Fear Not

“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.’” – Acts 18:9 Fear Not! Do Not Be Afraid! These commonly used Biblical commands always precede God doing something really great in a person’s life. For instance, every time an angel appears to one of the Lord’s chosen, whether Mary before becoming pregnant with Jesus or the Apostle Paul before surviving a shipwreck, He tells that person to not be afraid. Naturally, the presence of an angelic being, full of power and celestial glory, would be enough to make anyone tremble in fear, at least in the moment, but after the call of God is given, there is an even greater opportunity for worry to set in.   The world is full of obstacles and there are more opportunities for angst and anxiety than ever before. When Jesus calls us