Day 128: 1 Samuel 22:23

"Stay here with me, and don’t be afraid. I will protect you with my own life, for the same person wants to kill us both." ~1 Samuel 22:23, NLT

David was on the run from Saul, and he had stopped in a little town called "Nob" where priests lived. He and his men were hungry, and David needed a weapon, so he asked the priests for food and a weapon. All they had was the sacred bread and Goliath's sword - so David took the bread and ate it, and the sword and used it.

Suffice it to say that someone told the king, and Saul was furious. He told his men to kill the entire priestly family of Ahimelech - because they had helped David. Interestingly enough, Saul's own men wouldn't do it, but an Edomite did. Of the 85 people in the household, only one young man escaped to tell the tale, and he is the one who ran to David. Upon hearing the story, David told the young man the above words - stay with me, don't be afraid, I'll protect you because the same guy wants to kill the both of us.

David was not God, but he still made some pretty potent promises. "I'll protect you with my own life"!? If a man after God's heart said these things, how much more will God himself say them? If a man of God's own heart would do those things, how much more will God himself follow through? David didn't have to fall through on the promise to sacrifice himself, but God did - He sent Jesus.

What then, should we say today? Today we choose to stay in God's arms, in His promises, and choose to fear not.

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Day 127: Isaiah 57:11

"Are you afraid of these idols? Do they terrify you? Is that why you have lied to me and forgotten me and my words? Is it because of my long silence that you no longer fear me?" ~Isaiah 57:11, NLT

God is speaking to Israel in these verses, asking them why they are no longer faithful to Him. "Are you afraid of those fakes?" He asks mockingly, "Do they terrify you? Are they the reason you stopped obeying me? Did they turn you into cowards, unable to hear my voice?"

The truth is, we have more to fear in God than anything else. Just because we can't hear or don't see Him doesn't mean He's disappeared, and He's always watching. He's always there. He promises not to leave us - but we do not make that same promise. We must remember that we've got nothing to fear when we're with God - not idols, not enemies, not death nor anything. God is our protector, God's words are what will last forever, along with our souls.

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Day 126:Psalm 62:8

"Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." ~Psalm 62:8, NIV

He is God, and He is good. He is the one we are to trust in at all times, the one who is our refuge, because He is the one who loves us.

God is one of the few people that you can fully trust when you pour your heart out on Him. If you're afraid to let it all out to anyone else, take a chance on Him and just let go. Trust Him, and ask for some help - just the act of loosening the grip on your spirit, a spirit God knows well (because He created it...) can bring healing and with that, courage.

Sometimes we're afraid to let God protect us because we feel we "aren't good enough". Firstly, there's no such thing as "good enough". You either accepted God or you didn't. Secondly, (and a little paradoxically) He knows you're not good enough. If you thought you could hide that, you're lying to yourself. He knows our every weakness, and the thing is, He isn't disgusted by them - on the contrary, He wants to help you overcome your weaknesses! That's why this psalmist is telling the people to trust Him, and to pour out your hearts onto Him - those actions on our behalf ensure that He can best be our sanctuary.

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Day 125: Isaiah 41:10

"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." ~Isaiah 41:10, NLT

If you have a Bible handy, go ahead and open it up to Isaiah 41, verse 9, and read it too. Back yet? Okay.

"I have called you back from the ends of the Earth," v9, "for I have chosen you, and will not throw you away." Verse 9 is a direct reason why we should believe today's verse. Why shouldn't we be afraid, beyond the fact that God is with us? Why shouldn't we be discouraged, beyond the fact that He is our God? Why should we believe that He would strengthen us, and help us? Why would He hold us up in His right, in His dominant, victorious hand?

He chose us. He chose you, no matter what else you say. He chose me, no matter how I deny it. He chose everyone to encourage, He chose everyone to make us victorious, He chose to strengthen and help anyone who hears and obeys His call "from the ends of the Earth." That call for us was Jesus. Since/if we hear and obey Jesus, we don't have to be afraid! He promised to be with us, He promised to be our God, He promises to strengthen and to help us because we're His children. Because He chose us.

A lot of times we like to think that we chose Him, and while that's partly true (you did choose to accept Jesus into your heart and allow His love to make you whole) in reality He chose you first. He chose you to take part in His kingdom where He will make you victorious. If you're following in the path He chose, you can be sure of success, you don't have to fear failure, and you don't have to fear the inevitable interference of the Devil, because God's got you covered.

So go for it.

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Day 124: 2 Corinthians 3:4

"We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ." ~2 Corinthians 3:4, NLT

Paul is writing, for the second time, to the Corinthians in this verse. Some "missionaries" had come to Corinth and were presenting the Corinthian believers with all sorts of qualifications, and teaching a different gospel than the one of Jesus. Paul is refuting those qualifications, telling the Corinthians that he doesn't need any - v5 "[His] qualification comes from God."

Our personal validity, our actions' validity, it doesn't come from us. It doesn't come from the world. It comes from God, just like every good thing. We can be confident in our every action, our every word, our very being, because of Christ. (Assuming, of course, that our actions aren't against Him as described in the Bible...) We have to trust God to give our words meaning, we have to trust God to do what we cannot - change souls.

Are you afraid? Are you worried, because you're not in control? Cut it out, that's not your job! Your job is to be obedient to God; give Him the rest, let Him take care of the minutiae. You can't do anymore than that! So trust in Him, in all of it, to take care of you. He will.

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Day 123: 2 Samuel 10:12

"Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the LORD’s will be done." ~2 Samuel 10:12, NLT

Purpose is something easy to lose sight of. Purpose! Meaning! These things are vital to our psyche as humans, yet how difficult it is to keep at the forefront of our minds! Purpose is where we're trying to go, meaning is why, and it's all important. Our purpose as described in this verse is twofold - for the Lord's will to be done, and for us to fight bravely for our God.

We need courage to do that. Courage that God tells us we need through an army commander and his brother. Don't believe me? Go look it up! Joab tells his brother to be courageous when they go out to fight the Arameans - and surely it was God's will that they should be successful.

Just as its His will for you to be successful. If you believe that, anyways.

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Day 122: Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength." ~Philippians 4:13, NCV

Sometimes I feel afraid to try and do something new, something different. I know I have no excuse, this verse says that clearly, but I do it anyways. We don't ever have to let fear control us in new situations, because Christ, in whom we chose to believe and trust, gives us strength to do all things, or simply anything.

Now this doesn't mean we should go out and rob a bank or nab a car, just because we can do "all things" doesn't mean we should. This verse does not cancel out the 10 Commandments because it is in the New Testament, this verse should give us courage to step out in God's plan for us with faith that He can make it work, and that He gives us strength when we don't have enough.

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? God can make that happen, although He doesn't guarantee a fail-free life. Go on, try!

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