Author: Nathaniel Colt

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Read: Psalm 34:4–5

Imagine that every fear you have is a chain strapped around you. Maybe you’re afraid of speaking in public, or maybe you’re afraid of something that might happen. Each fear is a chain keeping you bound up. When you allow fear to control your actions, you can sometimes miss out on good things that God has for you. The longer you live in fear, the easier it is to become more bound up in those chains when what God truly desires for you is to be free from fear.

It’s important for us to fill our heart and mind with the truth of God’s Word. Then, when we face difficult situations, the Holy Spirit will bring that truth to mind and help us stand firm and be strong. When we surrender our fears to God and allow the truth of His Word to fill our heart, we will overcome fear. God frees us from all our fears because He is bigger and stronger than anything we may face.

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Read: Philippians 4:6–7

Have you done something that made you anxious or afraid? Maybe you were nervous about starting a new school year. Or maybe you moved to a new place with new neighbors and new friends. Maybe you were afraid to go to a doctor or dentist. All of us face times when we are anxious about something.

But God tells us that there’s a different way that we can live. God wants us to talk to Him about the things that worry us. When we begin to thank God and remember what He has already done in our life, we can have peace from God that we can’t understand. That peace will guard our heart and mind.

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Read: Psalm 91:1–5

When a mother bird has a nest filled with eggs or baby birds, she will perch herself on top of that nest to be a covering for her babies. She will cover and protect those babies from the storms or predators looking to attack them.

The Bible uses this illustration to help us understand how God covers and shelters us. He can be trusted and offers protection to us. We don’t have to be afraid of anything we may face because God is a faithful guardian for us to hide in. We can rest in the comfort of knowing that whatever comes our way, He will be our covering, our protection that will never fail.

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Read: Isaiah 41:10

Can you imagine what it might feel like to be lost in the woods at night? Being alone and not knowing where to go or what dangers could be lurking in the shadows might cause you to be very fearful. At a time like that, it would be comforting to have a friend by your side that you could talk to and be with. Simply knowing that you are not alone could calm your fears and give you confidence.

This is what God does for us. He is our ever-present Friend. He reminds us to not be afraid or discouraged. He will strengthen us and uphold us. But He also wants to use us to be a friend to others who may be lonely or hurting. Sometimes, out of the hurt and pain we feel ourself, God can speak through us to help others. Don’t allow yourself to be swallowed up by loneliness, but allow God to strengthen you and to use you to reach out to others who may be hurting too.

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Read: John 16:32–33

In today’s verses, Jesus was talking to His disciples about something that was about to happen. Jesus knew He was going to die. He also knew that, before His death, His friends would abandon Him because they were afraid. Even though Jesus experienced the heartbreak of His earthly friends leaving Him, He knew that God the Father was with Him. Jesus experienced being alone during a hard time. We can feel alone sometimes, too. However, Jesus didn’t end the conversation with being lonely. He told them that, they too, would face trials and heartbreak in this world, but not to worry because He had overcome the world.

Each of us will face times when we are lonely, and we will feel like everyone has forgotten us. We may feel like our friends have left us, or that our family doesn’t understand how we feel. However, Jesus promised that when we go to Him in these times of loneliness, we can find peace in Him. Through our darkest moments, we can turn to Him knowing that He will help us and carry us through. The difficult things we face are only temporary. He has overcome the world.

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Read: Romans 8:31–39

If you were working on an art project, you might take two different paint colors and combine them to make one new color. Or perhaps you might take two different colors of play dough and mash them together until they combine and make one color. When these things are combined, it would be impossible to ever separate them again into what they once were.

This is much like how God is with us. In this life, Christians will face times that are difficult, and we may feel lonely. However, God’s Word promises that, when we go through those times, we can be confident in the love that God has for us. Nothing, except our own desire, can ever separate us from His love. No matter what we face, we can remember that God is for us, and we can trust Him with every part of our life.

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Read: Psalm 139:1–10

Take in a long, deep breath. Think about the air that you breathe every day. As you inhale, air fills your lungs. Oxygen from the air is absorbed into your blood and moves through it to every part of your body. Did you know we can’t survive without oxygen? We can’t last long if we aren’t close to a supply of oxygen. Thankfully, we don’t usually have to travel far to find oxygen because the air around us is full of it. We simply have to breathe it in.

In the same way, God is always close to us. We can never escape from His Spirit. When we turn away from God and sin, the Holy Spirit brings conviction to turn us back to God. Wherever we go, whatever we’re doing, God is always there. We can always call on Him. There are times in our life when we may feel lonely, like everyone has left us or let us down. In those times, we can talk to God about how we’re feeling and know that He is just as close as our next breath is. Our Heavenly Father cares for us and loves us more than we can ever imagine.

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Read: Hebrews 4:14–16

In the Old Testament, the main role of the high priest was go to God on behalf of the people to offer sacrifices for the wrong choices they had made. Jesus came and died for our sins and then rose again. He is our high priest. When we give in to temptation, we can go to God, confess our sins, and receive forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross makes this possible.

The Bible says that we can approach God’s throne of grace boldly, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Jesus understands our weaknesses because He was tempted, and yet He never sinned. We are human and there will be times we don’t make the right choice. We’ll have to face the consequences of those choices. Even when we make the right choice, there may be challenges that we have to face. God wants us to honor Him by making the right choice, even if the right choice brings challenges (1 Samuel 15:22). But, we can always look to God for His mercy and His grace, and He will always be there to help us.