{Fear} Day I of III.

[This is Day I of my three-part word study blog posts. Call me crazy, but I really miss being in Bible class and doing in-depth studies like this. And as I'm about to leave for college, the Lord is trying to teach me a lot right now. So here's me sharing with you what I've been studying in the Word.]


I leave for college in two and a half days. And although I am super excited and do feel ready for it [or at least as ready as I'll ever feel], I still have a lot of apprehension. I don't like not knowing what to expect. I fear the unknown. I fear being out of control.

{Fear.}

Hebrew:   

וָ֭רַעַד ,תִּֽירְא֥וּ ,תַּעַרְצ֖וּ

To cause to tremble; to cause terror or dread
To fear; to be afraid of
To tremble

Greek:
φόβος
Fear; terror; alarm
Reverence; respect

"Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. But I call to God, and the Lord will save me." -Psalm 55: 5, 16

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6

 

"The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?" -Psalm 27:1

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" -Psalm 56:3-4

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you.'" -Isaiah 41:10, 13

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." -Matthew 10:28

"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." - 2 Timothy 1:7

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" -Romans 8:1

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." -1 John 4:18

"So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'” -Hebrews 13:6 

God is sovereign. Sometimes that becomes the source of my fear [which is stupid, because when has he never come through for me?]. I want to be in control instead of him. But at the end of the day, I am so glad that it is not me, because I suck at running my own life. 

So what do I do to get rid of fear? The promise in 1 John 4:18 is extremely significant: there is no fear in love. Who is the author of love, the giver of love, and Love embodied? He is the answer. My prayer is that he will overwhelm me with his love, and I will not be able to help but love him back. Because if I am receiving love and giving love, there is no room for fear.