Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States

Struggling With Fear of Tomorrow


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"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;.For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).

Tomorrow is a blessing from God. He has blessed us with a new day to live it in His fear, to help one another, to come closer to Him, and to discover new things about life and about ourselves. God also gives us a chance to change what we are still struggling with in our characters and to repent from all our sins.

Instead, we are in a constant struggle with the fear of tomorrow. There are many types of struggles we are facing lately in the world. Some affects us personally (criticism, losing our jobs, our homes, the futures of our children, getting old, getting ill, etc.) and others affects the world in general (wars, hungers, weather climate, etc.). But no matter what kind of struggle we are facing, we should always trust that facing it, and not hiding or running away from it, is always the right thing to do.

Fear of God is a wonderful thing because it will bring many blessings to our lives, but the fear that Satan is trying to put in our hearts is to weaken our faith and separate us from God's love.

Why God allowed fear to happen?

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

God is love and everything He does in the world is out of His love for us. He will bring beautiful days to show His love and care. He will also bring tribulations to strengthen us, awaken us, get us ready to be used by Him, and cleanse us. But He will never make us sin or push us away. On the contrary, He will guide us through to safety if we trust in Him.

In life, there are many sufferings in the world due to Satan's determination to separate us from God and due to our own sins and others sins. God never promised life will be easy. But God can turn this moment of struggles and suffering into blessings for us if we run to Him and trust in His promises to us. How?

"'Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'" (Isaiah 41:10).

God will open our eyes to see:

  • How Satan will rejoice if we fail time after time to conquer our fear
  • How calling on God will bring us closer to Him in the time of need
  • How allowing God to cleanse our hearts and purify our fight
  • How helping us to understand God's ways
  • How giving us strength and determination to live a holy life
  • How helping us mature spiritually
  • How reminding us how much suffering our Lord Jesus Christ went through to bring us back to Him

How to conquer the spirit of fear

"therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-8).

Life is full of trials and tribulations. Some trials we can overcome and others we must live with. Faith teaches us that we are never alone that God is on our side no matter what the outcome will be.

Therefore;

  • Always live with the spirit of conquering, determination, and courage
  • Remember that God is on your side at all times. Trust that He will stretch out His hand to rescue you from whatever situation you are in
  • Deal with the situation right away will avoid it growing bigger and deeper
  • Defeat the devil's attack will bring joy and peace to your life
  • Be inspired by the life of others who have suffered trials and overcome them
  • Find a friend who can encourage you, stand by you, and have a word of wisdom to give you in the time of need
  • Most of all we will gain strength and courage to conquer any future obstacle

"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).

Through the Holy Book of Exodus, we see many tribulations that overcame Egypt due to their stubbornness and self reliance. We also see God's protection to the people of Israel through these trials and how He saved them and got them out from the land of Egypt. We also see His care for them through the forty years they spent in the desert.

Great things will come from trusting God's way and walking in His fear. So never despair and give up but instead hold our mighty weapon which is the Words of God and applying them into our lives and trust every word that is effective and righteous to whoever is willing to submit to them.

May the sword of God shield us from any tribulations.

Written by
Nagwa Abdou


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