Afraid
Have you ever found yourself afraid, afraid of the future, afraid of failure, afraid of not being good enough, My daughter told us after my granddaughter was born she was afraid of not being a good mother,
Are you afraid of what God has planned for you?
Mary and Joseph no doubt had a few concerns they might have even been afraid, after all they had been chosen to be the earthly parents of the Son of God.
But God would calm those fears.
Matt 1:18-21 says:
Matthew 1:18 - 21 (KJV) 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
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20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
In Gen. 46.20 Jacob told not to fear but to go into Egypt
Gen 15.1 Abram was told fear not, I am thy shield and exceeding reward
Joshua 10:25 Joshua fear not nor be dismayed
Matt. 28.5 the ladies standing in front of an empty tomb are told fear not the one you are looking for is not here he is alive.
Lk 1.13 Zecharias fear not your prayers have been heard
Truth is we find many fearful situations with Godly people in the Bible,
But we also see the faithfulness of God
Fear Not
It is normal to have some fearful situations in life and it is the promise of God for the Children of the Lord to cast all of your care on Him for He cares for you.
Fear not I will not leave you.
We have children in the world today that are afraid mommy and daddy will divorce
We have men and women fighting in Iraq that are afraid, their parents are afraid
On and on the list could go
The importance of Trusting in the Lord
Let me speak a few words in the direction of God’s plan in your life, Mary and Joseph no doubt had some questions and fear they had to work through.
When we speak about the direction of God’s plan in your life many times the thought of failure comes to mind. One writer said as soon as you announce that you are going to do something for God you have set yourself up for failure in the eyes of people. They immediately begin to speak of why you will not succeed in your efforts.
The thought of failure keeps many from following the Lord in all areas of their life.
There are people that the HS will deal with about being saved and the thought of not being able to serve the Lord immediately enters their mind, and it keeps them from trusting God for their salvation.
I want to encourage you if that is you today, cast that thought of failure to the side and place your trust in the work of the Cross because if the truth was known done of us that call ourselves Christians can live for God on our own, we need the Helper of the HS to live for the Lord.
The thought of failure to be in leadership or teaching a SS class keeps people back.
But the Word of God says I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.
Closing
Are you facing areas of life in which you are afraid?
Are you afraid of the future? Put your trust in the one who knows the future
Are you afraid that you are not good enough? Jesus died for you
God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love and of a sound mind.
Are you afraid of dieing without Christ in your life? Are you afraid of dieing when you have not been faithful in serving the Lord? You should be.
But today you can calm those fears by asking God to forgive you, Jesus died for your sins on the Cross.
