Today’s Verse: But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works. ~Psalm 73:28 There are some things in life that are truly appreciated and well-learned only through experience. The school of hard knocks can, many times, be a difficult but profitable means for us in becoming wiser. Psalm 73 is the personal testimony of a believer who learned through trying circumstances that you can trust in God. We see the psalmi

Today’s Verse: And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. ~Isaiah 8:8 The Bible gives us the real accounts of people like us who felt like they were near drowning in problems. Job said, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” They experience what “when it rains, it pours” means. Another description we use to descr

Today’s Verse: In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. ~Psalm 56:11 Psalm 56 through Psalm 60 are called Michtam, or teaching, psalms. They are also referred to as “the Golden Psalms.” The superscription to this psalm tells us when the event occurred. The background setting is 1 Samuel 21, when David fled to find refuge at Gath with the Philistines. This morning, we see how David went from being afraid to having complete trust in the Lord. Da

Today’s Verse: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. ~2 Timothy 1:7 Recently, while I was witnessing to a young person about putting her faith in our Lord Jesus Christ for her salvation, she said that she was open to being saved but was very afraid of the persecution she would receive. She was fearful of being rejected by her peers and being made fun of, and she was concerned that some would physically assault her. As be

Today’s Verse: Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. ~Proverbs 3:25 As I write this devotion, the state of California has been in a lockdown of activities, gatherings, and certain types of assemblies due to the COVID pandemic. Although the current available metrics indicate that the overall risk of survival is high and the risk of contracting it is lower than previously projected, there is much apprehension and fear among many

Today’s Verse: There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. ~Hebrews 4:9 The word rest connotates taking a breather or a season of time that is needed for renewal and strength. In Hebrews 4, the word rest is used nine times and if we include Hebrews 3, a total of eleven times. Rest is referring to a future time when our spiritual inheritance in Christ is complete and we are glorified. It is the reward for faithfulness. It also implies a present rest in which we must

Today’s Verse: That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. ~2 Thessalonians 2:2 Our World in Data estimates that 284M people worldwide have an anxiety disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 19.1% of Americans had an anxiety disorder in the past year. A recent article in a Christian news periodical raised concerns over the spiked increase of anxiety

Today’s Verse: That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; ~Philippians 1:10 As a kid, whenever I bought a hot dog from a vendor, they would ask, “With or without?” This meant: do you want your hot dog with mustard and condiments, or just plain? I like my burgers and dogs “loaded,” so I always said, “With.” However, there never failed to be a time, when other people were with me, that at least one said, “Wi

Today’s Verse: I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. ~Psalm 34:4 As I write this devotion, our world is in a pandemic crisis. There is a lot of fear in our world right now. There is the fear of contracting the virus. There is the fear of job loss and financial loss. There is the fear of dying. Fear is torment. Fear disables and depresses. However, fear can be overcome. You can fear less. David teaches us a powerful lesson on what to do with o

Today’s Verse: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? ~Psalm 27:1 As I write this devotional, the world is experiencing a pandemic known as COVID-19. This virus attacks the respiratory system and, if not dealt with quickly, it will be fatal. Each day, there is a large increase of newly-confirmed cases. The medical system is overwhelmed with the people being tested and treated. The public at lar

Today’s Verse: And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. ~Galatians 2:13 One of our popular English idioms is the phrase “carried away.” It has the idea of taking a concept or practice too far. It can mean to lose self-control. It means to become overly excited about a current matter and go to an extreme in what you do. In our devotion this morning, we read that Barnabas and certain Jews were carrie

Today’s Verse: The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? ~Psalm 118:6 Who do you go to if you need help? Little children go to their parents. Little brothers or sisters go to their bigger brothers and sisters. Members of a congregation go to their pastors. Wives go to their husbands. The psalmist made a monumental proclamation. He said, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear; what can man do unto me?” Let’s see what he meant by that emphatic statemen

Today’s Verse: And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. ~1 Kings 19:3 Fear is when we are afraid of someone or something that we think will cause serious harm to us. Fear will quickly take over every aspect of our lives. Fear is the opposite of faith. Everyone has a fear that can overcome them. I believe that fear is one of the devil’s biggest lies that he uses to sideline us from the v

Today’s Verse: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 When I was a toddler, my favorite book that I enjoyed having read to me was Fraidy Kat. I could identify with this character because I was so afraid of almost everything. Fear is when we have apprehension about a situation and lack the courage to face it. Fear can be tortuous, mentally and emotionally. We want to run a

Today’s Verse: Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. ~Psalm 56:2 David was way over his head in problems. Psalm 56 was written during the Absalom rebellion. Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel and took over the nation. David and his most loyal men escaped to avoid a conflict. David was in fear and hurt that Ahithophel, his counselor, joined ranks with Absalom. He was hurt again when Shimei, a bitter Benjami

Today’s Verse: My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. ~Psalm 31:15 Have you ever been involved in a life-and-death situation where your ultimate fate was in someone else’s hands and you said, “I’m putting my life into your hands”? This is absolute trust. It is when your input, ideas, and know-how are useless, and only the person who is stronger and more knowledgeable can get you through your situation. David was at

Today’s Verse: And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. ~Matthew 28:9 How would you have responded to seeing Jesus alive three days after He was declared physically dead and laid in a tomb? Would you have been afraid and run away? Would you be excited and embrace Jesus? Would you have gone to town to tell everyone in town what you saw? This morning, let us pay particular atten

Today’s Verse: Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. ~Isaiah 12:2 Trust is our ability to believe that something promised will occur. It is the belief that someone who has pledged his help to you will not fail you. Trust is a little child who places his hand into that of his mother’s, that she will not let him go. Trust is what we exercise when we board a commercial aircra

Today’s Verse: And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. ~Numbers 13:33 Do you think big or do you think small? Do you think positively or negatively? Do you think in terms of you can or you cannot? Like it or not, your thinking defines the kind of person you are. In Numbers 13, we see a strange way of thinking. We see a majority of people who thought like grasshoppers.

Today’s Verse: After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. ~Genesis 15:1 Have you ever been at the place in life where you felt like a bundle of nerves? This is a way of saying that you are very nervous and anxious about your situation in life. It is a way of describing being anxious, nervous, and fearful. Abraham had just soundly defeated five Canaanite kings with his few, but