Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 228 ｜ Fear God, Not Trouble

00:00:00.000 Hey guys, welcome to Relatable. Happy Monday. I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'm coming to

00:00:05.480 you once again from the comfort of my own home. I'm in a different part of my house, so you're

00:00:10.040 just seeing all the different parts of my house that can apparently function as a set. I hope

00:00:15.320 that you guys had a restful weekend indoors with your family, maybe with your roommate, maybe even

00:00:21.780 with a couple of your friends. I think the rule is that we're supposed to stay under like 10 people,

00:00:25.600 so maybe you managed to do that and watch some Netflix or worked or whatever you did. I hope

00:00:32.800 that you were able to find some serenity and peace amidst all of this absolute chaos, and that's what

00:00:40.260 we're going to talk about today. You guys have told me, you've given me feedback that you miss

00:00:45.200 Theology Mondays or really Bible topic Mondays or topics that are analyzed from a biblical perspective

00:00:52.020 Monday, and so I am responding to that feedback by bringing them back, at least for now, and you

00:00:59.560 can continue to send me that feedback. It seems like now is the time that we need biblical encouragement,

00:01:04.480 maybe more than ever. It's hard to say that because we need biblical encouragement and wisdom every day,

00:01:09.680 but these are unprecedented historic times, and I think people are yearning for truth. They're

00:01:16.720 yearning for comfort. They're yearning for some kind of clarity and peace, and God's word gives that

00:01:21.460 like no other. So today we're going to talk about fear, good fear and bad fear, and why we should not

00:01:29.620 be consumed with fear of any pestilence or any pandemic. That doesn't mean we don't take it

00:01:35.840 seriously. That doesn't mean that we're not wise and cautious, but we're going to look at what the

00:01:40.480 Bible says about how we as Christians should be reacting and feeling in times of crisis and chaos.

00:01:49.080 Let's get into today's episode. So we are living in super strange times. I just say, I say that every

00:01:56.180 day when we wake up, like really weird, strange times. It feels like an alternate universe. It

00:02:01.760 doesn't help that where I live has been gloomy pretty much every day. Like we just haven't had

00:02:06.200 great weather, which has also just added to the, I don't know, the scary foreboding feeling that we

00:02:14.360 are all kind of getting in all of this, not just from the virus itself, but also from the government

00:02:18.580 intervention that's happening, whether it's necessary or not. It just is overwhelming. It's a

00:02:24.960 lot. It's a huge adjustment for all of us in big ways and small. When people are getting laid off from

00:02:30.700 their jobs, businesses are shuttering, couples are postponing their weddings, families are planning

00:02:35.960 funerals with no one in attendance. There's a lot of tragedy around us to be overwhelmed by

00:02:42.020 that even goes beyond the effects of this virus. I know we spent Friday talking about the blessings

00:02:50.680 in the midst of the storm, and we should continue to think about those and to remember those. We

00:02:56.580 should continue to thank God for his mercy, for his faithfulness, for time with our families, for

00:03:02.140 people seeing the necessity of compassion when maybe before they were stuck in their self-absorption.

00:03:08.420 But we also have to take notice of the things, the bad things, the scary things that are happening

00:03:15.360 around us. As I am recording this right now on Friday the 20th, the National Guard has been

00:03:21.400 mobilized in multiple states. California is on total lockdown. People are out stockpiling guns,

00:03:28.160 loading up on ammo, while cities across the country are enacting policies that forbid police from

00:03:34.640 arresting criminals that commit crimes that are non-violent. So we're talking theft, we're talking

00:03:40.200 vandalism, prostitution. They are not allowed to arrest criminals for committing those crimes in a lot

00:03:46.980 of cities. The ACLU at the same time is demanding that many prisoners be released from prison during

00:03:52.940 all of this, and that's terrifying. That's how a pandemic turns into pandemonium and absolute

00:03:58.460 anarchy. That, if you don't want people clutching their guns, that's probably not the route to take.

00:04:03.680 These things are all arguably a lot more terrifying than a virus with a 97 to 99 percent survival rate.

