F E A R W ho hasn ’ t at sometime in his life been fearful ? One very familiar and blessed portion of Scrip ture is I Thessalonians 5:16-24. In verse 18 we have the familiar exhor tation, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” For years, when I read that, I understood that when things go wrong I should give thanks, praising God for troubles. Notice, however, it doesn’t say, “For everything give thanks,” but rather “In everything give thanks.” You see, the Spirit of God is extremely careful, even about the preposition in Scripture. It’s not “for” our cir cumstances, but rather “in” our cir cumstances that we are to praise the Lord. Now, think about God’s answer to your fea rs. When situations arise over which you have no per sonal control, give “thanks” not for the situation, but “in” it. The reason is, “For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Have you realized this ? God’s will for your life is that in everything you should give thanks, whether it’s in the good things, the happy things, or in the sad, fearful, and sorrowful things. You may be wondering how this is accomplished, especially with mount ing fears. God’s Word tells us, “Now just stop where you are. In this situ ation give thanks.” You thank peo ple for what they give you, don’t you? Thank God for what He has given you. Consider first of all, there’s eter nal life, forgiveness of sins, but, most of all, His only begotten Son (John 3:16). In II Corinthians 13: 5 we are exhorted, “Examine your selves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus
by John Hunter
Christ is in you, except ye be repro bates?” You see, you can examine and prove and know. The result will be that you will discover that Christ dwells in you by His Holy Spirit. When you invited the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Saviour, you came to the cross and received Him into your life. He has been there ever since. Romans 8:9 clearly states, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” If you do not have the Lord Jesus as your Saviour dwelling in your heart, then you don’t belong to Him. The proof of salvation, you see, is that Christ dwells in your heart. Not only did He die for you on the cross; He also came to indwell your heart by His Holy Spirit. Do you have fear? It may be a letter you opened this morning caused you to be cold with fear. Maybe it is some distress of a loved one, or a finan cial crisis which is impending. There seems to be no end to the types of fear which grip the human heart. God tells us that in the midst of the turmoil we are to give thanks. You are not alone, for Christ is within and is your perfect strength. Having established the presence of Christ through the giving of thanks, then move ahead in the power He alone gives. You may say, “Lord Jesus, I am frightened, I cannot do anything about this.” But you can! You are not alone. The question is, In every thing will you give thanks, or only in some things? Let’s say a prayer together. “Heavenly F a th e r, we thank Thee for Thy precious Word and for all of its promises. Here and now I praise Thee that Thou dost dwell in my heart. Blessed Saviour, in the midst of my fear, I stand still, thanking Thee for the Lord Jesus)" 17
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