1Chronicles 28:20 NKJV And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
After David had made the private proclamation to Solomon regarding building the house for the sanctuary of the Lord back in 1 Chronicles 22, he assembles all the leaders of Israel and proclaims that Solomon is God’s appointed official to oversee the building of the house of the Lord, which they had been preparing all the necessary resources for. If Solomon, wasn’t overwhelmed and anxious about the task before him, he surely was now. Yet, in the midst of his public proclamation of Solomon as the anointed and called by God to complete this massive project, David took a moment to speak to Solomon regarding his fear. Just like he had told him in private, now openly David says, “Be strong! Be courageous! Do the job before you to do! Don’t be terrified, overwhelmed, or discouraged, because the Lord—my god—He is with you. He will be by your side throughout the project and the process, until the work you’ve been called to is complete.” This encouraging word not just in private, but publically not only helped Solomon lay aside his fears by instilling confidence in him, but it did so in an even bigger way by also validated him and showing his father’s confidence in him openly.
There are some words of encouragement that should only be spoken in private. You don’t holler across the street, “Hey, Jimmy, I know that with God’s help you’ll be able to kick your pornography addiction. I got your accountability report, keep up the good work.” However, there is a place to show ones confidence in another publically. I may be nervous and overwhelmed with the fear of failure or incompetence, but your expression of belief in me can help me rise above my fears in faith. There is no greater place that we see this expression of confidence destroying and making fear of ill effect than in the parental relationship. The simple words, “I believe in you. You can do it.” spoken by a father or a mother to their child can do more to diminish fear and instill confidence than anything else. (Spiritual mothers and fathers have a similar impact to those they’ve discipled or trained.) The Father, God knows this and filled His Word with encouragement that through Him you already have the victory, there is nothing to fear, and you really can do whatever He’s asked you to do, because He’s empowered you and by His Spirit, God—the Holy Spirit, has prepared and is preparing us and everything we need to accomplish everything before us to do. When we listen to His Word and allow it to be personal for each of us, your confidence will grow and fear diminished. We can also speak those words to others, building them up and helping to diminish their fears.
Just as David encouraged Solomon privately and publically, we should look for opportunities to encourage our children and others that they can do anything that God has asked them to do. Your expressed confidence in your children and friends will build confidence and faith in them, which always works to diminish and dispel fear. Let somebody know that you believe in them, that they can accomplish and do what is before them to do, that they achieve their goals, and look for opportunities to publicly endorse and relay those sentiments to them. Above all tell your children (if you don’t have any tell any young person), that you believe in them and speak a word of encouragement to them. That word will cause confidence to rise and help them to Fear Not! I believe in you, Fear Not!
Fearless Fridays 