00:04:10.840 Like, I'm just going to say that. Now, I have said from the beginning that we should be taking this

00:04:15.840 seriously. I am not flippant about the effects of this virus. I am certainly not flippant about anyone's

00:04:22.280 life, especially if you are older or you are immunocompromised. Like, I don't want to take

00:04:28.260 a chance with your life. I want us to all voluntarily socially distance. I want us to all,

00:04:34.340 to the extent that we can, self-quarantine. And I want us to be cautious and careful and wise and

00:04:39.680 compassionate towards the people, not just in our circle, but also outside of our circle. The entire

00:04:44.740 contagion that happens when we go outside and we're in contact with people, if we might be

00:04:51.380 asymptomatic carriers of this disease. I want us all to be thoughtful about all of that. But at the

00:05:00.140 same time, we cannot ignore the social and the economic cost of our reaction to all of this. We have

00:05:06.540 to consider the lives that are being ruined by shutting down so many parts of our society. That is

00:05:12.700 also part of compassion, is considering all of those things. The people who have been or will be

00:05:18.380 fired. The people dealing with severe loneliness who maybe already struggle with depression and now

00:05:24.460 this whole thing is exacerbating that. The people who require psychiatric care during the week and

00:05:29.960 maybe the place that they go is not open anymore and so they can't get the typical care that they need.

00:05:37.760 People cannot live in general, no matter what your psychiatric state is. People just can't live in

00:05:44.020 isolation for long. Eventually, the heaviness of the emotional effects of isolation and the financial

00:05:51.600 effects of a shutdown will outweigh the heaviness of the physical disease. It just will. I think it's just

00:05:57.920 human nature, especially here in America. Americans are full of freedom. Even the people who say that they

00:06:04.000 are advocates of socialism and communism. We all have this just inborn desire for liberty. We're just not

00:06:13.000 going to tolerate this kind of shutdown indefinitely. For a little while, for the good of our fellow man,

00:06:18.320 we will, but indefinitely without any light at the end of the tunnel. I just don't think people,

00:06:23.440 especially Americans who are very turned off and afraid of tyranny and totalitarianism, are just not

00:06:30.980 going to tolerate it for long. The long-term cost for Americans is just too high. I think many are

00:06:38.120 considering that, and we should. It is a really tough situation that we're in. It feels surreal,

00:06:43.440 like I said so many times. We are living in another world or some kind of science fiction novel. It

00:06:49.120 doesn't help that the media seems to be using this in a way. Some in the media are using this in a way

00:06:58.440 that is unhelpful and counterproductive, to say the least, that is less about information and more

00:07:07.100 about hysteria and more about politics, worrying endlessly about what we call the virus rather than

00:07:13.880 where the virus actually came from and why the virus keeps coming from the same place, what policies

00:07:21.540 are in place in the country where it originated, and what kind of government do they have that is

00:07:27.320 allowing these kinds of viruses to be spread? They're not as concerned with that as they are

00:07:32.500 about political correctness, and that is just making this entire situation worse. I'm trying

00:07:38.500 personally not to be scared. I'm trying personally not to be anxious and angry. I've been telling you

00:07:44.960 guys all the things that I've been telling myself too. Don't be panicked. Don't be worried. Trust God.

00:07:50.460 Be wise. It's all going to be okay. So today's episode that we are getting into is just as much for me

00:07:57.300 as it is for you guys. Today we are going to talk about, like I said at the top, fear, the different

00:08:02.200 kinds of fear, what kind of fear is justified, what kind of fear we're actually called to, and what fear

00:08:07.860 we are not called to. As always, I don't have the answers, all the answers. I don't have the comfort

00:08:15.180 to bring. I don't have the wisdom or the insight or the perspective that we ultimately need. I don't

00:08:20.340 have any of that in comparison to the wisdom and the insight and the comfort and the perspective that

00:08:25.260 comes from the living God and his word. So that's what we are going to dive into today. That's what

00:08:33.020 we're going to be reminded of. The Bible has a lot to say about fear. Hundreds of times throughout the

00:08:39.680 Bible, we are told not to fear, not to worry, not to be anxious, not to fret. I'm going to read you

00:08:47.020 some of the passages that remind us first who God is, so why we shouldn't fear, because who God is

