There are so many times in my life when I have been afraid. As a child, many of us are afraid of the monster under the bed or in the closet, or the dark, or the boogie man. As kids get older, they are afraid people won’t like them or are afraid of failing. As teens, they are afraid of not being liked or not having friends, or today it is of being bullied. As adults, we are afraid of not being able to provide for our families, losing our jobs, or not being there.
Being afraid follows us all our lives in some shape, fashion, or form. Yet the phrase “Fear not/Do not be afraid” appears 365 times in the Bible. That means we are told not to be afraid of anything every day.
Honestly, fear is one of those things that seems to be hard to let go of. As believers in Christ, this is supposed to be something we should be able to embrace and walk with our heads high and conquer the day, knowing we are not alone because God is always with us. If only it were that easy. See, fear is also a type of doubt, and things come at us every day that can make us second guess ourselves, and challenge if we truly know something or someone.
So how do we embrace “Do Not Be Afraid”?
The idea that we can go through every day without fear or doubt sounds challenging. But see, you can, as the Bible says, something else.
Pray without ceasing” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Now, that should be easy to do. When you walk through the day talking to God, He fills you with so much comfort you don’t have room for fear or doubt. And no, going through your day, talking to God is sometimes not easy, but it is a habit we should all cultivate because that is what praying is: talking to God.
Do I do it every day? No, but often. Some days, it is so easy, and others, I stumble. But that is part of being human. I know the days when I talk to God consistently; that day is filled with fewer bumps in the road, I smile more, and I feel peace. Are they all like that, even with me talking to God? No, but my outlook on the things that don’t go right is very different than when I have allowed that communication to fall by the wayside.
Then there are the days when I think I can make it without those chats. Still, I stumble more, things do not go as smoothly as I would have liked, and I feel out of sorts. But then I start my chat with God back up, and the day changes — or maybe my outlook changes.
Remember that “to pray without ceasing” is just talking to God. Talk to Him about the big things, the little things, the things that matter, and the things that have no consequence. But communicate with Him in all things. God will change your perspective, elevate your mood, and give you peace.
If you talk to God consistently, you are letting Him know that He matters to you and that you embrace being His. Also, know that even when you don’t have the words, He does know your heart, and it is so simple to tell Him that I don’t know what to say. “God, please just be with me.”
God truly does want to spend the day with you. So let Him.
Yvette Asplund gave her life to God and was Baptized in April of 1999 and strives to continue to grow in her relationship with Him.