Be Strong and of Good Courage

By Milagros Flores Santana

Be Strong and of Good Courage is a compilation of short narratives. Each story is true and revolves around friends, family, and everyday situations. Some are humorous and some are insightful but each account tells of God’s amazing love for us all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781490797137

Milagros Flores Santana

Milagros Flores Santana lives in the beautiful and diverse state of New York. She enjoys being a wife, and is a mother of two amazing sons. Milagros loves a hearty daily laugh and the simple everyday joys of life. She works as a Prison Ministry and ESL Instructor for her local church. She is also the author of the children’s book A Little Child Shall Lead Them.

Book preview

PART 1

TAKE TIME TO PRAY

If you can’t preach, teach.

If you can’t teach, reach.

If you can’t reach, beseech.

If you can’t beseech, you’re in trouble.

If you can’t lead, read.

If you can’t read, heed.

If you can’t heed, plead.

If you can’t plead, you’re in trouble.

BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE

W hat is fear? What are the biblical meanings of fear? What is the origin of fear? Can one be fearful and brave at the same time? How does one overcome fear?

The Bible mentions three specific types of fear. The first type is eulabeia, which means ‘reverence’. It is highly recommendable. It is a absolute admiration of God and appreciation for His power and glory. It is total respect for His love, anger and divinity. It is fully knowing the power of God. Fear of the Lord brings with it many blessings and benefits. Deuteronomy 10:20, KJV states, ‘Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God: Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name.’

The second type of fear is phobeo. It causes shock, palpitations, sweaty hands, and temporary paralysis. It happened to Zacharias in Luke 1:11–12, KJV: ‘And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.’ It happened also to John in Revelation 1:17, KJV: ‘And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet like as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.’

The third type of fear is deilia, which means ‘timidity’ or ‘cowardice’. This type is not helpful at all. It does not come from God. Second Timothy 1:7, KJV states, ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind.’

‘Fear’ is defined as an unpleasant feeling of apprehension or distress caused by the presence or anticipation of dangers. Fear is a paralyzing thing. It can cause us to do the things we’ve never thought we will do and, at the same time, keep us from doing the things we know to do. The basis of all fear is man’s alienation from God.

The first mention of fear in the Bible was from Adam. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the Lord called to the man, ‘Where are you?’

Adam then answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ Adam and Eve were always naked. Why was Adam afraid? All of God’s creatures have outer covering. Fish have scales, birds have feathers, and mammals have fur.

Adam and Eve were shrouded in God’s glory. After all, they were created in His image. After eating the forbidden fruit, God’s glory no longer protected them. They felt alienated, guilty, and fearful, and they most likely felt physical sensations such as coldness and pain. When man sinned, he no longer enjoyed the close, intimate, and loving relationship with God as in the beginning.

Fear has originated from Satan. It is a tactic he uses to distract believers from following the will of God. By allowing fear to control us, we are really allowing Satan to manipulate us. There is no real benefit to fear. It does not help us think more clearly, learn more quickly, or act confidently. Fear clouds our reasoning. It makes us scared of the what-ifs.

Fear is something that does not discriminate. Men, women, and children experience fear. At some point in our lives, we must come face-to-face with it, and Christians are no exception. Fear is a thief. It starts out by stealing God’s peace from our hearts, and if we let it, it will paralyze us from action. It can rob us of our true destinies in Christ.

Fear should be our enemy. Fears are like nightmares; when we awake from the nightmare, we realize that—although scary—it is not real and has no power over us. Fear is a spirit, and it is also a sin against God, who commands us not to fear.

Fear is one of Satan’s greatest strategies. It comes in different shapes, forms, and sizes. It has been designed by Satan to prevent us from fully receiving all that God has in store for us. Fear says, ‘God will not help you.’ Fear says that your children will not come back to the Lord. Fear says that your finances will never improve. Fear says that your marriage is doomed. Fear says the opposite of what God says. It seems that today more and more people are suffering from fear, phobias, anxieties, and panic attacks than ever before.

As a child, I lived in a constant state of fear. We often saw scary movies, and I had trouble sleeping. I was also afraid of the dark. As an adult, I vowed not to live in fear.

Back in 2000, I was visiting my mother-in-law in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. I was staying in a hotel with my husband, Juan Carlos. The hotel was the last building on a long block of beautiful homes. On the other end of the same block was a convenience store. To get there, we had to pass these private homes. One of them had a high fence built around it. Inside the fence was a rottweiler, a menacing-looking huge black-and-brown dog. It had a huge head, a big jaw, sharp teeth,