00:08:53.960 serves as our justification for our peace. Then we will talk about the verses that implore us, that

00:09:01.240 demand, that direct, that command that we not be afraid. I've included these references in the

00:09:08.160 description of this episode, so it may be a good idea for you ladies to jot them down, to write them

00:09:14.760 out, to put them on your mirror, maybe over your kitchen sink, on your computer, wherever you will be

00:09:20.840 spending a lot of time. Maybe we even work to memorize these scriptures. It would be certainly

00:09:27.780 very helpful. Psalm 119, 105 says that God's word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Those of

00:09:34.500 you who were raised in Christian school and in Sunday school probably know that one. Psalm 31, 3 says

00:09:39.740 God is our rock and our fortress. For his name's sake, he leads us and guides us. Right now, when we feel

00:09:46.940 like we are wading in deep and turbulent water, when we are walking down an uncharted path in the dark,

00:09:58.100 we need two things. We need both light and a leader. God's word says that he and his word are both. He is

00:10:05.420 our light in the darkness. He is our guide through the wilderness. On our own, we will fall and fail

00:10:11.540 and flail and fumble through the night. But with God, we can put one foot in front of the other,

00:10:17.160 trusting that he not only knows the way, that he has actually made the way, that he has actually carved

00:10:22.580 and charted this path before we were even on it. Psalm 37, 23 through 34. Not 23 through 34. Maybe

00:10:32.680 that's supposed to be 24. I just need to fix that in my notes. The steps of a man are established by

00:10:38.280 the Lord. When he delights in his way, though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong for the Lord

00:10:44.200 upholds his hand. There is no such thing as uncharted territory for God. God has never been lost.

00:10:53.100 He has never been stumped. He has never been confused. He has never been surprised. He has never

00:10:59.000 been thrown off, thrown for a loop, worried, anxious, or afraid. He has never wondered how

00:11:05.400 things would turn out. He has never had to wait and see what the outcome of any situation would be.

00:11:11.140 God is completely in control. He is completely sovereign. His plan is sure. His purpose is

00:11:17.280 secure. There is no power. There is no virus. There is no government authority. There is no policy,

00:11:23.120 no military force, no human or supernatural enemy that can stop him, hold him back, or slow him down,

00:11:30.300 or hinder his will in any way. They can't do it. Job 42, 2 is one of my favorite verses that I think

00:11:37.600 about often. It says, for I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be

00:11:45.780 thwarted. God can do all things. He is omnipotent. 1 John 3, 20 says that God knows everything. So that

00:11:52.940 means he is omniscient. Jeremiah 23, 24 says, can a man hide himself in secret places so that I

00:12:00.000 cannot see him, declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth, declares the Lord. God is

00:12:05.220 omnipresent. He is everywhere. He is all powerful. He is all knowing. He is ever present. He is also

00:12:12.120 good. Psalm 86, 5 says, for you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who

00:12:20.220 call upon you. It is very hard for us to comprehend that he is all of these things at once in the

00:12:26.740 midst of tribulation. How can a good, all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God allow or perhaps

00:12:33.600 even cause something like this to happen? 2 Chronicles 7, 13 says that God can and may send pestilence

00:12:41.900 among his people. We don't always know the exact reason. It could be because we just live in a

00:12:49.560 fallen and a fractured world in which disasters simply happen and calamity simply strikes. It

00:12:55.660 could be a call to repentance. It could be condemnation and judgment. It could be all of

00:13:00.760 these things at once. But whatever God's purpose is, however mysterious it is to us right now, we do

00:13:07.460 know that everything God does is ultimately for his glory. That we know for sure for bringing honor

00:13:14.980 to his name, for displaying his power, for sharing his gospel. It may not always be immediately obvious

00:13:21.820 that that's what's happening, but that's because we cannot always see the souls being saved or the

00:13:28.840 good being done or the secret conversations or the quiet peace or the silent prayers. His glory may not

00:13:36.180 be manifested exactly how we think it should through cures and tests and medical equipment, though of

00:13:42.160 course I pray that it does and we should be praying for those things. It may be manifesting itself,

00:13:47.440 especially right now, in the things that we cannot see. And scripture tells us, 2 Corinthians 4, 16

00:13:54.360 through 18 says this, so we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is

00:14:02.200 being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight

00:14:08.860 of glory beyond all comparison. As we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that

00:14:14.880 are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

00:14:21.780 There are, of course, as in all things, eternal gains being made by God's power for God's glory.

