Day 159: Psalm 26:1

"Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering." ~Psam 26:1, NLT

Innocent. How we all long to be innocent! Yet the only way to be innocent is to wipe off our sins by the grace of Jesus. Indeed, it is possible. But let's focus on the second half of the verse - "I have trusted in the Lord without wavering."

Can any of us say that? What would it be like if we did? What if we stepped out and trusted Him of our own volition instead of forcing ourselves into situations where He reminds us He's the only constant? We can choose that. So why don't we? Why can't we be like the psalmist?

"Declare me innocent, o Lord, I'll give it all up to you. I'll trust you with my future, my friends, my life."

Afraid no more.

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Day 158: Deuteronomy 7:19

"You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear." ~Deuteronomy 7:19, NIV

Way back in ancient history, the Israelites were trucking out of Egypt after a great victory - God's victory over the Egyptians, who had enslaved the Israelites for hundreds of years. He did miracles for the Israelites, from weather to animal-behavior to splitting the Red Sea to raining bread from Heaven!

Yet when the time came for the Israelites to claim their inheritance, they shrank back in fear. "Not so!" says God. "Don't you remember what I've done?" Sometimes it's easy to forget, but if you ever need to be reminded of how big your God is, just check out the first five books of the New Testament. God promised the Israelites that He would continue to be faithful, perform miracles and rock their world, and to kick out the people that they feared.

And He fulfilled that promise, like He has and will fulfill every single promise He's ever made. Including the one over your life. I don't know what that promise is, but I do know if you step out, He'll fill in and do what you can't. It's terrifying, but so worth it!

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Day 157: Matthew 12:21

"And his name will be the hope of all the world." ~Matthew 12:21, NLT

Today we're going to go to the source of our hope, the reason we can actually say "I have nothing to worry about." As was read in Matthew, this person is the hope of the whole world. His name? Jesus.

Why?

God sent this Jesus to Earth as a fulfillment of a multitude of promises He made in the Old Testament, most notably, to become the hope of the world. God sent Jesus not just for the chosen people, the Israelites, but for all mankind. Mankind is broken by the curse of sin, and our primary purpose to know and love and glorify God has become impossible to fulfill due to sin.

Because of sin, we can't approach God. The only atonement for sin was blood, the death of a perfect being. Usually that was an animal. Until Jesus came. He was born sinless, and He died sinless. Son of God. He paid the price for sin for all time. We can live in proximity to God now, without having to kill a sheep every single time we want to talk to him.

We don't have to go to Hell to pay for our own sins. We can live, we can have life, we can fulfill our purpose again. And we can help others.

He loves you. He weeps when you weeps, He cheers when you cheer. He knows your name. He wants you to know Him, and to know He's got you. How is this possible, when He died!? See, that's the funny thing - apparently when you kill a perfect being, they don't stay dead. At least Jesus didn't, He rose back to life three days after being crucified, and rumor is He's sitting at the right hand of God's throne. He's reaching out for you, won't you please accept Him?

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Day 156: Psalm 56:11

"I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?" ~Psalm 56:11, NLT

This verse could pretty much sum up our lives. If we trust in God... what good reason is there to be afraid? All that's out there is mortal, stuck in time and change. We can't put our trust in anything but God and be content.

Seriously, give me one good reason to be afraid, if you trust God. The psalmist knew what I'm trying to tell you and convince myself - God is in control, and He's got an active hand in your life, making it the most awesome one you ever get to live. Plus, He's a good God. What are you afraid of? Imagine the ultimate worst-case scenario, and ask yourself if it'd really be that bad. Then imagine the best case scenario. Now whatever happens, God will use it to make a better you.

So what exactly is it that mere mortals can do to you?

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Day 155: Jeremiah 1:8

"Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you to protect you, says the Lord." ~Jeremiah 1:8, NCV

Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet to the Israelites. Jeremiah wasn't exactly thrilled about this, but he obeyed God anyways. As he did to Ezekiel, God gave Jeremiah a promise... and a command.

The promise? "I am with you to protect you." When we accept Jesus, we're automatically "in" on this promise. No matter where we are, God is with us. Because of this, we can boldly take part in the command, "don't be afraid of anyone." Guys, don't be afraid!

God might not have called you to be a prophet, but He has called you to His purpose for you. He has a very specific plan for you, and He wants you to step towards that plan with the same courage and confidence that He called Jeremiah to.

Jeremiah did it, will you?

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Day 154: 2 Kings 17:37

"Always obey the rules, orders, teachings, and commands he wrote for you. Do not honor other gods." ~2 Kings 17:37, NCV

This is a command to the Israelites, and in the KJV it says "do not fear other gods." Now we've already discussed that, so I'd like to emphasize the first half of today's verse: always obey the rules, orders, teachings, and commands.

Let's face it, this should be a no-brainer. But it's also half of a promise. You know how in the ten commandments, obeying your parents came with a blessing? Well, since God is our father, obeying Him definitely comes with perks too. Notably among those is experience closeness with Him, and from that closeness comes almost every good thing. In fact, the closer you are to God, the more confident you will be, and closer to the person He made you to be. This is an excellent thing, something that will help you infinitely in your battle against fear.

And this isn't even mentioning the fact that one of God's commands is to fear not!

Conclusion? Remember who's hands you're in, who you're following. He is definitely worth the challenges you face anyways.

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Day 153: Psalm 34:6

"In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles." ~Psalm 34:6, NLT

When I think of fears and of God, I often think of one of two things: God's going to have to save me from my fears, and God's already told me I don't have anything to be afraid of. Both are true, if you've read any of the other entries of this blog. This psalm definitely demonstrates the first, however.

If you don't tell God about your problems, He can't come in and rescue you. Okay, He could, but you wouldn't be demonstrating an understanding that you NEED Him. Praying tells Him and keeps you aware of the fact that you alone can't do anything. You can choose your attitude in a tough situation, but most other factors force you to rely on something other than yourself. And that would be God. Now He's always listening, and He wants to respond to your pleas - so pray! Don't just pray for yourself though. If you're struggling, be sure to let others know so they too can pray for you. If they don't know about your trials, they can't pray for you, so the aid is limited. Who knows, maybe they'll have a word of wisdom or insight that can help you! Get as many people praying as you can. Pray with others, just keep it on your mind all the time - I cannot emphasize the power of prayer enough, so just do it!

And as the psalmist writes, he prayed and God helped him. If you pray, God can help you combat your fear, and make good choices.

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