Fear Not

The Expansion Antidote

Chapter 17

November 23

Deuteronomy 3:

22. Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God Himself will fight for you.

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Preface

Time and again, God reminds us what He's done for us in the past. It's how He encourages us to realize His power in us, how to tap into and unleash it into our lives--with faith.

Faith shifts the mind from narrowing down onto the current problem with doubt to expanding the mind, by overlaying past victories atop the current problem. Seeing past victories over present challenges is a far more effective antidote to fear than just looking at the challenge in isolation.

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As an initial matter, it's important to recognize that this is a recurring pattern with God. First, He reminds us of what He's done for us in the past. (And what's the bible if not also a collection of reminders of what God's done for us.) This is how He encourages us. It shifts the mind from narrowing down onto the current problem with doubt to expanding it, by overlaying past victories atop the current problem with faith. Seeing past victories over present challenges is a far more effective antidote to fear than just looking at the challenge in isolation.

Next, He promises to do the same thing for us in the future for the challenges with which we're faced in the present. He's able to do this because He exists outside of time. He simultaneously sees past, present and future. So, by saying that the victory is ours, prior to us experiencing it, isn't just something He's going to give to us; it's something He's 'already' given to us, in the future-now.

Then He tells us to not be afraid. This encouragement is now provided in the context of and is based on: what he has done (past); thus, what He's proven He can do now (present), and based on us knowing His promise has already been kept (future). Consequently, there is no reason to fear.

Also, by telling us to not fear, God's effectively saying, 'Do not cut me off, and go about this on your own.' Because He sees the results of that too, which He does not want for us. (Which we don't want for ourselves.)

Then, as part of His repeating pattern, God makes another promise that He'll be the one who fights for us. We're not going into the fight alone, with only our limited material tools and experiential knowledge. God's infinite tools and knowledge is with us. It goes out before us. He stacks the deck in our favor. In this way, with God on our side, it's like cheating, being completely unfair to the people or circumstances opposing His will. They don't have a chance.

Last, He delivers, again, as promised. And this adds a new reminder to the list of victories for us to reference in the future. This, in turn, cultivates and empowers faith further. Success begets success.

The order of operation (God's playbook), then, is:

1) encouragement, as reminder;
2) promise, of what will be done;
3) encouragement, to not be afraid;
4) promise, that He'll fight for us; and,
5) delivery, as promised.

This too is the perfect formula for helping our family, friends, children, or clients and students, when they're facing a big challenge.

As a secondary matter, for those of us who do face actual armies trying to harm or kill us, like our service members, faith expands the space on the stage upon which the theater of war is fought. Opened by faith, it's a space into which God floods, fighting with and for us.