00:14:29.660 And we should look for them and we should ask to be a part of them, not because God needs us,

00:14:34.380 but because it is our privilege and our honor to be a part of them, to be used by him. And as we

00:14:40.820 discussed on Friday, there are simple blessings that we should thank God for, that we should be

00:14:46.300 looking for, like parents getting to spend more time with their children, children getting to spend

00:14:50.140 more time with their parents, Planned Parenthoods across the nation being closed in some states,

00:14:57.260 not all states. Individuals in the private sector making sacrifices to help those who need it.

00:15:03.180 Politicians on both sides of the aisle coming together to do what's best for the country.

00:15:07.360 There's a lot of confusion. There's a lot of evil. There's a lot of malice. There's a lot of pain.

00:15:11.640 There's a lot of loss and sorrow, but there's also good. There's also God's glory. And God has never for

00:15:17.820 one second in the midst of all of this stopped being in control or bringing about his purposes,

00:15:23.100 whatever they may be. He is alpha. He is omega. He is beginning and end. He is creator. He is

00:15:31.180 sustainer. He is savior. He is judge. He is king. He is over and through all of it. Here is how

00:15:38.400 Colossians 1 15 through 20 describes this Messiah, this King of Kings, this Lord of Lords that we

00:15:45.140 as Christians worship. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 0.98

00:15:51.360 For by him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or

00:15:58.440 dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. And he is before

00:16:04.720 all things. And in him, all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is

00:16:11.700 the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him,

00:16:17.680 all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself, all things,

00:16:23.760 whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross. And that same Jesus that was

00:16:30.240 just described in that chapter, uh, who is over through and in charge of everything tells us not

00:16:38.340 to worry. He says in Matthew 6 31 through 34, which you should read this whole chapter. If you haven't,

00:16:45.040 uh, therefore do not be anxious saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we

00:16:50.000 wear? For the Gentiles seek after all of these things. And your heavenly father knows that you 0.99

00:16:54.680 need them all, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And all of these things will

00:17:00.460 be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.

00:17:06.180 sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Do not be anxious. Jesus says the God of the universe says

00:17:13.820 for tomorrow. As Psalm 118 6 says, the Lord is on my side. I will not fear. What can man do to me?

00:17:22.880 Proverbs 37 8, refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Fret not yourself. It tends only to evil. Isn't that

00:17:29.240 so true that fear and working ourselves into a tizzy leads only to evil and only to more anxiety.

00:17:36.500 Isaiah 41 10, fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you.

00:17:42.200 I will help you. I will uphold, uh, uphold you with my righteous right hand. Romans 8 35 through 39.

00:17:50.240 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Child tribulation or distress or persecution or famine

00:17:57.320 or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written, for your sake, we are being killed all the day long.

00:18:04.140 We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors

00:18:09.660 through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things

00:18:15.200 present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be

00:18:21.220 able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Um, but it's not that we shouldn't

00:18:27.860 fear at all. We are actually to redirect our fear and change our fear into a different kind of fear

00:18:36.160 towards a different kind of target. And that target is God himself. Uh, Deuteronomy 10 12 through 13 and 20

00:18:45.120 through 21 says this, he's speaking to Israel. And of course, this principle applies to his people today.

00:18:51.980 And now Israel, what does the Lord, your God require of you, but to fear the Lord, your God,

00:18:57.780 to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your

00:19:04.440 soul and to keep the commandments and statues of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good.

