Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27.
I sometimes cringe when I read John 14:27 where Jesus says, “Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.” It’s like a foreign language. I am not quite getting the verb tense in it. That’s because fear is one of my personal “strongholds.” It was an obvious battle during Joe’s cancer, but I still struggle with letting go of fear. Stronghold means: “a defensible place, a center of predominance.” I’ve used fear to give me a false sense of security.
- I hide behind it.
- I control with it.
- In a strange way, I think I’m safer with it.
Who is going to protect me if I don’t protect myself from all the terrible things that might happen? Who’s going to change my circumstances? Who’s taking care of everything and everyone I love? Fear wants me to believe it can prevent bad things from happening.
Letting go of fear displaces me. It dislodges me from God’s role in my life. Letting go of fear dethrones me from the center of predominance in my world, a stronghold which holds no real power.
Letting go and taking Jesus’ peace, my true Stronghold of safety, is the gift He freely gives. It’s the real place of safety and security, and the way through the things I fear, because the Lord leads with His peace.
He has already fought my battles on the cross. All has been won and given to me there. Jesus is my peace in the present, past, and future tense.
Lord, we are so grateful that you not only set us free from fear, but fill us with the joy of Your Presence.
