February 24 - Fear Not

"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” - Joshua 1:5

“Has someone deliberately tried to discredit you? Gone out of his way to tear you down? Persuaded others to believe something untrue about you?”

The other day, during our conversations, not one, but two people told me how they dread Monday mornings when, from the comfort and safety of their individual family homes, they would have to go back to work and put in a productive day, despite a group of so-called colleagues who take every opportunity to undermine them and assasinate their characters. Both come from very different backgrounds, and work in different professions.

First thought was 'Why don't they resign....move on to a less stressful environment....one where their skills, talents and who they are is valued?' But even as I was digesting the thought, they went on to tell me they don't have that luxury. Without their income their families would find it hard to pay the bills, pay off the debts that were already accruing, fund the basic needs of their children, and their extra- curriculae activities..

Have you experienced it in your life? It's treatment not exclusive to the school room, factory/shop floor etc., but raises it's ugly head wherever there are those who feel themselves to be envious and superior to their 'target' – the higher up the social and professional scales you go and there it is. When the 'gossips' are running low on amunition, they will occasionally use the tactic of sending over 'the snout, the friendly face' – the 'I'm on your side....tell me all about it'. They could save themselves the effor. In most cases they fool no-one.

How are they coping then? To give themselves courage, like Neheniah, these friends rely on prayer, trust in God, and just keep their heads down, determined not to have their confidence and self-esteem dragged through the dirt, or, sink to their tormentor's level by retaliating.

They can relate their experience to that of Nehemiah. “Nehemiah must have scratched his head when his enemies tried five times to lure him outside the city, where certain death awaited. They tried rumors, coercion and bald-faced threats, but Nehemiah wasn’t fooled. He trusted God and knew that Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem’s claims weren’t true. These enemies were spreading rumours, trying to frighten Nehemiah and his men into stopping their work on Jerusalem’s walls. Instinctively, Nehemiah turned to prayer and asked God to provide strength for finishing the task.

Next, Nehemiah had to be wary when his enemies sent a wolf in sheep’s clothing, inviting him to hide out in the temple for his own safety—an act that would have gone against God’s laws. Yet even when threatened with death, Nehemiah didn’t allow himself to fall into that trap. He had insight into the situation that reinforced his trust in God, rather than believing the bad reports of other men.

Thankfully, neither you nor I, will probably ever experience an assassination attempt. But, face an enemy who wants to assassinate your character? Like Nehemiah’s enemies, people who are bent on opposing you can be very resourceful, even downright nefarious, in getting their way. Should you fight back? Or run away and hide?

Remember that, like Nehemiah, you have a heavenly Father to whom you can always turn. As hard as Nehemiah’s enemies tried to attack him, through prayer he found the power to continue his work without fear. You can too. When you trust God for protection, he will fill you with strength to complete the unique tasks he gives you and the courage you need to withstand character assassination attempts.

Is there someone in your circle/my circle who brings us down or makes us feel afraid?

Acknowledgments NIV New Men Devotional Bible. Zondervan.

Today's music choice is "Through it All"