Fear NotSample

I'm Afraid of God It's all very well and good to hear beautiful promises about how good the believers have it and how their future will be even better. But what if you’re not sure if you've ever been a believer? Or worse--what if you once were an active believer and churchgoer and then lost interest? What if you've closed up your feelings about God for a long time? What if you're terrified of actually facing up to the fact that you have ignored and defied your Creator, Owner, and Judge? What if you are afraid that any religious talk now coming out of your mouth will just sound like pathetic, self-serving hypocrisy? Let that fear become repentance. Let these words come out of your heart and mouth: "O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me" (Psalm 38:1,2). The guilt and fear that you feel are not proof that you are condemned. What they are is proof that the Lord is making you uncomfortable with your sinful choices. That’s good news for you--before he can fill you with his goodness, he must first empty you of your pride. (Read the next devotion for God's reassurance.)