Day 38: Job 13:15

"Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him: but I will maintain my own ways before him." ~Job 13:15, KJV

We all know the story of Job. He was righteous in God's sight, best of the whole land. Satan saw this, and asked for God's permission to try and crush Job - Satan claimed Job only worshipped God because God blessed him so. God agreed, and the Devil began tearing Job's perfect life apart, piece by piece. Despite this, Job never stopped trusting/believing in God.

When the storms pile around you and the pieces start falling apart, you've got to remember you have an enemy who wishes to kill, steal from and destroy you. You've got to search your heart and make sure you are clean before God, confessing any sin and getting forgiveness. And you can't let the waves and the wind trick you into sinning.

Trust God. Because He is good. ALL the time. And He won't give you more than you can handle with Him. He is always enough. Even in death, as Job says, He is enough! Job lost everything, but he could still say that. Put your hope, then, in Him!

Day 37: 2 Kings 17:35

"With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them." ~2 Kings 17:35, KJV

This is a different kind of fear than the fear that will be and has usually been talked about. This is fear of gods - the actual meaning is closer to honor than anything else. (In fact, reading all of the other versions reveals that they think it means respect too.) But still, it is fear, and since we are working on overcoming fear, I want to take a look at this piece of the story as well.

Other gods are known as idols. An idol can be ANYTHING - if it is more important to you than God, it is an idol. We are not to fear, be afraid of the power of, or honor idols. God must always be our number one priority. American idol, sports idols, celebrities, friends, iPods, the Internet, anything and anyone can be considered an idol. We can't let these things control us. They must not be allowed to have any control in our lives, they cannot dictate anything that we do, or else we become enslaved to them and then are stuck in sin. Jesus died to separate us from sin, He died to free us from these things, we must not run so quickly right back to them.

We don't need to be afraid of these things controlling us, as long as our focus is on God. But we do have to watch our hearts and make sure our focus IS on God... or else we might get in as bad of a mess as the Israelites did time and again in the Bible. Don't be afraid of the power of other "gods"; they can't touch you if you're in the right with God.

Day 36: 2 Kings 6:16

"Elisha said, 'Don't be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.'" ~2 Kings 6:16, NCV

The king of Israel and the king of Aram are at war. The king of Aram had set a trap for the Israelite king, but Elisha informed the king and pressured him to stay away. The king of Aram was convinced there was a traitor among his soldiers. But one of the officers said "It's not us, it's that prophet Elisha!" So the king of Aram sends a whole boatload of officers to catch Elisha. Now, his servant woke up one morning and when he looked out of the tent, he saw all of the officers, and he freaked. "ELISHA! WHAT DO WE DO!?"

And that's where the verse above applies.

The army that fights FOR us is larger than the one against us. I would daresay that even if the army that fights FOR us isn't larger, then it is always stronger. Because we fight for God. And God is with us. And God is bigger and stronger than ANY force that could POSSIBLY come against us. And since we've accepted Jesus into our hearts, that means we're on His side. And He ALWAYS wins in the end. So what's to worry about? It's like in books, the protagonist always wins. When we're on God's side, we will always win. You might not win the way you expect to, (c'mon, the apostles were martyrs!) but you will emerge victorious, in the end. So don't be afraid! You're betting on the winning horse. You're not going to lose your heavenly treasure, to continue the metaphor. The Devil, he's gonna lose in the end, there ain't nothing he can do about it; you don't have to be afraid of his powers.

Day 35: Philippians 3:3

"The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it. We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it." ~Philippians 3:3, MSG

Christianity is based on a very fundamental truth: humans cannot come before God clean with their own strength. Everyone will sin, and only the spilling of blood can cover over that sin. We need help to come before God.

And we have to trust Him to do it for us.

The verse above says the real believers are the ones who trust God enough to follow His spirit to work away at His ministry, singing for joy while they're at it. I'm not saying we need to be singing while we crunch numbers at school, work, or whatever, but we need to be aware that we need God's help, and be willing to submit to Him. And then we'll know that He won't let us fall so hard that we can't get back up again. Because we know who our God is, we can keep our eyes trained on Him and His loving awesomeness.

