Forsaking Lying Vanities: Choose Mercy and TruthSample

Day 2: The Primary Lie—The Idol of Fear

Read: 1 John 4:18; 2 Timothy 1:7

Scripture: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." — 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

Devotion: If we must root out all lying vanities, we must first address the chief of them all: Fear.

Fear on its own is a lying vanity. It's an idol that has grieved many sons of God and has held many of God’s people back. The Bible teaches that each time we allow ourselves to be afraid, faith is absent. There is no way God can effectively work in our lives if we are fearful, and Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Fear doesn't deal with facts; it deals with shadows. Fear makes shadows seem real. Fear makes false evidence seem real.

Is it fear that has gripped you today? You want to start a business or apply for a promotion, and you ask yourself, "What if I fail? What if people laugh at me? What if I become a laughingstock?"

I want to ask you a different question this morning: What if you succeed?

Refuse to observe the vanity of fear. That pain, that potential financial failure, that loneliness—these are all attempts by the enemy to sell you a lie. Refuse to observe them. The psalmist says, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." (Psalm 23:4). Death itself is just a shadow, a lying vanity.

Go on! Take that deal! Go into that relationship! Go ahead and do whatever God has put in your heart to do!

Prayer: Lord, I acknowledge that fear is a lie and an empty vanity. I cast down every shadow and every false image the enemy is projecting onto my future. I receive the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. I refuse to be held back any longer. In Jesus' name, Amen.