Dealing With Fear

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, for the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2 (New American Standard Bible)

There are many things that cannot co-exist or be done at the same time. For instance, light and darkness, kindness and cruelty, peace and war, friendship and enmity, water and oil, bitterness and forgiveness. Today's verse gives me one more: trusting and being afraid.

The Bible says, "Perfect love casts out fear." I see a picture in my mind of two people in a room and one is throwing out the other. It is an aggressive act done on purpose. When I really believe God is in control of my life and is able to handle anything I bring to Him, the fear no longer has a place in my life to take up residence. It is cast out ~ made to leave. And when it comes knocking at the door of my mind I can send Faith to answer the door for me and send Fear away.

There are times when fear wants to feed off present circumstances or future possibilities. Trust keeps my mind focused on God and on what He is able to do.

Some of us find it harder to trust than others. Maybe that is due in part to primary people in our life failing to come through for us, not being able to be counted upon, or just plain abandoning or rejecting us. God wants us to know He is not like that. He wants us to know He can be trusted even more than what our eyes see or our ears hear.

The next time you are fearful or anxious take a moment to see what lies you are believing about God or yourself. Most of the time those lies attack the character, capability, and compassion of God. So it is imperative that we renounce the lies and proclaim the truth out loud! Here is an example for you.

When you feel rejected you might tell yourself you are all alone and no one cares about you. Renounce it by saying, "That's not true! I am not alone for God has said He will never leave me. I choose to believe God over my feelings and emotions." God says in Isaiah that although our own parents might forsake us He never will.

Father, lies feed my fears but truth about You builds my trust. May I come to know You so well that fear does not gain access, entrance, or residence in my life. Amen.

Still - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKb54tu4gG0&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Attractive Qualities

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2b (New International Version)

What attracts us to people? What is it about certain people that causes us to take notice and say, “I want to get to know that person?” For me, it usually comes down to inward qualities. It may be their personality, wisdom, humor, or insight. More than anything they usually possess a quality I admire and would like to see in my own life. The interest is deepened as I sense acceptance from them. I love the point when we go from being strangers to friends.

A harder question for me to ask is what attracts people to me? What is it about me that would cause someone to decide they want to get to know me? Why would they want me for a friend? I would venture to say it is inward qualities as well. Qualities that God placed within me that people see and appreciate. I am reminded of the look and scent of flowers that attract insects and birds. Each of us have God given characteristics that attract us to each other.

It was no different with Jesus. Today’s verse reminds me that Jesus did not attract people via His outward appearance. It wasn’t His physical appearance that drew people to Himself. So what was it? Initially for some I am sure it was His miracles. But that would be an attraction for what He could DO. If it went no further it was merely a spectator sport. But oh the change when it was His love that attracted them. When they saw that He not only possessed power but wisdom and love as well.

I wonder what it was like for a person in Bible times to actually make eye contact with Jesus. To realize He knew and accepted them. What was it like to sit and talk with Jesus face to face? For each person who met Him and was attracted to Him there came a point when they went from being strangers to having a personal relationship with Him.

So I ask myself this morning, what is it about Jesus that attracts me to Him? Initially it was for the eternal life He offered. Now I would say it is for the abundant life He gives. At one point my spiritual eyes were opened so I could see Him. Now His Spirit works to open my heart to know Him.

Father, attract me to Yourself afresh today. Make me aware of the qualities in You that make me want to grow in my relationship with You. Amen.

Let My Words Be Few - Phillips, Craig, & Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12z4dvc2kjo

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

In Need of Him

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22, 23 (King James Version)

I need the reminder of today’s passage. When my failures and weaknesses give me reason to give up. When my actions and attitudes give others cause to grow frustrated as the patience and love have warn thin. When the enemy of my soul has more ammunition to fire at me then I feel able to withstand. When feelings of worthlessness, insignificance, and sinfulness engulf me and peace, joy, and hope elude me. I need the awareness that God’s mercies and faithfulness do not fail. Rather, they are new every morning. When I least deserve it and shouldn’t have it, His faithfulness abounds. His grace. His compassion. His tenderness. My need.

I wonder this morning how I can come away from a 72 hour retreat with such resolve and promise, only to fall to the issues of life within a day. Did I know the enemy would attack? Yes. Did I realize my flesh would still be very much alive? Absolutely. Do I like what I see in myself and what I know others see as well? No. My desire for consistent strength and victory seem polar worlds apart from my reality. I am not what I want to be and I am grieved that I am not what God wants me to be. Yet His mercies are new today. His faithfulness continues.

