April 1, 2026 Devo

When I was playing basketball in college, it was interesting how teams would try to intimidate us. Some teams would come out of their locker rooms yelling and shouting, hoping that the noise would scare you. Other teams would try to get in your head during warmups by doing dunks with the ball or fancy drills. One team came out in a tournament we played, came down to our end of the floor, dribbled around us in a big circle, and pointed at us and laughed. Their goal was always the same. To win the game before it ever started by overwhelming us with fear.
That’s what the King of Assyria was trying to do with Hezekiah and Jerusalem. He sent his chief of staff to the city to meet with the leaders of Hezekiah’s court. His message to them was one of intimidation. He told them how small they were compared to how big the Assyrian army was. He described the destruction they would bring and how devastated the city would be. He laughed at their allies, their army, and even their God. His weapon was FEAR. The goal was to get Hezekiah and his people to quit before they even started. Fortunately, though they were shaken, Hezekiah and his leaders didn’t yield to the fear.
My guess is that the Enemy is coming at many of us as the Assyrians came at Jerusalem. He’s trying to control us with fear. We’ve messed up, and he’s using fear to make us believe there’s no way back. We feel God calling us to a task or a position, but he’s using fear to make us believe we’re not worthy or not capable. God is nudging us to speak more boldly about our faith, and he’s using fear to keep us quiet. Some of us know we need to have a hard conversation with someone, but he’s using fear to keep us in dysfunctional patterns and unhealthy relationships. Fear is one of the most powerful tools the Enemy has because the Enemy doesn’t have to defeat us if he can just make us fearful enough to quit.
Don’t let fear conquer your faith. Don’t let fear rule your life. Don’t let fear rob you of the life God is calling you to live. God has called you to a Victorious Life. But the greatest foe you’ll have to defeat is fear. That’s God’s Word for you today.