Jesus took our pain and bore our suffering. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  He’s the suffering servant, the Lamb of God, and He alone is worthy of all of our praise.

Jesus is our High Priest, He’s our provider, He’s our comforter, He hurts like you hurt, He understands. No matter what you’re facing, cry out to Him. We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, no, we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet he did not sin. Jesus isn’t just some baby in a manger, He’s our great High Priest and He’s worthy of all of our praise.

Fear in the right context is a good thing. Knowing that we can “Fear” God because of how awesome He is really changes how we live. Mary proves that with her interaction with one of God’s messengers. Even though she doesn’t have all of the answers, she trusts the one whom her heart loves!

Fear can really take a toll on us. Often, it creates so much doubt in our lives that we can miss out on some important things. Even those things we’ve been praying for. But what happens when God steps in and answers those prayers? Do you respond with fear/doubt, or hope?

It can surprise us, but often many people get to a point in their lives where they wonder if they are doing what they are actually meant to do. You’ve heard it before, people state “I feel like I am wasting my life away with this job, career, people, or hobby. That’s the tension of our lives as we are wired to serve the way Christ calls us to. But we FEAR losing money, people, or things.

Many of us like to be in control. I would argue that one of the hardest vices we have as humans is our desire to be the one who calls the shots. But you know as much as anyone that we often take control and end up getting ourselves into trouble, alienate ourselves from those we love, or feel the pressure of having to be in charge. But what if there was a better way?

Are you living in fear or are you walking in faith? Some of you are faced with a lion at work and you’re afraid of what the future might hold. Some of you are faced with a lion at home in your marriage or with your family and you’re scared to death of what might happen. But you know I believe God has called us to push all the chips into the middle of the table and say, I’m All In. I’m going to face my fear, confront the lion, confront what’s in front of me head on, knowing that my God is faithful and He’s getting ready to do something miraculous in my life.

Do you have what it takes? If you’ve played any sports, were in a band, or anything where you had to work hard to excel, that question has been brought to you in one way, shape, or form. Now that we are older, we face this in many ways as parents, managers, friends that it feels crippling. When it comes to faith in Christ, so many of us struggle as we feel we are simply not enough. But what if that was never the goal at in the first place?

We are all guilty of letting fear drive how we live. Fear of making a bad decision - so we don’t make any decision and become stagnant. Fear of being isolated - so we either over “socialize” ourselves or surround ourselves with too many of the wrong people. We have fear of not being enough, or losing control, and even fear of never experiencing love. The list can go on and on. However, what if we were to say “fear, in the right context, is a good thing?"

As we’ve studied and looked at “The story behind the story” of The Bible, we can see that God has been, and will always, be working in our lives. As Christians, we need to know His Word and share that with the world as His disciples. What that looks like in your life is different for each of us.