Fear Not

by Max Lucado

Overview

Although fear fills ours world, it doesn’t have to fill our hearts. No one likes living in a world filled with fear and uncertainty, but God does some of His most important work during challenging times. In Fear Not, New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado provides comfort, encouragement, and truth by addressing six major topics related to fear.

Fear Not helps readers identify the fear they are facing and how God can help them. The top six fear related topics discussed are:

• If You Are Afraid of Failure
• If You Are Afraid of the Unknown
• If You Are Afraid of Financial Difficulties
• If You Are Afraid of People
• If You Are Afraid of Death
• If You Are Afraid for the Welfare of a Loved One

With over 200 powerful Bible verses and teachings from America’s pastor, Max Lucado, this luxurious leathersoft edition is great for men and women:

• dealing with fear caused by anxiety and grief
• needing a gift of encouragement to lift their spirits and recreate joy
• needing a morale boost to rebuild confidence and live boldly
• looking for a daily devotional or a meaningful resource to ease fear

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718018900
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	01/06/2015
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	502 KB

About the Author

Since entering the ministry in 1978, Max Lucado has served churches in Miami, Florida; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as the teaching minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. He is the recipient of the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry and society at large. He is America's bestselling inspirational author with more than 150 million products in print.

Visit his website at MaxLucado.com

Facebook.com/MaxLucado

Instagram.com/MaxLucado

Twitter.com/MaxLucado

Youtube.com/MaxLucadoOfficial

The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast

Read an Excerpt

Fear Not

For I Am with You Always

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By Max Lucado

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2009 Max Lucado
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7180-1890-0

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CHAPTER 1

FEAR NOT

God Is with You

The Lord spoke his word to Abram in a vision: "Abram, don't be afraid. I will defend you, and I will give you a great reward."Genesis 15:1 NCV

* * *

[Jesus] said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself."Luke 24:38–39

* * *

Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.Mark 15:43 NASB

When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. Can the safety-lover do anything great? Can the risk-averse accomplish noble deeds? for God? for others? No.

The fear-filled cannot love deeply. Love is risky.

They cannot give to the poor. Benevolence has no guarantee of return.

The fear-filled cannot dream wildly. What if their dreams sputter and fall from the sky?

The worship of safety emasculates greatness. No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear.

Fearless

Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid ... and don't be frightened, because the Lord your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you.Deuteronomy 31:6 NCV

* * *

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6–7

Christ cautions us against taking up membership in the fraternity of Woe-Be-Me: "Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life" (Matthew 6:25 AMP).

Jesus doesn't condemn legitimate concern for responsibilities but rather the continuous mind-set that dismisses God's presence. Destructive anxiety subtracts God from the future, faces uncertainties with no faith, and tallies up the challenges of the day without entering God into the equation.

Worry is the darkroom where negatives become glossy prints.

Fearless

The Lord appeared to him that night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Don't be afraid, because I am with you."Genesis 26:24 NCV

* * *

The Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you."Acts 18:9–10

* * *

Where can I flee from Your presence? ... If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.Psalm 139:7, 9–10

Mark it down. You will never go where God is not. You may be transferred, enlisted, commissioned, reassigned, or hospitalized, but—brand this truth on your heart—you can never go where God is not.

Every Day Deserves a Chance

He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.Psalm 107:9

Don't be afraid of what they fear; do not dread those things. But remember that the Lord All-Powerful is holy.Isaiah 8:12–13 NCV

The angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said."Matthew 28:5–6

Oversized and rude, fear is unwilling to share the heart with happiness. Happiness complies. Do you ever see the two together?

Can one be happy and afraid at the same time?

Clear thinking and afraid?

Confident and afraid?

Merciful and afraid?

No. Fear is the big bully in the high school hallway: brash, loud, and unproductive. For all the noise fear makes and room it takes, fear does little good.

