You may have heard it said that the fear of something is often as bad or worse than the thing itself; Like a child worrying about getting a shot at the doctor’s office, or the fear of speaking or performing in front of a crowd; Fearing the difficult professional exam, driver’s test, or flying checkride. The fear can sometimes immobilize us from thinking or doing anything.

It is interesting how David writes Psalm 34:4. “I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” He doesn’t say that God prevented the bad things from happening; He says God freed him from his fears. We don’t know why God allows some bad things to happen to us, but knowing that he will take away the fear is a blessing in itself. It allows us to endure our struggles with peace, which can be an amazing witness to others.

Dear Lord, free us from the fears we have that prevent us from moving forward in faith. Help have the peace that comes when we do not have fear because we are putting our trust in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In Paul’s letter to the Church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians, he gives them a variety of guidance and instructions. One passage in particular we should all keep in mind as we face the day is:

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 where he writes, “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”

Great guidance for us all.

Dear Lord, be with us as we face each day so that we can follow Paul’s guidance having confidence in you and love for others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There are numerous reasons people resist or reject the message of Jesus Christ. One that has been common since the beginning of Christianity is the difficulty scientific and academically “smart” people have with not being able to figure things out. During early Christianity, the brilliant academics were the Greeks. Even today, we study writings of Plato, and Aristotle, and the creations of the ancient Greeks.

The apostle Paul recognized this challenge that the “intellectuals” had with Christianity and wrote about it in 1 Corinthians 1:21-25. He wrote, “Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Greeks say it is all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.”

What if you needed to be smart enough to figure out how salvation worked in order to be saved. It would no longer be God saving, it would be the smart saving themselves; Which would essentially make them their own god. Ultimately, when people put their intelligence above their faith, they are making themselves or their intellect their own god.

Dear Lord, we all have our struggles to overcome in order to surrender ourselves to you. Help us all see and believe the power and peace of salvation, your gift to us, and accept it with humility. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In modern times when we hear the word “peace” we tend to think of the absence of war or absence of conflict between people. Jesus is described in the Bible as the “Prince of Peace” and in John 14:27 He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Jesus’ peace is a peace for you personally. Closer to the dictionary definition of “quiet and tranquility: Mental calm; serenity.” We can have this peace through our faith in Jesus. He wants us to pass our troubles, sorrows, and concerns to Him and ask for His help. If we trust Him, we can be at peace.

The apostle Paul describes it in Philippians 4:7 “The peace of God which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” We may not understand it, but through faith in God we can have peace.

Dear Lord, Help us trust You and accept Your peace in our lives, knowing that You will guard and protect us. In Jesus’ name. Amen

I heard an interesting way to look at Christianity. “Christianity is not about making bad people good…its about making dead people alive.”

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:5, “even though we were dead because of our sins, He [God] gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.”—NLT

So if we are good, it is because we have been brought back to life, re-animated, and we can share God’s love.

Dear Lord, thank you for bringing us to life with your Spirit so we can live eternally with you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen