Feeding Your Fearlessness

It’s audio devo day! As we continue our series on getting free from fear, today we are diving into two basic building blocks for a lifestyle of fearlessness. Be strengthened and encouraged as you listen here:

(Blessed by this? Know someone else that needs to hear this today? You can either share today’s blog link with them, or look up my Feeding on Jesus podcast for sharing and subscribing. You’ll find it at these links on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and most other podcast platforms, with episodes identical to these audio devos!)

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“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear…” (Ps. 112:7-8, NIV).

Who are these fearless people the psalmist is describing for us? And how did they get to the astonishing level of faith where they have no fear of bad news? What makes their hearts so steadfast and secure?

We learn the clear-cut answer in the first verse of this same Psalm: “Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands” (v. 1).

That’s it. The straightforward strategy for fearlessness consists of two basic building blocks:

1. Fearing the Lord.

2. Finding great delight in His commands.

And BOOM, you will be fearless, steadfast, and secure? Just like that? Does this seem too simple? Well, yes and no. Let’s take a closer look at both of those building blocks, so we can understand them better.

First of all, fearing the Lord. This can be a tricky phrase for a lot of us. Unfortunately, so many people who grew up in households with angry fathers see it through a broken lens. When you grew up afraid of your dad, it’s easy to interpret this Scriptural instruction as a mandate to be afraid of Father God too. This is not what fearing the Lord means. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

One day when I was wrestling with this matter, Holy Spirit whispered something to me. The lightbulb went on in my spirit. His whisper opened up for me the concept of fearing God in a wonderful way. He simply said, “Don’t be impressed by the devil. Be impressed by Me.”

To fear the Lord means to be amazed by Him… to be completely taken by His majesty. When we fixate on His immensity, both in power and in love, anxiety flees away. This Scripture sums it up precisely: “‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (1 Pet. 3:14-15, NIV). When we shift our focus to the matchless Lordship of Jesus, all disquiet and dread bow their knee to Him. When we revere His glorious majesty, fear melts away as wax in His presence.

You know, what the devil is doing in the world today may seem impressive. But it’s not. When we keep our eyes trained on the magnificent qualities of Jesus, He opens our understanding to how much bigger He is than the enemy. Our hearts become steadfast. When we fix our attention on what His Spirit is doing around us, our souls become secure. He is always at work, and He will show us what He is doing, if we will take the time to ask.

So the question becomes, where are we directing our focus? What is the primary object of our attention? Through it, are we feeding our fear, or are we feeding our fearlessness? Here’s a hint: Where is most of your incoming input about current events coming from? The tv? The Internet? Or your Bible? Which one is getting more space on your inner platform? Which one is predominantly informing the way you view what is happening in the world today?

Here is where Point Number Two from our verse for today comes in: “Finding great delight in His commands.” The Passion Translation puts it this way: “Everyone who loves the Lord and delights in him will cherish his words” (Ps. 112:1, TPT). When we cherish His words, we want to spend time with Him. We want to be with Him. Our quiet time with Him daily is not a duty; it’s a delight. We treasure our relationship with Him above all else. As we get away with Him every day, His words of encouragement and guidance pour forth from His presence and the pages of His Word. They wash away the contamination of fear. That’s when our souls are left clean and courageous.

There you have it. Two crucial building blocks. The fear of the Lord makes us fearless. Delighting in His Word makes us steadfast and secure. So go get it this week, dearly loved child of God! Feed your fearlessness!

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After you watch the news, how do you feel? What kind of spiritual dynamic is happening there?