob received the inheritance, and so will you.

Day 330: Isaiah 12:2

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation." ~Isaiah 12:2, NIV

You may be familiar with the teenage game of "string as many curse words in a sentence as possible." Apparently this originated from the Biblical poetry where the poet tries to stick as many images of their good and loving God in a single verse as it possible.

The topic of these images vary, sometimes they just talk about His unfailing love, but as this verse from a poem of Isaiah shows, sometimes the theme is God as our protector: our reason to fear not.

Surely, if we were to fill our heads as full of God's faithfulness as this verse is, we would never be afraid. But we don't do that, so we look to these verses instead. Isaiah said surely he will trust in God, and choose to not be afraid, he believed in the Lord, and that He was his defense and deliverer.

It's still true - if you want it to be.

Day 328: Joshua 8:1

"Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.'" ~Joshua 8:1, NIV

It's nice, isn't it, that throughout God's leading Joshua through the conquest of the Promised Land, that He was constantly reminding Joshua to fulfill His command? God's word isn't usually meant to be said once and never repeated.

His promises tend to have a certain repetition about them. And I assure you, if it's important, God will remind you about it the way He did Joshua.

That's why there's going to be 366 entries this year... Because God has a plan for you and it involves choosing to fear not. Like Joshua, we need reminders when we're about to go into a dangerous situation, when obeying God doesn't seem to be the most logical thing in terms of self-preservation.

In fact, some of us need reminders in every situation. God knows that. And He provided His command to Joshua again and again: don't be afraid, don't be discouraged.  Through Joshua, we can get the gist.

If we are in God's plan, then He will be with us so that it does not fail. Even in death, God never fails. God's promises were fulfilled to Joshua as long as Israel was right with God and went forward fearlessly.

We can go and do likewise.

Day 321: Luke 4:18

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free." ~Luke 4:18, NIV

In this part of Luke, Jesus is in a synagogue, reading scripture. He reads this passage from Isaiah, and then looks to the crowd, saying, "you have seen this come to pass today." Jesus took the hope that the Old Testament heroes looked to and embodied it.

He knew it was true - the Spirit was upon Him and enabled Him to do everything He did. Be it bringing good news to the poor, setting psychological captives free, healing the sick, delivering His people from sin, Jesus did it all, and continues to do so today.

People used to look forward to the hope of the Messiah, but we have it with us today - and what better way to prevent fear than to fill up on hope? The promise made in the Old Testament is fulfilled by Jesus, and if you feel like you could be poor, a captive, sick, or oppressed, please take courage: Jesus came to rescue you. If you've accepted Him, He has saved you and will save you. If not, He's only a conversation away.

Day 315: 2 Timothy 4:18

"The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." ~2 Timothy 4:18, NIV

As far as I know, Paul is writing Timothy from his "prison" in Rome. This part of the letter is a short summary of instruction for Timothy, because Paul knows his time is running short. But like every Christian, he knows two things:

1) No matter what happens, God is good
2) No matter what happens, He will be rescued

We have to be aware that God's ways are not our own, and that God's idea of rescue might be our human idea of demise. I think Paul is also referring here to things that could possibly damage and weaken his faith in Christ. If the attacks were successful, he would be in even more trouble.

But Jesus takes care of His sheep, and Paul knows He will rescue him from every evil attack, no matter what kind, no matter when it comes, no matter how it ends.

In the end, our lives are to be lived to His glory - whatever that means for us, we are to choose to be witnesses. Fearless. That's how we should be following Him.

Day 312: Mark 4:40

"He said to his disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?'" ~Mark 4:40, NIV

Jesus had perfect control over His fear. That doesn't mean He was never afraid, but He never let fear dictate His actions - whatever He saw the Father doing, He did also. Once He was in the boat while His disciples were going across the sea. He was tired, so He was napping, and a great storm came up.

The disciples feared for their lives, and they woke up Jesus. "Don't you care if we drown?" they screamed in His face. I bet that, rubbing the sleep out of His eyes, He stood and told the wind and waves to shut it.

That probably silenced His disciples too. In the stunned silence He probably looked them over, and asked the above. They were afraid of death, and I suspect they were also afraid of Jesus. He had, after all, just been interrupted of His nap, and was likely irritable.

In all seriousness, the disciples had seen and participated in plenty of miracles at that point. It's totally possible that if they had had faith, they could have calmed the waves. It's also possible that they would have survived the storm.