00:19:10.540 You shall fear the Lord, your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him. And by his name, you shall

00:19:17.660 swear. He is your praise. He is your God who has done for you these great and terrifying things that

00:19:25.280 your eyes have seen. He is the one that we are supposed to fear. Psalm 211 says, serve the Lord with

00:19:32.320 fear and rejoice with trembling. Psalm 25 14 says, the friendship of the Lord is for those who

00:19:39.880 fear him. How wrong does the world get that today? The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear

00:19:45.840 him and he makes known to them his covenant. Proverbs 14 26, and the fear of the Lord, one has

00:19:53.260 strong confidence and his children will have refuge. Of course, we know that Proverbs also said,

00:19:58.500 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Isaiah 8 12 through 13, do not call

00:20:04.040 conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy and do not fear what they fear nor be in dread. But the

00:20:09.740 Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear. Let him be your dread. Jesus says in

00:20:17.240 Luke 12, four through five, I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body. And after that

00:20:22.880 have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear. Fear him who after he has killed

00:20:29.320 has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Colossians 3 22, bond servants, obey in 0.99

00:20:36.720 everything. Those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye service as people pleasers, but with

00:20:42.340 sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. This kind of fear that the Bible tells us to have is different

00:20:49.380 by nature than anxiety. Fear in this context means to respect, to come before in awe and humility,

00:20:56.800 understanding his power, his absolute holiness, our undeservedness, a constant understanding that the

00:21:04.020 righteousness that we have is not our own, but Christ, the knowledge that God can do all things

00:21:09.920 and that no purpose of his can be thwarted. Now, here's a question. We know God's power. We know

00:21:17.080 that we're not to fear the things of this world. We know that we are supposed to have, um, in, in awe,

00:21:24.640 in awesome or in awful, depending on how you want to look at it or use those words, fear of,

00:21:30.700 uh, fear of God. Here's a question that people have even knowing that is all of this a part of

00:21:37.400 the end times. Um, the Bible does say that God will bring pestilence in the end times. Jesus says

00:21:44.200 in Luke 21, 10 through 13, that he said to him, nation will rise against nation and kingdom against

00:21:49.920 kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and in various places, famines and pestilences,

00:21:54.560 and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this, they will lay their hands

00:22:00.600 on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought 1.00

00:22:05.120 before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.

00:22:10.540 Revolution 6, or Revolution, Revelation 6, 8 prophesies this. Um, and I looked and behold a pair

00:22:16.480 horse, a pale horse, and its writer's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given

00:22:21.720 authority over a fourth of the earth to kill the sword with famine and with pestilence and by wild

00:22:26.940 beasts of the earth. Um, so to me, these passages, these descriptions seem worse than what we are

00:22:34.140 currently experiencing and what we have experienced. Now, there are many parts of the earth, obviously,

00:22:39.640 that are and have endured much more persecution than we have here in the United States. So they

00:22:45.620 might read those passages and say, yeah, that sounds a lot like me. People in China, for example,

00:22:49.840 that are thrown into concentration camps for being Christians, they would probably say that's an 1.00

00:22:53.800 accurate description. Maybe so. Um, but I think that it would probably be more widespread than that.

00:22:59.520 So this could just be kind of a precursor. I don't know. But lots of people right now, lots of people

00:23:05.920 are claiming to have visions, claiming to have a special word from the Lord. Lots of people are

00:23:10.200 pretending to know prophecies that you've never heard of. Unfortunately, a lot of this is for

00:23:15.000 attention. It's not of the Lord. We have to weigh what people say against the word of God. We don't

00:23:20.920 follow suspicion. We don't follow feelings. We don't follow sensationalism. Jeremiah 23 demonstrates

00:23:27.200 how God feels about lying prophets. And here are parts of that chapter. Thus says the Lord of hosts,

00:23:34.300 do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes.

00:23:38.860 They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those

00:23:44.080 who despise the word of the Lord, it shall be well with you. And to everyone who stubbornly follows his

00:23:49.000 own heart, they say, no disaster shall come upon you. I have heard what the prophets have said,

00:23:53.560 who prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. Let the prophet who has a dream tell

00:23:58.940 the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. Therefore, behold, I am against

00:24:05.940 the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I'm against the prophets,

00:24:11.120 declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, declares the Lord. Behold, I am against those who

00:24:17.200 prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord. And who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies

00:24:24.320 and their recklessness when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at

00:24:30.420 all, declares the Lord. We need to watch out. We need to be careful. We need to understand that as

