None shall make you afraid. – Leviticus 26:6

But we are afraid, often very greatly so. How can we be secured from the dread of men and things which so easily besets us?

We must be absolutely right with God. – To walk in God’s statutes, and keep His commandments, was the first condition of Israel’s immunity from fear. When we know that there is no cause of controversy between us and God, we feel able to count confidently on His protection and deliverance.. ,’Perfect love casteth out fear.”

We must count on God’s faithfulness. – He has put us where we are, and we dare not think He will withdraw from us, as Joab did from Uriah. We are His partners, summoned to cooperate with Him: will He allow us to incur responsibilities in His name, and then leave the burden on our unassisted resources? Fear will yield before a clear sense of God’s might; but it is still more likely to yield before a deep sense of God’s perfect faithfulness.

We must rely on the environment of angel keepers. – When David, during his flight before Absalom, slept in the open, he believed that the Angel of the Lord encamped around him. More are they which are for us than those that be against us. The mountain is full of horses and chariots of fire. Lord, open our eyes that we may see!

We must believe that our enemies are less formidable than they seem. – They surround us with their bluster and threatenings, they come against us in embattled array; but if we dare to go forward and do the right thing in the sight of God, they will vanish like a puff of smoke. “For, lo, the kings assembled themselves. They were arrayed, they were dismayed, they hasted away.”(From Our Daily Homily, By F. B. Meyer

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them – Ecclesiastes 12:1

It is inevitable, young person, that you will eventually come to a time—perhaps even years—when you are not even able to enjoy the pleasures of this life anymore. As unthinkable as it may seem right now, you will not always be strong, free of pain, able to eat anything you want (that day is actually coming soon!), or even perhaps able to get out of bed.

Why does Solomon remind us of this fact? Is he just trying to burst our bubble or make us depressed? No. He is writing this admonition so that we will begin now to pour our hearts and lives into pleasures that even old age cannot take away.

Remember now your Creator! Don’t wait until every distraction is taken away from you and God is the only person left to talk to. Serve Him now, even in the middle of a thousand immediate pleasures that may be tempting you away from Him. Because even now He is greater than any of these pleasures.

The truth is that, in your Creator, there are “pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). He is not reprimanding us for enjoying the earthly pleasures of eating, music, painlessness, or sunsets — your Creator is the one who made these things also. But He is warning us against seeking these niceties as an end in themselves, while we are still able to enjoy them, and forgetting about the greater pleasures that never go away or diminish.

In the presence of God is fullness of joy. Don’t allow yourself to be satisfied with anything less than full joy. –From “A Good Thing”

“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” Matthew 9:13

Do you want to sense the maximum attention of God? You must first give Him your maximum attention.

Do you want the Lord to be available to you? You must first be available to Him.

Do you want to touch the heart of God? You must first be available to His moving.

If you want to be part of God’s effort to rebuild our broken world through the redeeming gospel of Christ, you must be willing to become part of God’s solution—whatever it may be.

Isn’t it easier just to pray, “Lord, do this. . . Lord, bless that . . . Lord, help him [or her] . . . Lord, provide in this way . . . Lord, minister in that way”? But what if you heard a voice from heaven that said, “Of the five requests you just prayed, four of them are up to you!”

God’s work often requires your willingness. In the parable of the Good Samaritan it becomes clear that anyone who claims the name of Christ is not merely to pray for someone, but to pray for wisdom to know how to help.

Compassion for the lost and needy among us is what draws God’s attention, for it comes from a heart modeled after His own.

With this in mind, is it any wonder that the average Christian really doesn’t want the maximum attention of God? He or she really doesn’t want to become part of His divine solution because it may cause a bit of discomfort or uneasiness.

It is one thing to get on your knees and pray for God to bless a person, but it is quite another to follow up that prayer with a letter, a phone call, a visit, an invitation, a gift.

If your compassion does not extend beyond your prayer time, it isn’t genuine.

If we are to gain God’s special attention as a co-laborer with Him, we must share in His anguish over the fallen world around us.

Aren’t we rather self-centered to expect God to share our distress over what we care about if we don’t share His distress over His concerns?

Let’s not create a double standard in our thinking and living, but wholeheartedly imitate God’s standard—following up with acts of sincere compassion after our prayers.

When we begin to pray and act in this way, we can be sure that God is not only hearing us . . . but He is pleased with us!

 Pray for someone you know who is in need, whether it is physical or spiritual, but start your prayer by asking what you can do to help meet that need. Don’t just ask God for the solution—ask Him how you can become part of the solution.(From Widom for the Heart, By Stephen Davey)

Earthquakes! Prison riots! Economic pressures! Divorce! No jobs! Drugs! Disease! Death! Pretty serious scene, isn’t it? Yet that is the emotional environment in which we live. No wonder someone has dubbed this the “aspirin age.” Small wonder more of us are not throwing in the towel.

In spite of these bleak surroundings—or perhaps because of—I firmly believe we need a good dose of Solomon’s counsel. Listen to David’s wisest son: “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. . . . All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. . . . A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Prov. 15:13, 15; 17:22).

Have you begun to shrivel into a bitter, impatient, critical Christian? The Lord tells us that the solution is simple: “A merry heart” is what we need . . . and if ever we needed it, it is now.

By a sense of humor I mean that necessary ingredient of wit: those humorous, enjoyable, and delightful expressions or thoughts that lift our spirits and lighten our day. When we lose our ability to laugh—I mean really laugh—life’s oppressive assaults confine us to the dark dungeon of defeat.

Personally, I think a healthy sense of humor is determined by at least four abilities:

The ability to laugh at our own mistakes.

The ability to accept justified criticism—and get over it!

The ability to interject (or at least enjoy) wholesome humor when surrounded by a tense, heated situation.

The ability to control those statements that would be unfit—even though they may be funny.

James M. Gray and William Houghton were two great, godly men of the Word. Dr. Houghton writes of an occasion when he and Dr. Gray were praying together. Dr. Gray, though getting up in years, was still interested in being an effective witness and expositor. He concluded his prayer by saying: “And, Lord, keep me cheerful. Keep me from becoming a cranky, old man!”

Let’s ask our understanding Father to remind us frequently of the necessity of a cheerful spirit and to give us an appreciation for laughter.–By Charles Swindoll

Note: Scripture references changed to KJV