Haggai
Haggai 1:2:
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built." |
The Israelites gave up building the Lords house--in order to build their own house.
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Haggai 2:25:
‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’ |
![]() Two scriptures in Haggai, say it clearly: “‘I am with you’ declares The Lord” (v1:13) and “my Spirit abides in your midst; do not fear!” (v2:5). Ponder this saying, “Don’t worry about tomorrow because God is already there.” Yet, fear, worry and anxiety plague us. When researching this topic, I got conflicting results as to how many times this most often repeated commandment, “Do not fear” or “Fear not” appears in the bible. Whether it is at least 80, if not 200-365 times, the resounding message is that with faith and standing firm in the Lord, there is no fear (Exodus 14:13) (Psalm 56:3), (Psalm 118:6), (Isaiah 41:10), (Luke 12:7).
There is scripture for every fear you are facing. Fear of failure? 2Timothy 1:7, Joshua 1:5&9. Fear of an enemy? Zephaniah 3:15. Fear of rejection/disapproval? Romans 8:31. Need help? Psalm 46:1-2. Want strength? Daniel 10:19. And of course, Psalm 23:4 for death, dismay. There is a “fear” I encourage you to practice. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). Fear in this context means to have a deep respect, reverence and awe. Fearing God is discipline and instruction (Psalm 86:11) that leads to provision, prosperity and perpetuity (Deuteronomy 5:29) and prolongs life (Proverbs 10:27). Blessed are those who fear the Lord (Psalm 112:1)! -Susan Mister |