Read Isa. 7:4-9
Isaiah encourages Ahaz to not be afraid of the intimidating wrath and threats of the king of Syria and the king of Israel. He calls them tails or smoking firebrands. In other words they are not heads and have no fire, only a lot of hot air. Then he tells Ahaz their strategy that only they and God know. (It is good to have a prophet on your side.) That alone had to encourage him. He even tells the king who they had planned to put in his place: Tabeal, which means "pleasing". He would please them in what they told him to do. But God said, it won't happen and not only that, in 5 years Ephraim will be crushed and its people scattered.
If we could only see into the future. Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed in a project or something over my head I remind myself that in a few months or a few weeks this will be behind me. The devil always uses intimidation and fear to freeze us and cripple us from moving forward or just having peace and staying to wait on God's salvation. Like Ahaz, we need the word of the Lord to encourage us. Luke 12 is a chapter of "fear nots". My favorite is verse 32: "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
Lord, let us hear your words of encouragement over the devil's words of fear and intimidation for greater is he in us than he that is in the world.
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