Here is a word for you from the Word

How to Overcome Fear

Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? NIV


One thing I’ve always loved about the Bible since I came to know it is its honesty. It faces facts, it pictures life as it is, it knows us in our weakness.

The psalmist does not say boldly, “I’ll never be afraid.” He says, “Sure, there will come times when I may be afraid; but when I’m afraid, I know what to do. I’ll trust in God. I’ll trust in the Word of God, the unfailing Word of God, the sure promises of God.”

You see, in the spiritual life often there is a conflict between two areas of our being. In our emotions we go through all the feelings of fear, maybe of panic, it grips us. But there’s another area of our being – the spirit – that will not yield to panic, that does not accept the dictates of the emotions. It says, “I’ll not accept the verdict of my emotions about this situation. I’ll turn to God; I’ll remember what the Word of God says. I’ll find the promise of God that meets my need. And though in my emotions I may feel fear, in my spirit I trust. And that trust brings me into a security, a peace, and a confidence that’s much deeper than my emotions.

The emotions are just like the waves on the surface, but deep down in the spirit, in the depths of our being, there is settled peace and confidence.

Amen brother. Very well said 3rdbat. If we would allow our spirit to guide us and not let our emotions overcome, the world would be a better place to live.

Psalm 56:8
Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Thy bottle; are they not in Thy book? NASB

That is a cry of a desperate soul, someone who knows what it is to be a wanderer, a fugitive, an exile. Someone who knows what it is to shed many, many tears.

Well, even in his tears and in his exile, he finds comfort. He realizes that the eye of God is upon him, that God is taking note of everything that he goes through, that a record is being kept in God’s book of all that he suffers for righteousness’ sake.

And he even says, “God put my tears in Thy bottle.” Why would you want your tears stored up with God? You see, one day those tears are going to look very different to you than the way you see them now. Now you see them as suffering, now you see them as a cause for wondering, What’s gone wrong? But, you see, in this life we only see the reverse side of the tapestry. We see colors that don’t seem to blend and patterns that don’t make much sense. But, remember, in eternity we’ll see the tapestry the right way up and things that made no sense and caused us to wonder if God really knew what He was doing will work out into a most beautiful pattern that will give us joy throughout eternity.

So, remember, when you are suffering for righteousness’ sake and maybe shedding bitter tears, don’t turn away from God, don’t give up hope, just do as the psalmist did. Cry out to God, “Put my tears in Thy bottle.”

Psalm 105:17-19
[God] sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters; he himself was laid in irons, until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. NASB




The life of Joseph began with great promise. Earlier in his youth, the Lord gave him a dream that showed him that he would be elevated to a position of great authority. He would rule over his brothers. Even his father and mother would come bowing down before him. What happened next? The very opposite of what God had promised. His brothers betrayed him, sold him as a slave into Egypt, and, because he was faithful to his Egyptian master, he eventually ended up in prison. He was in fetters, his soul was in iron.

How did Joseph respond to that situation? Did he say to himself, “Everything’s gone wrong! The Lord’s promise will never come true”? No, I don’t believe that. It says, “Until the time that the promise came, the word of the Lord tested him.” How important it is to see that when the Lord gives us a promise, many times everything that happens next will seem to be the very opposite of what God has promised. It’s so important that at times like that we don’t give up on the promise, we don’t say, “God has forgotten; God has failed.”

You see, that promise that God gave us is testing us. It’s testing our faith and our constancy to see if we’ll hold on in the darkest hour. And when we pass the test, then, like Joseph, the promise will be fulfilled.

Jesus looked forward to the Passover and his death. He prepared his disciples by teaching them and spending time alone in prayer. He willingly obeyed God during the events that lead to His death. This obedience made salvation possible.

Inspiration: Consider the holiness of Christ. We need this first of all to be firmly grounded in our security in Christ. It is important therefore that we understand the righteousness of Christ and the fact that His righteousness is credited to us.