When Pharaoh let the Israelites go, God did not send them to the Promised Land through Philistine country, even though the route was shorter. God thought, “If they face war against the Philistines, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the Israelites through the desert toward the Red Sea. The
God assigned Moses a critical task – he must lead the Israelites out of captivity. But Moses is afraid. He said, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you?’” God said to Moses, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” Moses replied. The Lord said, “Throw
It’s a common atheist battle cry – “religion is a crutch for weak people with feeble minds”. According to these secular “faith experts”, religion’s sole purpose is to buffer believers from fear – fear of death, love loss, bad health, or any other distressful state of affairs we worry could consume us. According to these
To escape the crowd and cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and his disciples boarded a boat. As they travelled across the lake, a furious storm erupted. The wind was so great, waves swept over the boat. Jesus however, calmly slept through the squall. The disciples woke Jesus shouting, “Lord, save
After the “Lamb” (Jesus) opened the book bound with seven seals, John, standing among “four animals”, the 24 elders, and thousands of angels, saw the following. When the first seal was opened, John heard thunder. A lion-like animal shouted, “Come!” John saw a white horse and a rider with a bow appear. The rider was given a
Christians must stand strong and shirk fear Fear is ironic. We revel in the paralyzing fear we feel when riding a roller coaster but hate the tingle of fear we feel when standing near the edge of a cliff. We enjoy the terror we feel while watching a horror movie but dread the fear of entering
As Jacob prepared to return to the Promised Land, he was met by angels in a place he named Mahanaim (meaning “two camps”). He recognized that God was with him. Jacob sent two messengers ahead of the caravan to meet his estranged brother, Esau, who lived in Seir, in the region of Edom. Jacob was unsure how
Have I not commanded you? "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent." - Acts 18:9 Christians need not be rude or pushy nor overly outspoken. However, we must repress any fear of expressing our Christian views. We must not remain silent.
Jacob had escaped with his wives and been gone three days when Laban was informed that he had fled. Laban gathered his family and they pursued Jacob for seven days. They caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead where Jacob and his family had pitched their tents. Laban and his relatives camped nearby. That