No Longer Fearful

I no longer live in fear of the future; I have peace of heart and mind because I know that God controls my future.

Years ago my life was shadowed by fear. I knew about God and the salvation that came from belief in Christ, but that knowledge had not affected my heart. Worries about the world around me, about my future, and about things beyond my control loomed large in my mind. I was argumentative with family and friends; I feared losing what I had. Once I kicked my father out of my house during a Super Bowl party over a political argument. Worse yet, I worried that I did not do enough to prove my love for God, and that he would condemn me when I face him in judgment. I was a Christian without peace. Over time God changed my heart. I began to understand that the problems of this world - political, financial, personal - are only temporary. The truth that God had saved me from my sins became more real to me; for the first time I had peace. I stopped worrying about proving my love to God, secure in the truth that Christ had done all the work necessary for my salvation. Best of all, the change did not come from me. I did not change my habits through self-discipline or hard work; I did not increase my knowledge through study. God alone made the change in me.

I now know that whatever befalls me in life, that whatever I might lose - my possessions, my security, even my freedom - nothing can snatch me from God's hand. Life is not short; life is eternal. My future is secure.