Bible in One Year:
Saturday, October 24, 2009
(1 Sam 8 - 1 Sam 10)

Memorise: "The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish" (Prov 10:28)

Read: 2 Timothy 1:6-7
6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

"And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there" (2 Kings 7:5 ).

If you can dare that thing you were afraid of, you may soon realize that what you thought would deliver something terrible to you, has something pleasant for you. In 2 King 7:1-11, the lepers took a step forward in their bid to advance towards their enemies and soon found them all gone. It is only those who move forward that can leave sorrow, sickness, and problems behind and enter into a future of hope, joy, health and prosperity. In Exodus 14:15, God asked the children of Israel to move forward. This shows that where they were, there was still some gap between them and the Red Sea. Fear stopped their advance. This means, if you do not fully exhaust Heaven's provision for a particular assignment, you may not be given more. 

Fear and faith are the same thing from two opposite ends. While fear is the belief that something negative is about to happen, faith is the belief that something positive is about to happen. When the four lepers advanced towards the camp of the Syrian army expecting the worst, they were shocked to have their breakthrough with no single soldier in sight. Some of the things you are afraid of are incapable of delivering their threat. Also, never stop your advance because of something you are afraid of. Continue to march forward especially when God leads you in that direction. In addition, we learn that behind that fear is your breakthrough. As long as you are afraid, you may never hit your breakthrough. What are you afraid of? What is that thing you dread so much that has made you to stop your advance? Drop it! That fear has no substance but faith has substance. Start to expect that the situation will turn around for your good and it shall be so. Expect the best. Reject every thought of failure, disappointment, dryness, delay or death. Around that bend lies your greatest joy. The chicken-hearted cannot access their blessings because of fear. If you are afraid, the Lord will set you free from this tormenting spirit. Read the Word of God and meditate daily on it. It will help to increase your faith. Separate from people, things and activities that can fuel fear and doubt in you. 

ACTION POINT:
List those things you have been afraid of. Prayerfully take steps to confront, overcome or subdue them by the power of Jesus Christ.