He is urging me to get my heart right. He is pleading with me not to go into hiding or withdrawal. He knows the tendencies of my heart and the thoughts that have consumed me in the night. He is fully aware of steps I want to take that would not be for my good or His glory. The battle rages. The thoughts abound. The temptations are many. Yet His mercies are new and fresh today. His faithfulness continues. Not a bit of His loving kindness fades.

In the quietness of this moment, I dare to raise my eyes to His. Not because I fear He will reject me but because I am sickened by my own setbacks and wobbly steps. It is a new day. He is the same God. I am in need of much. Is it any wonder He calls Himself my Rock, Shelter, Stronghold, Abba Father?

Father, the valley after a mountain top experience is always so dark. So foreboding. So uncomfortable. I need You. Amen.

He Knows My Name - Tommy Walker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkw3a4raWfg

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.
http://pathways2freedom.blogspot.com/

The Wrong Conclusion

And he said: “ Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21 (New King James Version)

The question was asked at a study I attended last night that seemed easy to answer…at first. It went as follows: “Deep down inside, do you believe God is a giver or a taker?” My mind instantly went to today’s verse and I chose to say He is both…Job said so! Then something dawned on me. I had to consider the fact that Job’s perspective was faulty due to his limited view of things. He spoke those words of the Lord giving and taking away, after the loss of his children, property, possessions, health, reputation, and human support. At first glance he seemed to have a healthy view of things. After all, he served a sovereign God. Yet, I am struck by the fact that the one who actually took the things and people out of Job’s life was not God but Satan. Job didn’t mention that or think of it because, quite frankly, he wasn’t aware of Satan’s involvement in his life or of the conversation that led up to that involvement. He simply believed all his loss was at the hands of God when it actually wasn’t.

This realization is causing me to rethink my original answer to the Bible study question. Even as I ponder other Biblical accounts of people losing things I am coming to see the “other” hands besides God’s at work. Not only was there Satanic involvement but there were many aspects of just living in a fallen world. People take things, sickness takes things, nature takes things, and economic down turns take things. Sometimes, God chooses to intervene with healings. Sometimes He replaces what is taken. He teaches us things through the losses. He helps us see Him in a whole new light after the loss. But all of those are examples of giving. If I see God as a taker I get scared. Fearful that if I make a wrong move He will grab something from me.

For the longest time, when I thought of a significant relationship that had ended, I thought God had taken the person out of my life as a means of punishment. I displeased Him and therefore He took. How far from the truth that is! The broken relationship was the result of my own dependency issues and the other person’s change of heart. After the loss, God in His graciousness showed me aspects about Himself that were precious. He taught me many things. He brought other individuals into my life. He continually gave and He will continue to give. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Some who are reading this have experienced great losses. If those losses have caused you to view God as a taker (like I had viewed Him), I encourage you to ask Him to show you who really did the taking and to also show you how much He is giving!

Father, Jesus was the ultimate display of Your giving nature. Thank you for the many giving moments You continue to have. Amen.

My Praise - Phillips, Craig, & Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwPeud_V7cg&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

It is Okay to Ask

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6 (New King James Version)

I am sure most of us have heard the saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” I have often had that mentality when it came to living the Christian life. I knew when I received Christ as my Savior that it was apart from any works I could muster on my own. The only thing I could bring to God was an open heart to receive His gift of salvation. But somewhere along the line it seemed (in my mind) that the rules had changed and I was expected to pull my own weight so to speak. The Christian life became daunting because it was viewed through what I was doing for God rather than who I was in Christ and what He was still doing in me. I felt “on my own” in many respects and mistakenly thought God was looking for me to go through life seldom asking for His help. Commands were something I should obey in my own strength. Change was something I should incorporate on my own through behavior modification. While I might have prayed for strength, patience, and grace I knew little of getting specific in the areas in which I needed help. So I floundered….for decades.

I am encouraged this morning by what I am seeing David request of God in Psalm 119. In a day when I hear so much about free will and choice I am relieved to know I can ask God to intervene and make changes in me! David had no trouble asking God to take over in the following areas: Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law (v.18), make me understand the way of Your precepts (v.27), remove from me the way of lying (v.29), make me walk in the path of Your commandments (v.35), and incline my heart to Your testimonies (v.36). Somehow David knew it was okay to ask God to do in him what he was unable to do for himself. While it was necessary for David to cooperate with God, he knew he could ask God to change him as well as infuse him with the desire to change.

As I consider areas such as forgiveness, love, compassion, kindness, diligence, witnessing, submission, and right thinking, I am encouraged to know that I can ask God to “make me” walk in His ways and turn my heart to follow Him. He is not offended that I should ask….He is delighted that I would! He knows my weaknesses and propensity toward sin. He knows on my own I will not choose His ways. And He invites me to bring the cries for help to Him so He can masterfully do what needs to be done in me. He is the potter, I am the clay. He is the vine, I am the branch. He is the shepherd, I am the sheep. He is the initiator, I am the responder. What precious roles!

