Audio By Carbonatix

Monday, June 9, 2025

Afraid Not

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)

One day, when I was a small boy living in New Jersey, I was walking around my neighborhood with a newly acquired pair of cowboy cap guns. I was feeling pretty tough. I had my little belt on with my holsters and guns. As I walked, I practiced my fast draw, pulling out my pistols and firing away.

Before long, a couple of hoodlums saw me and said, “Hey, you, come over here.” They started pushing me around and laughing at me. And then they did the unthinkable. They took my guns. All I could do was go home crying with empty holsters.

When I got home, I found my brother, who was five years older and a lot bigger than I was. I asked him, “Would you help me get my guns back?” Together, we went back to the scene of the crime, where the hoodlums were still playing with my guns. With great courage, I stepped forward and said, “Give me my guns back!” I was feeling tough again. It wasn’t because I was suddenly stronger. It was because my brother was with me. If those guys gave me a problem, my brother would take care of them. I had courage not because of who I was, but because of who was with me.

As we get older, we may outgrow certain fears, but we never outgrow fear itself. We just become frightened by different things. Fear is an overwhelming emotion that takes hold of us and causes us to act with complete irrationality. In fact, we’re often more devastated by the experience of fear than by the thing we’re afraid of.

But God says that we don’t have to be afraid—because He is with us. In fact, He says it in several different places in the Bible. Someone once calculated that the words fear not, or some variation of them, appear 366 times in Scripture. That’s one for every day of the year, plus leap year day! Joshua 1:9 is a perfect example: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (NLT).

For believers, those words are literal. The Holy Spirit dwells within every Christian. He never leaves us. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT). You don’t have to go get Him and bring Him back with you to confront what’s scaring you. He’s always there, inside you.

That’s why the apostle Paul was able to write with confidence, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT). If we embrace the Holy Spirit’s presence and measure God’s power against whatever it is that frightens us, we can overcome any fear.

Reflection question: What is your best strategy for dealing with fear?

Copyright © 2025 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

The Revelation Answer Book by Mark Hitchcock

The book of Revelation is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood books in the Bible. In The Revelation Answer Book, respected prophecy teacher Mark Hitchcock walks through key questions about Revelation in a clear and engaging Q&A format. You’ll explore topics like the mark of the beast, the identity of the 144,000, the Antichrist, the Tribulation, and the return of Jesus, all with solid biblical insight and a focus on hope. Request your copy this month with your gift to Harvest Ministries.

Click here to find out more!

Audio By Carbonatix

Monday, June 9, 2025

Afraid Not

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)

One day, when I was a small boy living in New Jersey, I was walking around my neighborhood with a newly acquired pair of cowboy cap guns. I was feeling pretty tough. I had my little belt on with my holsters and guns. As I walked, I practiced my fast draw, pulling out my pistols and firing away.

Before long, a couple of hoodlums saw me and said, “Hey, you, come over here.” They started pushing me around and laughing at me. And then they did the unthinkable. They took my guns. All I could do was go home crying with empty holsters.

When I got home, I found my brother, who was five years older and a lot bigger than I was. I asked him, “Would you help me get my guns back?” Together, we went back to the scene of the crime, where the hoodlums were still playing with my guns. With great courage, I stepped forward and said, “Give me my guns back!” I was feeling tough again. It wasn’t because I was suddenly stronger. It was because my brother was with me. If those guys gave me a problem, my brother would take care of them. I had courage not because of who I was, but because of who was with me.

As we get older, we may outgrow certain fears, but we never outgrow fear itself. We just become frightened by different things. Fear is an overwhelming emotion that takes hold of us and causes us to act with complete irrationality. In fact, we’re often more devastated by the experience of fear than by the thing we’re afraid of.

But God says that we don’t have to be afraid—because He is with us. In fact, He says it in several different places in the Bible. Someone once calculated that the words fear not, or some variation of them, appear 366 times in Scripture. That’s one for every day of the year, plus leap year day! Joshua 1:9 is a perfect example: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (NLT).

For believers, those words are literal. The Holy Spirit dwells within every Christian. He never leaves us. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT). You don’t have to go get Him and bring Him back with you to confront what’s scaring you. He’s always there, inside you.

That’s why the apostle Paul was able to write with confidence, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT). If we embrace the Holy Spirit’s presence and measure God’s power against whatever it is that frightens us, we can overcome any fear.

Reflection question: What is your best strategy for dealing with fear?

Copyright © 2025 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com and weekly podcast on LifeAudio.com.

Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.

The Revelation Answer Book by Mark Hitchcock

The book of Revelation is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood books in the Bible. In The Revelation Answer Book, respected prophecy teacher Mark Hitchcock walks through key questions about Revelation in a clear and engaging Q&A format. You’ll explore topics like the mark of the beast, the identity of the 144,000, the Antichrist, the Tribulation, and the return of Jesus, all with solid biblical insight and a focus on hope. Request your copy this month with your gift to Harvest Ministries.

Click here to find out more!