63 Times the Bible Tells Us To Fear Not

199 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7) I have a pet peeve and it involves the phrase “fear not” as found in the Bible. Perhaps you have heard it said or seen it posted on social media as gospel truth that the phrase “fear not” appears in the Bible 365 times, once for every day of the year! I know I have quoted this in the past, but then one day the Berean in me decided to check it out. Funny thing, my concordance shows the phrase fear not appearing in the King James Bible just 63 times. Ummmm, that's a little short. The idea of 365 “fear nots'”, while comforting, just isn't true. However, having said that, the concept of trusting God and not fearing is found in many places in Scripture and worthy of noting. Fact is, if it were only found in this one place in Timothy, it would be and should be enough! The recent results of the presidential election in America has stirred up the very real emotion of fear for many of those who voted against Donald Trump. The news media is long on showing us the results of this fear, but short on offering solace and comfort. That's where we, the church ought to come in. Let's just try and put the shoe on the other foot. 81% of white evangelicals cast their vote for Trump, but I wonder how those voters would've reacted to a Clinton victory? It would be foolish to think that there would've been no fear. Fear, needs to be dealt with and perhaps that's why it is indeed mentioned often in Scripture. Followers of Christ ought to have a leg up on others in the matter of fear, and if fear is gripping a believer, then we ought to point to those “fear not” verses of consolation in Scripture. If fear rises up in the heart of an unbeliever and in the streets of a nation, then we ought to take note that the nation needs Jesus. So, as we see these fearful reactions to circumstances, the best thing we can do, is pray for and work for revival. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and denigrate the protesters, but let's get past that and see the real solution. People need Jesus. How can we best bring Him to them?