Category Archives: Fear
Face The Fear I
Ps.105:19 “Until the time came to fulfil his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.”
We all are drawn to people that have character. I love people that have character and I am sure you do too. Think about this; who will you leave your child with?
Forgiveness vs. Salvation
2 Cor.5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
A lot of people underestimate the power of peer pressure and some use it to their advantage. It would interest you to know that there is peer pressure at every stage of life, not just at the teenage stage.
Regard Him
Ex.20:7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”
How you use someone’s name largely is an indication of what the person is to you. You and I must be watchful because the enemy consistently tries to make God’s people commonize His Name.
Active Faith
Heb.11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him”
God wants us to Step Up in different areas of our lives. We have looked at how to step up financially and spiritually. Over the next few days, we will be looking at a component of stepping up that is indispensable and that is Faith. It is impossible to Step Up without faith. Read the rest of this entry
Dependable
Rom.8: 28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
Thank God that He has dealt conclusively with fear in our lives. But a lot of people are still afraid to fail and afraid of failure. You can call it a natural reaction but I am here to give you good news. The good news for you and I is that as long as we are with God, all things will work together for your good. Why? If God is all that you have left, you have more than enough. Again, how is that possible? It is possible because in His Presence, there is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Watch Out!
Luke 1:29 “Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus”
The second fear that is able to hinder us from being used by God is the fear of missing out. Mary was a young girl and she definitely was not ready to be a single mother because Joseph could easily have cut ties with her. Imagine you are dating a girl and she informs you that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, both of you had previously agreed to keep yourselves holy. Then she shows up with the news of pregnancy. Any man would be broken hearted because he knows the process that leads to pregnancy.
Natural Response
Luke 1:38 “Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.”
Please read Luke 1:26-55. We see from this portion of Scripture that God was looking for someone to use. God is still looking for someone to use. The Bible records that Mary was confused and disturbed. We sometimes react in fear at the thought of God using us. But He is telling us not to be frightened. Do not be afraid of God’s calling on your life. His call is to do you good and to wonderfully bless you. So when you avoid the call, you avoid the wonderful blessings of God.
The Press
Rom. 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him . . . according to His purpose” [with emphasis].
Like it or not, failure is beneficial. The second benefit of failure is that it develops our skills. Think about how children learn to walk. When they fall, they may not try it again that same day but the following day they are up again learning to walk. Thomas Edison says, “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” Your goal is to make a candle that can stand without support but all your attempts have not fallen through. Package it in a cup and sell that one while you keep attempting.
Truth Nuggets
Prov. 1:5-6 “I want those already wise to become wiser and become leaders by exploring the depths of meaning in these nuggets of truth.” [LB]
1 Cor.10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind…” [NIV]. Failure is not fatal but rather it is common to mankind. Just get up, dust your body and keep on moving. Fact: failure is not the worst thing that can happen to you. So do not blow it out of proportion. I am not saying that what you are experiencing is easy but the Bible says it is common to man. So begin to see it as God sees it and relax; do not specialize your case.
Common To Man
Gal.6:9 “We must never get tired of doing good because if we don’t give up the struggle we shall get our harvest at the proper time” [JB].
The story is told of a man that had to work to support his family when he was seven years old because they were forced out of their home due to legal technicalities. When he was nine years old, still a shy little boy, his mother died. When he as twenty-two, he lost his job as a store clerk. He wanted to go to law school but he did not have the qualification. At twenty-three, he went in debt to become a partner in a small store. Three years after, his business partner died leaving him a huge debt that took years to repay.
