August 11, 2006

 

The king said to me, "Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart." Then I was very much afraid.

 

--Nehemiah 2:2

 

This verse reminds me of the parable Jesus told in Matthew 25:14-30. A wealthy king left three of his servants some money, and instructed them to invest it wisely. Two of them did just that, but the third did not.

 

When the king returned, he was very upset with this unfaithful servant and took away everything he had. Why didn’t this servant invest his money? Because he was afraid!

 

Fear is an enemy for the child of God. A fearful attitude keeps us from being everything we are called to be.

 

Nehemiah was afraid as he approached the king to ask for permission to return to Jerusalem, but he approached the king confidently because he knew God had opened the door.

 

I wonder how many times we fail to achieve wonderful things for the Lord because of an attitude of fear. We often have a difficult time breaking through our fear of the unknown, or even the known.

 

Are you ever afraid to do something you know you should? God wants to gives you an attitude of confidence, not fear. Pray today for His strength and His confidence to overcome your fears, and go through the door He has opened!

 

GOD GIVES US AN ATTITUDE OF CONFIDENCE, NOT FEAR.