Fear Not, I Am WIth Thee

“Never take counsel from your fears.” So said Civil War General Stonewall Jackson when he heard a commander say, “I fear …” In a college commencement address David Bednar talked about the importance of taking counsel from the Lord, not our fears.

“As we consider so many of the things that are occurring all around us today, we could perhaps find ample reasons to be afraid, to hesitate, and to wonder if things in our lives can indeed turn out the way we have long hoped they would turn out. …

To not take counsel from our fears simply means that we do not permit fear and uncertainty to determine our course in life, to affect negatively our attitudes and behavior, to influence improperly our important decisions, or to divert or distract us from all in this world that is virtuous, lovely, or of good report.  To not take counsel from our fears means that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ overrules our fears and that we press forward with a steadfastness in Him.  To not take counsel from our fears means that we trust in God’s guidance, assurance, and timing in our lives.  I promise each of us can and will be blessed with direction, protection, and lasting joy as we learn to not take counsel from our fears.

As we exercise faith in Christ and trust in His promises, we can walk into the dark with the absolute assurance that our pathway will be illuminated—at least far enough to take the next step—and then the next step—and the next step.   …

‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind’ (2 Timothy 1:7).  These principles are the great antidotes to the fears that rob us of our strength and sometimes knock us down to defeat. They give us power.  'What power? The power of the gospel, the power of truth, the power of faith, the power of the priesthood' (Gordon B. Hinckley)

'Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments.  There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us…Fear not.  Be of good cheer.  The future is as bright as your faith' (Thomas Monson). ...

The Savior reassured His disciples, 'I will go before your face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up' (Doctrine &Covenants 84:88)."

  Click here for this talk by David Bednar