God's Will: "Don't Freak Out!"

 Don't Freak Out!

As we keep on keeping on talking about God's will, I am going to briefly step away from the series regarding God's will and "Be Strong In The Lord," and take a look at the most common command in the Bible. Now I am NOT saying it is the most important command, or expression of God's will in the Bible, but I am talking about the most common command in the Bible. God says "Do not fear" or "fear not" 365 times. Now that is a lot. 

Here are some examples of when God says this or God might say this today!

+ DON'T FREAK OUT! You're going to war with giants!
+DON'T FREAK OUT! God's going to part that sea, and you just walk through!
+DON'T FREAK OUT! I am calling you to share the gospel with your neighbors!
+DON'T FREAK OUT! I am calling you away from you family!
+DON'T FREAK OUT! One of your children, when they are in their 30s, will abandon you!
+DON'T FREAK OUT! You are in the midst of Grandparent Alienation Syndrome!
+DON'T FREAK OUT! A virus is sweeping the globe like a wild fire!
+DON'T FREAK OUT! That person IS wearing a mask!
+DON'T FREAK OUT! That person is NOT wearing a mask!

WHY DON'T WE NEED TO  BE AFRAID?

Why don't you and I need to be afraid?  Well, for starters, God is in control, and you and I, thankfully, are not in control! God is interested in us and in our well being. He is also involved in our lives, even though we may not feel like it. Did you catch what Jesus said in Matthew 10:30? Think of it! He has even counted the number of hairs on each one of our heads; additionally, God knows what will happen tomorrow, and He knows about our past. (1 John 3:20.) God is working out everything, including our lives life, and bringing everything that happens, including what happens to us, into conformity with the purpose of his will. (Ephesians 1:11) So, God's got you, and God's got me,  and "the whole world in his hands," as the song says. For me, what is especially helpful for not freaking out, is that God's promises are true, and they are for you and me.

Potential Reasons

"Don't freak out" leads us head on to the very things we are going to face. I hope we carry this wisdom with us into the storm:  It seems to me,  we are going to be afraid of those  very things that God can help us not be afraid of.  Each of us can think of personal examples, can't we?  Let's make it personal. We are afraid because lost a business or a job, or  loved ones during this pandemic. Or it may not have happened to us, but we have seen it on the news. Or it happened to a close friend or relative. Some may have fear because a relationship didn't work out. Or they experienced a divorce. Such a person might even have walked right into it because it was the thing they were most afraid of, and fear actually contributed to the relationship demise. We might be afraid simply because we are becoming older, and we are less healthy.

The "World" Teaches Us Quite Differently

Please hear this: "God does not give us a spirit of fear. God gives us a spirit of power love and a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) However, the world system, that drives our lives, tells us something else entirely. Our world, our present politicians, especially during this pandemic, have done a whole lot of fear mongering. It seems to me this world system is training us to be afraid; when we are afraid, we will spend money; when we are afraid, we will "tune in," or we will get on line:

Check out the news: If we watch the news, we are going to hear about a new shooting, a new virus variant, a new war, a new hate crime, or any other crime. We are going to hear about cities on fire! We are going to hear about wild fires, in our poorly bureaucratic managed forests, earthquakes and tornadoes. Here in Florida, we are already being reminded about "Hurricane Season being a couple of weeks away." The news is already predicting how many "Major Storms" we will have!  Then they throw in the other "numbered" storms! It's enough to make a person afraid ... very afraid.

Here are a few questions: Can we do anything about that shooting? Can we stop the variant? What about the war, or hate crime, or other crimes? Can we stop those west coast wild fires? Can we stop tornadoes, hurricanes or other weather systems? I do believe we can influence the weather, and have proved it, but most won't believe it.  What can we do to stop those murders on the streets?  What I am saying here, is when we keep our focus on all those things, that we cannot control, we focus our minds on things that make us fearful. 

Here is what  is really sad, especially if a person says they are a Christ Follower: Some, "believers," like sheep, but not Jesus's sheep, submit to government power (without question,) continually follow the news, as well as social media, and actually believe that they are telling the truth. In so doing, they deny the very promises of God. The result is they live in fear, and want someone to take care of them. Then, such "believers" yield all kinds of money and power to others.  And in trusting the power brokers, so called "believers" do the opposite of what our Lord Jesus teaches us. Such "believers" cling to "Mammon."  Such "believers" lose  focus on God Almighty.  People like this have supported politicians because of "free money" they think they will receive. And they believe less than honest  reporters who are good at being people who deceive. The people they elected are setting up godless propositions and anti Christian and anti Jewish policies, that are daily destroying thousands of innocent preborn human babies lives, and they are breaking down the borders and tearing up the foundations of our republic into pieces here in the USA. These "Christians" contributed to electing people who are attempting to force CRT, Critical Race Theory, down the throats of the American citizenry! Listen UP! CRT is nothing but another way for democrats to, again,  reinvent segregation, gain themselves power, as they recreate new "Jim Crow Laws," divide the races, and prevent all people from being judged fairly by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin, as taught by Reverend, Doctor, Martin Luther King.

Let me close with this: All throughout the pandemic, and political season, I have listened to people, on social media, terrified. I have heard people talk about how horrible this has been.  And fear has taken such people over. TLOML and I both have gone through the same pandemic and the political season. We both have faced some really challenging health issues; nevertheless, we really took seriously God's 365 commands to "Don't Freak Out!" It has improved our quality of life.  We focused not on the fear but faithfully on the ONE in control. Each day began with, "This is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24)  Each day  still does begin this way. We embraced Jesus teaching of "Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34) This "one day at at time living" about which Jesus teaches, really works! Taking each new day as a gift, and living as if is your last, is empowering! I, for one, practiced, what Jesus preached in other areas of his teachings:  I took seriously his teachings, about which I wrote in Rock Solid Living In a Quicksand World-Rewind. We both did. We walked on Jesus's Stepping Stones For Victorious Christ Centered Living." And I am here to tell you that God's word is true! We do not have to be a slave to fear.

Let me challenge you, today, to "Don't Freak Out!" Let the Almighty be your anchor, through Jesus, His Son, via the power of The Holy Spirit!  Never forget. This is God's will. Make it a daily habit to let go and let God. Take time to "snuggle up to the Creator" and His promises. Don't trust any other teaching. Don't trust any other power. Then you will be growing towards becoming a person that will apply God's will, and then "Don't Freak Out! You will be glad you did. Or maybe I should say, you will be glad you did not.  

Have a blessed day

SoJourner