Well, the days have been getting longer, but the time has been getting shorter, it seems. And as we see ourselves constantly in a rush, we must remember that as the age draws to a close, time will go faster, anxiety will rise, fear will be rampant, troubles will be evident all over the world. Oh, my, what am I going to do? But do you know what? We can live without a care in the world. Yes, you read that right, you can live carefree while all the world and it’s people fall apart around you. Look at the birds..do you see them pacing back and forth across a limb, wondering where their next meal is coming from? No. They just chirp and sing, and eat the things that bug them (pun intended). Not that I advocate eating bugs, Though many motorcyclists swear by them as a good source of protein. Then again, some swear at them.

 But anyway, back to the fear factor.  God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but the devil is trying to. Fear paralyzes people, and keeps them from stepping out into the good things God has lined up for them. The devil had his power stripped from him by Jesus, and he knows the only way he can keep people in bondage now, is by laying fear on them. Let me describe some ways the devil puts fear on us. Maybe your Aunt Zelda died of the Effizooti, and now the doctor says you have it. The devil will put about ten people in your path that will tell you of how many people they know of died of it. But God’s word says we are (and were) healed by the stripes of Jesus, that Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses, so who are you gonna believe?

Suppose people are getting laid off where you work, he will tell you, “You’re next to lose your job”. He may even make you lose your job, like he did me. But he can’t get me into fear, because I know in whom I trust..I have a covenant with God Almighty, and He says He shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus, according to Philippians 4:19.
Psalm 23:4 says, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.   I remember once the Lord asked me “Have you ever been bitten by the shadow of a dog?”  I’ve been bitten by a dog, and they can hurt you.  But the shadow of a dog can’t hurt you.  Let’s read that again like this: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for the bite of a shadow cannot hurt me, Thou, O God, art with me.

 God is love. Love is with me. Perfect love casteth out ALL fear. Thy rod, and thy staff, they comfort me. Thy rod of correction thumpeth the devil if he sticketh his nose too close to me, thy staff guideth me in thy paths of righteousness, lest I get off Thy path that leads to Life eternal.

 Oh, by the way, though many pray in “King James”, God understandeth if’n y’all talk “ozark” to Him, too.

 He understands the problems we face because Jesus faced them too, and He wants to make it clear to you that He is for you, not against you, and so what are you fearful of? HMMMM??
I think that’s one reason God inspired someone to invent motorcycles, so someone could say, Look Ma, no hands! No fear here!
I saw a window sticker on a young person’s car once that said “NO FEAR”. I also the same day saw a “redneck” driving his pickup with a sticker in his window that said “AIN’T SKEERED” Both carry the message our God wants us to get…no matter how you say it, God doesn’t want us to live in fear, but to rest in our covenant with Him, or as Jesus put it, “Fear Not!”
Don’t go the way the rest of the world is going, they’re getting more and more tied up in fear each day. But each day, as we learn how much God loves us, we can be more and more free each day. If you refuse to get in fear, sooner or later, YOU WIN! Next time someone asks you how you’re doing, you can say, “I don’t have a care or fear in the world!” After they get over the shock, you can tell them where they can take their fears…to Jesus.