People have a tendency to fear God largely because of our sins. At the heart of our fear lies the narrative that our unfaithfulness to God makes us unlovable by God. This is nothing new for humanity. Ancient Israel struggled with this same fear. In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith explores this false narrative by unpacking a passage from Isaiah 43 and offers this glorious thought: God’s love is greater than our sins. You see, Israel was afraid their unfaithfulness resulted in exile and captivity, and therefore God didn’t love them. But they were wrong. God speaks to Israel through the prophet Isaiah. The assumption was that God punished them for their many sins. But God reminds them of this important truth: “Do not fear! I made you. I formed you. I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine. You are precious in my sight. You are honored. I love you. I am with you.” Do you need to be reminded of this truth? Experiment with this soul training exercise: “I, _insert your name_, am precious in God’s sight. I, _insert your name_, am honored, and God loves me.” Write this down on an index card or post-it note and repeat this to yourself throughout the week. Jot down your experience with this and share it with your friend or spouse.

Key verses include Romans 12:2, Isaiah 43:1-7, Romans 6.