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Do Not Fear

The Spirit\xa0you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;\xa0rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,\xa0\u201cAbba,\xa0Father.\u201d\xa0 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit\xa0that we are God\u2019s children.\xa0Now if we are children, then we are heirs\u2014heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings\xa0in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:15-17

Do not fear! This statement is written over and over again in the Bible in different forms. 365 times....one for every day of the year. But it's so easy to get caught up in what is going on around us. The loss is tremendous. Social, economic, physical, even mental. But we don't have to be at a loss spiritually. We are God's children, and as such He has a rich inheritance waiting for us. No parent would tell their child that life is going to be "all good" or just, or fair. It just isn't. But because we share in the sufferings of Christ we get to share in His glory as well.

When God says do not fear, it's not just one of those pat phrases that is telling you something that really has no meaning. Romans 8 compares being in fear to slavery. Fear keeps us in bondage. The adoption into sonship which we received when we first believed in Christ was brought about by the Holy Spirit, our God, who dispels the darkness, stills the waters and silences demons. He can help us take control of any fear that ails us. No, we don't know what the future holds, but we didn't know that before this whole pandemic started either. We may be feeling frayed, tattered, isolated, tired of home church, stressed about the future, grieving all the loss.... But Romans 8 tells us that the Spirit that is inside of us brings about our adoption into the family of God, which abolishes the slavery that we previously had to fear.

We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Since we are children of God and members of His spiritual family, we have a glorious inheritance waiting for us. One that will never perish or fade, but where God is our constant light and joy is something that is felt within our very being. In this present world we long for our heavenly home in glory. Not in fear, but with eager hope.

But sometimes God wants to use our fears to propel us into his will and his plans for us. The Holy Spirit sometimes guides us towards circumstances that we may otherwise want to avoid due to fear. Our anxious thoughts tell us that we shouldn't, we can't, and finally, we won't. But God our heavenly Father in His goodness, grace and compassion nudges and pushes us forward into unknown territory where our fear seems larger than life, just like an earthly parent may do for their child. Moses confronted Pharaoh, David faced Goliath, Elijah faced hundreds of prophets of Baal, Daniel was thrown in a pit full of lions. Each one faced a fearful and intimidating situation, but with God's hand guiding them, came out the other side victorious.

God is the best Father we could ever want or need. He is patient, faithful and He loves us more than we could ever even love ourselves. He pulls us in for the hug many of us are craving right now, as His very own child. Free from bondage to fear, free from condemnation. Simply resting in the fullness of His love. Simply resting in Him.