Fearless

[The angel] said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!"Daniel 10:19

* * *

Even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled."1 Peter 3:14

* * *

There stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, "Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar."Acts 27:23–24

"The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:7). Let that truth lower your anxiety level! The wealthiest of the world don't have the protection God's servants give you.

God sends his best troops to oversee your life. Imagine the president assigning his Secret Service to protect you, telling his agents to motorcade your car through traffic and safeguard you through crowds. How would you sleep if you knew D.C. 's finest guarded your door? How will you sleep knowing heaven's finest are doing just that? You are not alone. Receive God's lordship over your life. Heaven's many, mighty angels watch over you.

Come Thirsty

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.Psalm 31:24

* * *

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.Luke 12:32

* * *

Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God ... will come and save you."Isaiah 35:4

Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty, or cured a disease.

Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of bigotry.

Fear never saved a marriage or a business.

Courage did that. Faith did that.

People who refused to consult or cower to their timidities did that. But fear itself? Fear herds us into a prison and slams the doors.

Wouldn't it be great to walk out?

Fearless

Suppose you could relive your life without any guilt, lust, vengeance, insecurity, or fear. Would you be different?

God changes the man by changing the mind. And how does it happen? As Christ dominates your thoughts, he changes you from one degree of glory to another until—hang on!—you are ready to live with him.

Heaven is the land of sinless minds. Absolute trust. No fear or anger. Shame and second-guessing are practices of a prior life. Heaven will be wonderful, not because the streets are gold, but because our thoughts will be pure.

So what are you waiting on? Give God your best thoughts and see if he doesn't change your mind.

Next Door Savior

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.Colossians 3:2 NASB

Being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.2 Corinthians 5:6–8 NASB

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB

Are there any gods like you, Lord? There are no gods like you. You are wonderfully holy, amazingly powerful, a worker of miracles.Exodus 15:11 NCV

* * *

Hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption.Psalm 130:7

* * *

Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.Isaiah 50:10

Earthly seasons don't upset us. But unexpected personal ones certainly do. The way we panic at the sight of change, you'd think bombs were falling on Iowa.

"Run for your lives! Graduation is coming!"

"The board of directors just hired a new CEO. Take cover!"

"Load the women and children into the bus and head north. The department store is going out of business!"

Change trampolines our lives, and when it does, God sends someone special to stabilize us. Jesus gave his followers this promise: "When the Father sends the ... Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything.... I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.... So don't be troubled or afraid" (John 14:26–27 NLT).

Fearless

For fear of doing the wrong thing for God, some do nothing for God.

For fear of making the wrong kingdom decision, some make no kingdom decision.

For fear of messing up, some will miss out.

But you don't have to. Your God is a good God.

He lavished you with strengths in this life and a promise of the next. Go out on a limb; he won't let you fall. Take a big risk; he won't let you fail. He invites you to dream of the day you feel his hand on your shoulder and his eyes on your face. "Well done," he will say, "good and faithful servant."

Cure for the Common Life

"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'"Matthew 25:23

* * *

God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he's rich in love.Psalm 103:8 MSG

It has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.Philippians 1:13–14

* * *

[God is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.Ephesians 1:11 NCV

* * *

The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.2 Timothy 4:18

* * *

The apostle Paul penned his final words in the bowels of a Roman prison, chained to a guard—within earshot of his executioner's footsteps. Worst-case scenario? Not from Paul's perspective. "God's looking after me, keeping me safe in the kingdom of heaven. All praise to him, praise forever!" (2 Timothy 4:18 MSG).

Paul chose to trust his Father.

Fearless

* * *

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.Hebrews 11:1 NCV

The righteous will ... not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.Psalm 112:6–7

We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back.Hebrews 12:1 NCV

Biographies of bold disciples begin with chapters of honest terror. Fear of death. Fear of failure. Fear of loneliness. Fear of a wasted life. Fear of failing to know God.

Faith begins when you see God on the mountain and you are in the valley and you know that you're too weak to make the climb. You see what you need ... you see what you have ... and what you have isn't enough to accomplish anything.