Jesus isn't napping in our boat, He's always awake, alive and aware inside of us, bidding us to do what we see Him do. When we let fear get the best of us, I bet He's saying the above. "Why are you afraid? Don't you trust me?

Do my people still have no faith?"

Day 310: 1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." ~1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV

What a great verse, and a fantastic reminder of God's promise! Once we've submitted ourselves to God, He is gracious and as stated above, will not LET you be tempted to do evil beyond what you can restrain yourself from.

If you don't, it's not because the attraction was too strong, it's because you chose poorly, because as this verse says, even when you are tempted, there will always be an out. You won't be, you can't be trapped; Jesus has always left you a delivering path to take.

You can endure it. You can make wise choices. God has given you that capability, but you must choose to use it - He will never force you to do anything.

Day 308: Psalm 7:1

"Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me." ~Psalm 7:1, NIV

David had a lot of enemies throughout his life. But he also had one undefeated source of comfort and hope - his God. David sometimes chose to rely on himself to do what he wanted, but as you read the Psalms, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings, we see that David usually chose to rely on something outside of his control.

God.

Here we see David actively choosing to "take refuge" in God, and ask Him to save him. If David, the man after God's heart did it, can't we? And if God sent His son to save us, won't He help even the least of you?

Day 294: Psalm 62:2

"Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." ~Psalm 62:2, NIV

Jesus said a lot of things about Himself. But the funny thing is that David also said a lot of things about Jesus without ever knowing who He was. God was David's rock, and yet Jesus is now our rock, and His death was our salvation.

Jesus' promises, His ever-present help through the Holy Spirit, it builds a fortress around us within which we cannot be shaken.

In my understanding it's all nice and jolly to say it, but unless you make it true, it has no value for defeating fear. If you choose to run to God with your terrors, and if you choose to ask the Holy Spirit to take away your fear, then you have no fortress.

And that's one of the greatest tools you have. But it all starts with your choice.

Day 286: Isaiah 30:15

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." ~Isaiah 30:15, NIV

We humans like to think we have everything figured out. We play the parts, and people either fall for it, or are too uneducated to challenge it. This only contributes to our assumption that we've got it.

But God spells out what "got it" actually means in the above verse, and then accurately growls that we "have none of it".

How can we be delivered? "In repentance and rest." By repenting that we can't do everything on our own to Jesus, and allowing Him to forgive and wash away our sins, first off. And then rest. Everything we do comes from God, so why struggle in your own strength to do things? Isn't it better to rest in the shelter of His love, and act in His greatness? According to the Holy One of Israel, yes, yes it is.

How can we be strong? "In quietness and trust." There is a place for preaching God's love, but really, our most powerful witness isn't telling people that they're going to hell. It's our life of trusting that God really has saved us and there's nothing we can do to save ourselves. It's quiet. It's something people observe about us, not something we tell them about us.

Thanks to Jesus, we can fully understand what this verse means - it's an explanation of the intended way of life as God designed it after the fall. It's a delivered life, it's a fearless life. It can be yours.

Day 267: Esther 4:14

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" ~Esther 4:14, NIV

The story of Esther is perhaps one of the most incredible stories of courage ever. God brought her to a position of influence where she could save her people when the government of her day decided to crack down and annihilate the Jewish race.

God tasked Esther with the deliverance of her people - but He was with her the whole time. He gave her the wisdom of Mordecai. He gave her the support of her people. He gave her the favor of the king, and wisdom to know how to deal with the situation of potential death.

Esther had to trust God in everything, but she didn't do it off the bat. In fact, she requested that Israel pray and fast for her for 3 days.  We can learn a lesson - go to God with your troubles. Give Him a chance to help you. Ask Him to help you surrender your will.

And then go do it. And if you 'perish', metaphorically speaking? What of it? You were going to someday anyways. Better to do so doing God's will than not.

Day 247: 2 Peter 2:9

"if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment." ~2 Peter 2:9, NIV

I know, I'm a terrible person, I only reproduced the conclusion of a four-verse sentence chock full of ideas and arguments. "If this is so," implies that the reader knows what 'this' is, and here we are missing it. Well firstly, I recommend taking the time to go find 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 4 and reading to this one. Secondly, you can read a summary.