00:24:38.760 first Peter five, eight says that we have to be sober minded and watchful, knowing that our adversary,

00:24:45.040 the devil is prowling around looking for people to devour, um, not just by, uh, bringing calamity

00:24:53.040 into people's lives, not by just tempting them to worry or fear or lust or envy or covet or whatever

00:24:59.180 it is, but also by believing these suspicions. Uh, we talked about this on Friday and I also, uh,

00:25:05.220 listed this passage from Isaiah eight today. And I'll say it again. The Bible says, do not call

00:25:10.560 conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread,

00:25:15.900 but the Lord of hosts, him, you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear. Let him be your dread.

00:25:20.900 So we have to be careful about following these rabbit holes of suspicion and of conspiracies

00:25:27.220 that don't align with God's word. God's word is our guide. It is our standard. It's what we weigh

00:25:32.820 people's words against and any prophecy that is, um, creating confusion or anxiety really needs. We

00:25:41.980 really need to discern whether that is of the Lord. God is not the God of confusion. He is the God of

00:25:47.520 peace. Uh, we need to be vigilant against these kinds of attacks on our mind. First Thessalonians

00:25:53.980 five, two says for you, yourselves are fully aware. Um, so this is going back to, this is going back to

00:26:00.580 the prophecies that people are saying, uh, that, okay, this is of the end times. I've seen this

00:26:06.480 vision. I know that this is happening. Here's what's coming about. Here's what the Lord is doing.

00:26:10.720 He told me this. So just so we remember, here's what first Thessalonians five, two says for you,

00:26:16.880 yourselves are fully aware of the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Matthew 24, 42

00:26:22.460 through 44 says this, therefore stay awake for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming, but know

00:26:29.020 this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming,

00:26:33.500 he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you must also

00:26:38.000 be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour. You do not expect. So we have to be ready. We have

00:26:44.240 to be watchful. We have to be vigilant. Uh, we might be taking a break from many parts of our lives,

00:26:49.280 but I can tell you the devil is not taking a break. He is probably working overtime right now,

00:26:53.400 especially as so many people are stuck in isolation and are tempted by absolute dread. Um, like I said,

00:27:00.940 first Peter five, eight, the devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour. And we have

00:27:05.920 to be watchful and we have to remember the words of Ephesians six that talk about, uh, being strong

00:27:12.580 in the Lord. So I'll, I'll read that. And I've read this passage many times on this podcast, uh,

00:27:16.940 finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God,

00:27:20.860 that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil for we do not wrestle against flesh

00:27:25.540 and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this

00:27:29.820 present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil and the heavenly places. Therefore take up

00:27:34.820 the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to

00:27:40.920 stand firm, stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate

00:27:47.040 of righteousness and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace

00:27:52.940 and all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts

00:27:58.840 of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of

00:28:04.620 God, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication to that end, keep alert

00:28:10.460 with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints and also for me. I got through Paul is

00:28:16.540 saying, Paul is writing this, that words may be given to me and opening my mouth boldly to proclaim

00:28:22.400 the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador and change that I might declare it boldly

00:28:27.260 as we ought to speak. So I hope that the word of God has encouraged all of you who are listening to

00:28:36.320 this, the moms, the sisters, the daughters, the friends, the students, the employees, the volunteers,

00:28:44.680 the nurses, the doctors, the grocery store clerks, the people who don't get a day off, people who are

00:28:50.380 afraid, people who are anxious, people who are worried, people who are looking for truth and clarity

00:28:55.080 and anchor, a buoy, something to hold them together. Jesus is that. He is that. He is what you are looking

00:29:03.340 for in the midst of all of this. He is the God who made the waves and calms them at his word. So I encourage

00:29:11.000 you to look at the scripture that I've listed in this description and meditate on them, memorize them,

00:29:19.160 hold them in your heart and go back to them every time you feel that anxiety crop up. That's what I'm going

00:29:26.340 to do. Okay guys, love y'all. I'll see y'all back here on Wednesday.

Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - March 23, 2020

Ep 228 ｜ Fear God, Not Trouble

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