52 Days. Day 36, Overcoming Fear.

Nehemiah 4:14 (NKJV) “And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” Nehemiah knew that the way to beat fear is not to ignore it or to minimize it. Glossing over problems doesn’t make them go away. Sweeping it under the rug isn’t a pathway forward. Fear is driven by comparison; I’m not afraid of something if I know I’m stronger, more equipped, or prepared for it. Instead of pointing to their strengths, as the world does (because they don’t have any), he calls to the people to meet the challenge of fear head on by using their memory. Remember the Lord, great and awesome. Once they engage their memory, then they can compare what they are afraid of to the God of heaven. We see this play out in the Word many times. Israel sees themselves as grasshoppers. Joshua & Caleb see the pathway that God has given them to take the Promise Land. Israel cowers before Goliath because they’ve compared themselves to the giant. David runs to fight him because he compares him to the Lord God. The early church, though few in number, compared to the religious rulers and nations around them; turned their world upside down because they saw themselves through the lens of prophetic promise. How are you viewing your situations right now? Overcome fear by engaging your memory of the One who is worthy of all praise.