Moses had a sea in front and an enemy behind. The Israelites could swim or they could fight. But neither option was enough.

The Jerusalem church knew that they had no hope of getting Peter out of prison. They had Christians who would fight, but too few. They didn't need muscle. They needed a miracle.

Faith that begins with fear will end up nearer the Father.

In the Eye of the Storm

Nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.Romans 8:38 NLT

* * *

"Don't be afraid," [Jesus] said. "Take courage. I am here!"Matthew 14:27 NLT

We expect Jesus to come in the form of peaceful hymns or Easter Sundays or quiet retreats. We expect to find him in morning devotionals, church suppers, and meditation. We never expect to see him in a bear market, pink slip, lawsuit, foreclosure, or war. We never expect to see him in a storm. But it is in storms that he does his finest work, for it is in storms that he has our keenest attention.

We cannot go where God is not. Look over your shoulder; that's God following you. Look into the storm; that's Christ coming toward you.

Fearless

* * *

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."John 7:37–38

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.Psalm 42:1–2

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.Revelation 21:6

Your Maker wired you with thirst—a "low-fluid indicator." Let your fluid level grow low, and watch the signals flare. Dry mouth. Thick tongue. Deprive your body of necessary fluid, and your body will tell you.

Deprive your soul of spiritual water, and your soul will tell you. Dehydrated hearts send desperate messages. Snarling tempers. Waves of worry. Growling mastodons of guilt and fear. You think God wants you to live with these? Hopelessness. Sleeplessness. Irritability. Insecurity. These are symptoms of a dryness deep within.

Treat your soul as you treat your thirst. Flood your heart with a good swallow of water.

Where do you find water for the soul? Jesus gave an answer: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37–38).

Come Thirsty

Don't be afraid. Just have faith....Luke 8:50 NLT

* * *

When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.Isaiah 59:19

* * *

Don't be afraid.... Remember the Lord, who is great and powerful. Fight for ... your sons and daughters, your wives, and your homes.Nehemiah 4:14 NCV

We can take our parenting fears to Christ. In fact, if we don't, we'll take our fears out on our kids. Fear turns some parents into paranoid prison guards who monitor every minute, check the background of every friend. They stifle growth and communicate distrust. A family with no breathing room suffocates a child.

On the other hand, fear can also create permissive parents. For fear that their child will feel too confined or fenced in, they lower all boundaries. High on hugs and low on discipline. They don't realize that appropriate discipline is an expression of love. Per missive parents. Paranoid parents. How can we avoid the extremes? We pray.

Prayer is the saucer into which parental fears are poured to cool. Each time a parent prays, Christ responds. His big message to moms and dads? Bring your children to me. Raise them in a greenhouse of prayer.

Fearless

If You Are Afraid of Failure

* * *

Try hard to do right, and you will win friends; go looking for trouble, and you will find it. Trust in your wealth, and you will be a failure, but God's people will prosper like healthy plants.Proverbs 11:27–28 CEV

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.Matthew 19:29 ESV

The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.Isaiah 58:11 NLT

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."Matthew 7:24–25 NIV

Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.Eecclesiastes 5:3 NLT

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.Hebrews 10:35–36

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.Colossians 3:23–24

Each time [Jesus] said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

Then Moses said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." So the Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."Exodus 4:10–12

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Fear Not by Max Lucado. Copyright © 2009 Max Lucado. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Fear Not—God Is with You If You Are Afraid of Failure ..., 7,
Fear Not—God Is Never Surprised If You Are Afraid of the Unknown ..., 43,
Fear Not—God Provides and Guides If You Are Afraid of Financial Difficulties ..., 83,
Fear Not—God Is in Control If You Are Afraid of People ..., 131,
Fear Not—God Cares about You If You Are Afraid of Death ..., 169,
Fear Not—God Loves and Forgives If You Are Afraid for the Welfare of a Loved One ..., 213,