And with our focus on something that awesome, why would we even glance at things that scare us?

Day 34: Psalm 62:7

"My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no one can reach me." ~Psalm 62:7 NLT

Sound like a Klingon proverb, this verse does. Victory, honor? The most important things, for a Klingon. I suppose if Klingons did exist, they might have a proverb like that.

But the similarities between the fictional Klingon culture and a psalm are not what I'd like to draw attention to. If I'm going to draw attention I'd like it to be to God. Victory and honor, or "glory" as some translations say, come from God, and should go back to God in the form of praise. And when things are going crazy, God is a refuge! When the battle is raging around me, when it looks like I'm going to lose, I must remember that victory comes from God. And that no one can reach me when I'm in God's arms. I am separated from the mess of the world, I am set on a rock above the crashing waves. Sure, I might be able to feel the spray of the sea on my face, but I won't drown. I might even get a little bit wet. It's not as though God is going to protect me from EVERYTHING - challenges are what make us grow, conflict makes us better. And if you don't believe me, just try and figure out the change a character goes through in your favorite book. Books are made to be believable, and our favorite books do the best job of it. So stand firm and live in the confidence that God will save you. He might not protect you from everything, but He will rescue you from what you can't handle on your own.

Day 33: Genesis 46:3

"Then God said 'I am God, the God of your father. Don't be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make your descendants a great nation there.'" ~Genesis 46:3 NCV

In the NCV, Genesis 46:1-3 sounds a lot like the story of Samuel, except that Jacob already knew to say "Here I am," and God was blessing him instead of warning him. I could definitely take example from Old Testament heroes - when God was calling, instead of wondering, "herm, where could that be coming from? Is it the Lord!?" they just obediently gave themselves up to use by God, saying, "Here I am." I'm thinking Moses, I'm thinking Jacob, I'm thinking Samuel specifically, but *if* I took the time too look I'm sure I could find more examples. It's a very prevalent phenomenon, one we should take into consideration a little more often.

Anyways, Jacob has just found out from the brothers that Joseph is alive and has invited the ENTIRE household to Egypt to tide over in the famine. Jacob is sleeping, and God comes to him in a vision.

"Jacob, Jacob."

"Here I am."

"Don't be afraid to go into Egypt, I promise, I've got BIG plans for your children there."

So Jacob went.

When God is calling us out of our comfort zone, it's for a reason. It's usually so that He can use us to impact other people. And so that He can make us more like Him. And if He's the one doing the calling, there's no need to be afraid, because His promise is to fulfill His great plans for us! Don't be afraid to obey God!

Day 32: 1 Samuel 17:37

"God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine. Saul said, 'Go. And God help you!'" ~1 Samuel 17:37 MSG

The Psalmists often refer to remembering the good things God has done when things seem bleak and hopeless. (And I probably will often refer to the Psalmists referring, because it's a good point) And remembering things God has done for ME, recalling all of the Bible stories and missionary stories and miracles in general are always what I want to be thinking of if/when I ever get intimidated. David, as he gets ready to fulfill one of the most well-known stories in Sunday School, has his mind on the right track. He's NOT fighting for glory and honor and all the ladies. He's fighting for his God. And his God is on his side. His God has never failed him, and he has full confidence that He never will. So why fear, when I KNOW God makes all things work for the GOOD of those who love Him? Remember the Bible heroes, remember God, and face fears with prayer!

Also, it's honorable to note that Saul did his best to encourage little David. We can take example, and with our hearts in the right place we can encourage the body, like God calls us to. When someone is uncertain, take a look and see if you can't find a verse of confidence for them! If someone is intimidated, chuck a fistful of the times God has been faithful in your life, their life, and in the Bible. Cultivate your spiritual fruits, and help others when they need it too.