[Darris McNeely] I have to admit, I’m a news junkie. I watch all kinds of news. I watch the cultural news, the entertainment news, the sports news. I watch the political news. In the United States we’re in the midst of our presidential campaign and it’s been a very interesting year. There’s been a lot of emotions stirred in this presidential season. And frankly, there’s been a lot of fear, and rightly so. There has been a great deal of cultural change take place in the United States, as America’s role in the world had changed. That fear for the future has stirred a great deal of debate and just turned the election year upside down by all expectations. Fear is a major part of life. Right now, it seems to be front and center in this presidential campaign.

I’ve been talking in this series on the book of Haggai and the message that God sent through the prophet to His people Israel about how it is that you and I can consider – should consider – our way, have our ways examined by ourselves, which is what God said to Israel when they had let down on the job that He had sent them to do, to rebuild the temple. They lost their meaning, their purpose, their goal in life, and they needed to consider their ways and make some changes. And God encouraged them with the fact that He was with them, and in three weeks’ time, they turned around their lives, and they got back to doing the work that they had to do.

You know, even in the best of our times, when the heat’s off, when the pressure’s off, we still have to keep pushing forward in our lives. We cannot be fearful. We cannot let anything come into our thinking to deter us from the mission of our lives, the purpose of our lives, making the changes that we set ourselves to make, and going about accomplishing good when it comes to our spiritual lives, and just the everyday routine of our life. We have got to understand what God said ultimately to the people to keep them going in this message of Haggai 2:4. God says, “My spirit remains among you,” and He said, “Do not fear” (Haggai 2:5). Do not fear. Fear is a great paralyzer. It can just render us immobilized at a moment and not be able to accomplish anything and move forward. Don’t let fear rule your life. Don’t let fear – what you cannot control – rule your life. Control what you can, consider your ways, understand that God is with you, and don’t let fear keep you from accomplishing what God wants for you in your life – your full potential.

The people of God at any time in history, and especially at the time of the story of Haggai, had to manage their fear. And so do we today. And God, through His spirit, can help us accomplish that. The message of Haggai that we’ve been going through offers us a three-point step to change, to renewal, and to revival. Consider your ways. Change what needs to be changed. Be renewed. Understand God’s with us. He wants us to succeed. And do not fear. Don’t let the world, life, things beyond our control, cause us to be immobilized with fear, but moving forward relentlessly in the goals and the efforts that God has before us in His kingdom.

That’s BT Daily. Join us next time.