Don't be fooled!

'There is hope for your future.'  Jeremiah 31:17

Today is April Fools Day.  But don't be fooled, this is the devil's best trick.  He fools us into thinking stuff that is not true.  He seeps fear into us and deceives us into thinking, we are no good, God can't love us, or that there is no hope.

'I don't know what's right and what's real any more,

I don't know how I'm meant to feel any more.

And when do you think it will all become clear?

'Cause I'm being taken over by the fear.  Lily Allen 'The Fear'

A lot of people feel like this, in fact, I think all people at one point or another will feel like Lily Allen's song.  But there is 'good' and 'bad' fear.  'Good' fear, like I said yesterday, is awe and reverence of the mightiness of God, in contrast 'bad' fear comes from what is opposite of God.  In Luke 8:22:25 we see the difference of fears:

'One day he and his disciples got in a boat.  'Lets cross the lake,' he said.  And off they went.  It was smooth sailing, and he fell asleep.  A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake.  Water poured in, and they were about to capsize.  They woke Jesus: 'Master, Master, we're going to drown!'  Getting to his feet, he told the wind, 'Silence!' and the waves, 'Quiet down!'  They did it.  The lake became smooth as glass.  Then he said to his disciples, 'Why can't you trust me?'  They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, 'Who is this, anyway?  He calls out to the winds and the sea, and they do what he tells them!'

The disciples were petrified they were going to drown, I feel for them!  I'm not a great swimmer, and get scared of deep open water, I understand how they felt.  Contrast this with their fear and trembling of what Jesus did in front of them.  They were in 'absolute awe, staggered, stammering.'  Non Christians have no fear of God, because they don't believe, why be afraid of God and His mightiness, majesty, and judgement if you don't believe He exists?  Kind of like the monsters under the bed I guess!  A child will truly be scared of them because he believes they exist under his bed, I am not because I know monsters under the bed don't exist.  (Well I'm fairly sure anyway!!)

A healthy fear of God is to have faith in Him.  We should take to heart and throw at the devil everything the Bible says about God and us.  As I shared before there are many, many hundreds of cool things said in the Bible, that are absolutely true.  Jeremiah 31:17 is just one: 'There IS a hope for your future.'  Don't let the devil tell you it's not true.

Take my moments

And my days,

Let each each breath that I take,

Be ever only, for you, oh God.