(emphasis mine)
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will NOT FEAR; though war break out against me, even then I will be CONFIDENT. ONE THING I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

What is your ONE THING today? (I will share mine at the end of this devotional.)

People fear many things in life: rejection, loneliness, death, loss of income, embarrassment, deteriorating beauty, etc. Many people are driven by fear. Fear traps them, and they feel they are its slave.

King David, the psalmist here, recognizes this. It’s like he is calling the cartel of fears in our head to stand-up for inspection. He is calling them out and comparing them to our Lord. And for all of their scheming, twisting the truth, brutality, and dominating ways, they measure up on the power scale about the size of one skittle compared to a massive mountain.

And so he asks the questions to himself, with his fears standing at attention in the room: Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid? And we can ask this question to ourselves as well.

When we really think about it and list off God’s attributes, he is the one we should show reverence and deference to. Why? Because only in him, in his eternal fortress or dwelling place, can we truly be safe from the attacks of this world.

Many have tried so many different things to take personal power over fear: some try the power of positive thinking, others try to be the one others fear with physical, mental, or emotional strength or political power. None of this works in the end. They all are deceptive ways that distort reality so that we don’t have to deal with it.

Only one person can remove fear from our lives — God. If we follow God with “all-out” commitment, seeking to grow closer and closer to him each day, and not holding any parts of our lives back from him, he will always come to our aid and save and protect us.

We receive protection, shelter, and a great foundation to stand on, when God becomes our primary focus each day.

So what is my ONE THING? I want to only reflect the pure, unadulterated light of Jesus Christ today, in my heart, motives, thoughts, and actions.

Lord, my one thing seems really impossible based on the number of times I blow it. But the good news is you specialize in impossible tasks! So I trust you and lean on you for the strength to reflect your pure light today!