Morning By Morning #259

A righteous man…will have no fear of bad news.

Psalm 112:6 – 7

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Dear Christian, you should never dread the arrival of bad news, and if you are someone who becomes distressed by it, consider what you have that others do not. Others do not have your God to run to and have never proved His faithfulness as you have done. Is it any wonder then that they cower in fear? You, however, profess to have a different spirit, for you have been “given…new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). Your heart lives in heaven and should not be swayed by “earthly things” (Phil. 3:19). If the world sees you as distressed as they are after receiving bad news, what is the value of the grace you profess to have received, and where is the worthiness of the new nature you claim to possess?

To reiterate, if you are filled with as much alarm as others, you would no doubt be led into sins common to them under trying circumstances. When the ungodly are overwhelmed by bad news they rebel against God, complaining and believing He has dealt too harshly with them. Will you fall into that same sin? Will you do as they do and “provoke the LORD to anger” (2 Kings 17:11 KJV)?

Additionally, the unconverted often run to the wrong things in order to escape their difficulties, and you will be sure to do the same if you allow your mind to yield to the current pressures. “Trust in the LORD” (Prov. 3:5) and “wait patiently for him” (Ps. 37:7). Your wisest course is to do as Moses did at the Red Sea: “Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today” (Ex. 14:13). If you give in to fear when you hear bad news, you will be unable to face the trial with the calm composure that strengthens you for service and that sustains you during adversity. How can you glorify God if you act like a coward? Many saints have often sung God’s highest praises amid the fires of adversity, but do you believe your doubting and despondency, as though you had no one to help you, will bring glory to the Most High God?

Then have courage, and while relying in unwavering confidence on the faithfulness of your covenant God, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Fear is tied to sin in the Scriptures, for fear is the opposite of faith, and “everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). In fact, the very first mention of fear is immediately after Adam and Eve committed their first act of disobedience. When God called to Adam in the garden after he sinned, Adam told Him,”I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (Gen. 3:10). And the first admonition against fear is when “the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward’” (Gen. 15:1).

Thus, fear is the result of sin. But notice that the first warning against fear came when the Lord confirmed His covenant with Abraham, in effect saying, “I am making a way for sin, and fear, to be taken away!”

“So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:6).

Father, forgive me for my many fears. Help me to walk in faith with You.