A POWERFUL WAY TO OVERCOME FEAR
DEUTERONOMY 7:17-21 NKJV
DEUTERONOMY 7:17-21 NKJV
17 "If you should say in your heart, 'These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?'— 18 you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: 19 the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover the Lord your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed. 21 You shall not be terrified of them; for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you.
OBSERVATION:
Moses is preparing the nation of Israel to go in and possess the land God had promised them.
To accomplish this, Israel will have to face seven nations that were much stronger. All of the Hittites, Amorites, and Canaanites, plus a few other "ites" were already established in the land. So, at face value, this was not going to be an easy task. This makes the instructions we see in verses 17-21 very practical and very necessary.
When the children of Israel would face these seven nations and wonder how they were ever going to dispossess them, God had a strategy.
Don't be afraid but remember what the Lord your God did for you in delivering you from Egypt. And don't simply remember. Remember well.
The Lord knew that facing stronger nations would be a daunting task for Israel. This is hand-to-hand combat. And when you are seriously outnumbered and outsized and fighting an enemy on his turf, the combination of all these factors can cause fear.
But God had an answer for the fear. Remember.
Intentionally remember how the Lord helped you and how powerfully He delivered you.
Moses is writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and instructing Israel on how to overcome. And it all boils down to keeping a consciousness of God. That He is a great and awesome God, and He is among them. He is a God who is with them and will help them.
APPLICATION:
When fear knocks at the door of our minds, we need an answer.
Trying to handle everything in our own strength and wisdom is not the best answer.
But reminding ourselves of God, who He is, and what He has done is one of the best ways to address and overcome fear.
He has not changed. He is still the great and awesome God who is with us, and He lives in us by His Holy Spirit. And He still knows how to help us overcome problems and situations that are bigger than what we can handle on our own.
Israel was God's chosen special people. But so are we.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father I remember what You have done for me. I remember how You have helped me and sustained me. I trust You and believe You will help me in the future.