1 Minute Daily Devotions

October 6, 2008

Good Fear

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." - Deuteronomy 31:8

I'm afraid of snakes. I'm not just afraid of some snakes; I'm afraid of poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes. I'm scared of big snakes, little snakes, live snakes, and dead snakes. Once I was jogging and almost stepped on a smashed, dead, six-inch garter snake; I jumped three feet in the air! This is a fear I've always had and I intend to always keep it. That garter snake might have been harmless, but the next snake I come upon just might not be!

I've also struggled with the fear of failure. A few years after college, I worked a sales job that paid straight commission. When you work for straight commission, you have no idea how much money you're going to make each week, if any at all. So every week, I would get the "Monday Morning Sweats," wondering if I'd make an income that week. Believe me, that type of fear gets you out of bed and serves as a healthy motivator!

Well, I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is God doesn't take away all our fears. In fact, He sometimes gives us fears in order to help us. The good news is that sometimes he uses our fears to get our attention, protect us from danger and motivate us to get out and do what we need to do. But the best news is He gives us a way to overcome one of life's great fears -- death -- through faith in His risen Son. That's a victory over fear you definitely want to claim.