Father, how You must ache when I possess wrong perspectives of You and the Christian life. How You must delight when I finally ask for help. Amen.

Power of Your Love - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6Qtxzd6vk&feature=fvw

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Taking Pleasure in What?

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (New King James Version)

I take pleasure in a lot of things. Spending time with special people, watching another person awaken to the truths of God, discovering new facets about my heavenly Father, reading emails that fill my heart with joy and my eyes with tears, listening to music that captures the essence of my spirit and my journey, experiencing the breaking of a stronghold, making spiritual progress, and being overwhelmed by God’s mercy, love, and grace, all bring me pleasure and great delight! But the hardships and heartbreaks of life (like the things Paul listed in today’s verse)? Pleasure in those? Prayed against, maybe. Avoided or delivered from, definitely. Unwanted, absolutely. But take pleasure in? Not without the help and revelation of God!

In and of themselves, these things cannot bring pleasure. But what Paul had learned and what each of us must learn is the richness of what can come of those things. For it is in the very center of difficulty that we turn to God. When we stand in our own strength and experience a comfortable day we tend to not see our need of God. But when life falls apart and our platform of security crumbles, we are left with no choice but to cry out to God for strength, comfort, and encouragement. It is in our loneliness that we most seek His company. It is in our deepest loss that we seek His comfort. It is in our sin and regret that we seek His forgiveness and restoration. It is in our weakness that we finally seek His strength.

Hardships and handicaps keep me in constant touch with my limitations and my need for God’s strength. Instead of cringing at them, God desires that I fully realize my limitations, weaknesses, and propensities to sin in order to drive me straight into His arms to receive His strength and power. What I lack is what God graciously makes available to me. THAT is what I can take pleasure in! It is in seeing where troubles, tragedies, and trials lead me that I can begin to take pleasure in them. I don’t have to wait until it is all over before I can dance in delight. I simply have to fix my eyes on the end of the story that I know is coming! No matter what life throws at me, I KNOW God will infuse me with the grace and strength to stand in it or walk through it. I am limited…..He is NOT!

Father, I choose to embrace all that You gift me with each day. That which causes me to run to You is what I treasure the most. With my tears come Your comfort. With my weaknesses come Your strength. With my losses come Your gains. Pleasure indeed!!!! Amen.

His Strength is Perfect - Steven Curtis Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC_lld_vUCY

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Accusing the One Who Loves Us Most

Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me. Luke 10:40 (New American Standard Bible)

When was the last time you accused God of not caring about you? You might have said it out loud or it might have been buried in your thoughts, but the feelings were there. Many times the idea arises due to how others are treating us or due to the circumstances in our life.

Martha had graciously invited Jesus into her home. A hospitable gesture. Then why the complaint? Mary wasn’t helping her! She felt on her own and probably neglected. Ever feel like her? Ever look at the people in your life and wish they would do more? Ever want to cry out, “Does anyone care?” When the people in our lives don’t give us what we want it often causes feelings of insecurity, neglect, and even rage to surface. If we are not careful we allow their actions or lack of actions to define our own worth and value.

I find it interesting that the first words out of Martha’s mouth were actually spoken against the Lord. The same was true of the disciples when they were caught in a storm at sea. Jesus was asleep and they were fearing for their lives. When they finally decided to ask for His help, the first words out of their mouths were, “Lord, don’t you care about us?” Where in the world do those thoughts come from?

Often we are trapped in our own stories so much that we fail to see the bigger picture. When human sources fail us or the difficulties of life assault us that is NOT the time to second guess God’s character and His involvement in our life. It is imperative that we realize the enemy of our soul will use any and all opportunities to tarnish God’s reputation in our mind. Pain, disappointment, discomfort, and discouragement can cloud our thinking, dull our senses, and raise our suspicions about God’s care for us. If our response to people or circumstances causes us to view God negatively we must realize we are buying into a lie. A lie that says God doesn’t care, God doesn’t notice, and God doesn’t love me. How far from the truth those words are. Let God’s word tell you what He is like. Start with I Peter 5:7 and ask God to allow its truth to penetrate your life in a powerful way!

Father, may I no longer allow the enemy of my soul to malign Your character. May I see Your attentive ways at every turn. May I allow the truth about You to renew my thinking. Amen.

Your Grace Still Amazes Me - Phillips, Craig, and Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNClAJO2tnQ

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!