Faith Greater Than Fear; 10 Days Of Faith Using God's EquationSample

SAY WHAT? There is no reason to fear because I have called you by name and paid a price for you; you are mine. BREAKDOWN : Have you ever been summoned by your parents? Not just called by name, but summoned? I remember when I was young and my mother wanted me to do something or if I had broken something, she would summon me. Don’t act like you haven’t broken something and tried to get away before. Lol. Anyway, she wouldn’t just call me; she would summon me loudly, “RUSSELL.” You know that tone your parents make to be clear that everyone in the house heard them plus some people outside of the house. I would always think, ‘why does she have to do that so loud all of the time,’ but then I would think to myself, ‘if I didn’t mess up she wouldn’t get loud.’ Ok, that is a separate thought for another time. Now sometimes my mother would call me, not because I was in trouble, but because she wanted me to do something for her. And since I was her child, she could command that I do it.  Now in this scripture, the thought is a little similar - not fully the same - but there are some parts that work together with this thought. The Bible says fear not because I have redeemed you. We will speak about this in a minute. And I have summoned you by name; you are mine. The same way that my mother would summon me by name for what I didn’t want, she would also summon me by name for what I did want. Whether that was to go outside to play, to come to dinner, to get my gifts during Christmas (yeah Christmas is great), she would call me. She would summon me because she knew me and I was hers. God is the same way. God calls us to Himself because we are His; so, we need not have any fear. As His, we know that He will protect us and provide for us, all because of the calling or summoning. So the question becomes: why would God do this even though I make mistakes and I haven’t been perfect? Great question! The answer is in the first part of the scripture. God is summoning us to protect us from evil/fear because God has redeemed us. The word here for redeem can also be translated as ransom. God is telling us not to fear because God has paid for us even through our fear and our issues. When you pay for something in the store you don’t leave it behind no matter what it is because you paid for it. God will never leave us behind in fear or any other situation because He paid for us and redeemed us. We just need to live fearless lives trusting in God’s redeeming power that has called us to Himself. LIVE IT OUT: Today, rest in the fact that God has called you by name because God has redeemed you. This calling and redemption was created to block out fear from your life, so today look for ways to overcome fear by trusting in God calling you closer to Him. PRAYER: Lord, today help me to find rest in your redeeming power over my life knowing that you paid a ransom for me as you called me closer to You. Jesus help me to see Your calling me by name to protect me from the enemy. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.