THE CONQUERING OF FEAR (1)

Fear is the greatest killer of achievement. Moses knew the likelihood of fear in the Israelites as they prepared to enter Canaan. He recognized that the first battle men fight is in the mind, not on the field. Napoleon Bonaparte once remarked, “He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.” Moses wisely turned his attention to the negative fear of defeat and the solution of this difficulty. Moses described the problem of fear in the form of a question: “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’” (7:17).

Moses verbalized their thoughts as they pointed out the superiority of the enemy. This very attitude had kept their fathers out of the Promised Land a generation earlier. The fear of failure was the giant killer that would keep this generation from trying. It persuades us that we are permanent failures. Why try? The verdict is already in: “How can I dispossess of them?” From a human standpoint, it was impossible for Israel to conquer the land.

Fear is a destructive force that enters the mind and brings all who fear to the same level. Job uttered this classic truth: “For what I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me” (Job 3:25). Job was declaring the age-old principle “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7), or “What I think about I become!” Too often we resemble Sancho Panza in Don Quixote. Sancho clung desperately to a window ledge all night, fearing that if he let go, he would lose his life. When daylight came, he discovered that his feet were but one inch above the ground! Often, our anxieties are over the trifles. Our own fears give them power.

When the question was asked by Israel, “How can we do it?” the answer was, “We can’t.” That was, in reality, the truth, for the seven nations facing Israel were superior, both in numbers and in physical equipment. In and of themselves, Israel was not capable of meeting the goals God had set before them. We also must drive everything from our lives that will separate us from God. Only in God can we remove our fears of the future. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).

The world is dependent upon human reasoning in solving its difficulties. The Christian has this advantage: He seeks guidance from God who knows the future. Since God knows all, His will for us is always best. Nothing is impossible with God. Therefore, we may trust Him implicitly. “Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones,” said Victor Hugo, “and when you have accomplished your daily task, go and sleep in peace. God is awake!”

Word Affirmation: “ Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle." - Deuteronomy 7:14 (Don't just say it, mean it!)

“ When you have accomplished your daily task, go and sleep in peace. God is awake! "

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