2 Peter 2 is talking about false teachers. Peter confirms that there will definitely be false teachers, but also that they are condemned. In verse four he begins an argument around this - "if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell" is one example of "this" being so in our final verse. If God really condemned the angels who fell short, then we can know that God knows how and will rescue the upright from falling and will send liars to condemnation. In verse five he continues this argument - "if He did not spare the world but flooded it, saving only Noah and seven others for their uprightness" is true, then surely God knows how to protect those who serve Him honestly. In verses six and seven, "if God really decimated Sodom and Gomorrah, but rescued Lot, (who in verse eight is declared righteous)" then doesn't He know how to save us from our pining too?

You're going to go through trials, but you can be sure that just as God was just and good throughout history, just as He saved His people from falling in trials before, so He will to you now. God is the justice system; He's not unfair and even if you didn't deserve your situation, He'll use it for your ultimate good. I can guarantee it.

There is example after example in the Bible where this is proven, and surely even in your own life you can see it! So just keep on believing it. God delivers His children. Hold on.

Day 235: Psalm 91:3

"Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence." ~Psalm 91:3, NIV

If you ever need a picker-upper on the intimidation/trust front, I recommend reading the entire Psalm 91. It's one of the ultimate declarations of faith and courage that I've read in the Psalms.

Which is only saying something because I've read through them 7-ish times.

Surely, dear reader, God will save you from deadly traps. Disease? No problem. He can deliver you from that too. Often times when bad things happen to us, we wonder what happened. Is God really good? How can a good God let such bad things happen?

God is the Healer. Without being sick, however, you'll never know Him as such. God is the Deliverer. Without getting trapped, however, you'll never meet Him as such.

Bad things happen because we're sinful and there's an enemy trying to kill you. But God takes those things and uses them to His glory. Surely He will take your trials and help you find the diamonds in your rough.

Day 223: 2 Samuel 22:2

"He said: The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;" ~2 Samuel 22:2, NIV

This passage from 2 Samuel may sound familiar. Because essentially, it's just a psalm pasted into another book of the Bible. A piece of praise for a miracle described earlier in the book. So instead of needing the background knowledge from another book, you just have to flip back a couple chapters to see why David is cheering for God.

And in this case, it's because God saved him from a raving madman who'd lost God's favor, on top of all of the other enemies of Israel.

This verse starts off the whole psalm with the declaration that God is a foundation upon which security is built. And as this psalm begins, so can our day - if we began everyday proclaiming what we know to be true, that God is the foundation of our day.

And then we can choose what we build upon that rock with the actions of our day.

Day 214: Psalm 25:20

"Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you." ~Psalm 25:20, NIV

In Psalm 25, David is praising God - describing the upright and the deceitful, and asking for reprieve from his enemies. After a particularly anguished plea, he gives us this verse, this prayer to pray.

David knew that his life was a reflection of the God he served, and he loved his God. If you love someone, you don't want to tarnish their name. So he prayed that his life would do no such thing.

What's your life doing? Is there something you need to change? A prayer you need to pray?

Day 206: Job 5:20

"In famine he will deliver you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword." ~Job 5:20, NIV

Remember Job, the guy who lost everything he had because God let the Devil kick the snot out of him? His friends came, talked to him, and reminded him of who God was. In this verse we see "He's a deliverer", that He provides a way.

Job's friends gave him what they knew to be true. Job knew all of this as well, and it must have seemed terrible to hear the above in his time of trouble. Deliverer? God was not delivering him from his ailments, from his losses. But just because God was not delivering Him at that moment did not change the fact that God is a deliverer, that He delivers from famine, saves in battle.

Just remember, because God is not acting now does not mean His nature has changed. He still loves You with all of His heart and is working hard through circumstances to make the best You possible. If, despite your circumstances, like Job, you can remain righteous and not lash at God... You can be all the stronger when God "finally" pulls through.

He's working right now. And He will save you.

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Day 196: Daniel 6:27

"He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." ~Daniel 6:27, NLT

Daniel had a rough job, being up on top of Babylonian hierarchy. His enemies fought him at every turn, and jealous peeps tried to get him killed. He was thrown into a lion's den in punishment for an unfair law that his rivals tricked the King Darius to sign. Darius didn't want to kill Daniel. Thus, after Daniel had been in the lion's den and they went to grab his body, and it turned out he wasn't dead...

Darius was elated, and immediately launched into praise of God's goodness. Even the foreign king of Babylon could see God's goodness, how He rescues and saves people, people like Daniel, and people like you. God saved Daniel, He can save you.

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