Cultivate
Ps.119:164 “Seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way you keep everything running right” [MSG]
Yesterday we learnt that Mary often played back her experiences with God. And I shared with you one of the practical exercises that I used to do back in the day to help me focus on God’s Presence. I literally punctuated my day with thoughts of God and talking to the Holy Spirit and it changed my life totally. Refocusing on God every thirty-minutes may not be feasible for you so you can do it hourly.
There is no way you can focus so much on God, enjoy the tangible Presence of God and have high blood pressure. What I have Read the rest of this entry
Present Help
Ex.4:10 “But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” 13 But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”
The fear of inadequacy is capable of completely blocking us out of God’s plans if we allow it take hold of our lives. As much as the fear of inadequacy is legitimate, we must not allow it to stop us from fulfilling our destiny in God. If you read Exodus 3 & 4, you would be amazed at how many times Moses protested because he felt inadequate for God’s call on his life. But in response to all of Moses’ fear of Read the rest of this entry
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.
Your Peace
Ps.91:1 “Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, 2 can say to him, “You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust.” [GNB, with emphasis].
In facing our fears there are some facts that you and I must know. The first fact is that fear occurs when we feel out of control. The second fact is that most of life’s issues are beyond our control. These two facts clearly show that life is filled with fear. The secret to overcoming all fears is not in a formula or in a ten steps list of to-dos. The key to overcoming all fears is a person and that person is Jesus.
Go To God!
Matt.8:25 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
Where you run to when you have a crisis reveals who your saviour is. It is not where you go when you have it all together and you are well dressed on Sunday that reveals who your saviour is. Who your saviour is has nothing to do with the place you run to when you have just bought a new car. Where do you run to when you have a crisis? If it is not to Jesus, you are going to have a problem with storms because only Jesus can calm the wind and the storms.
Relax!
Isaiah 43: 2 “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”
Do not be afraid! Instead have the kind of confidence, the God kind of confidence that is hinged in God’s truth. Why? You should not be afraid because as a child of God, you never go through crisis alone. The choice to tap into God or not is another thing entirely. But be confident about this very thing, you never go through crisis alone. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. If God is near then there is no fear. Since God is near then there is no fear. You and I must be focused on God’s closeness.
Chill Pill
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” [NIV, with emphasis]
I have had to travel by air a number of times and in this short period I have seen some turbulence, but nothing like what I experienced on one particular flight – and, I have not seen a storm like it till this very day. The pilots described what we faced as a “lightning mine”. We could literally see the lightning miss the wing of the aircraft by inches. And sometimes the plane would be in free fall for about twenty seconds. It was a terrible experience.
Jesus Is Near
Ps.145:18 “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. 19 …He also will hear their cry and save them” [NKJV, with emphasis]
We are going to look at three practical ways to respond as Jesus did. There are three practical ways to respond in peace and totally banish the fear of unexpected crisis from our lives. The first practical thing you and I must do is to refocus on God’s closeness. Get your mind off the crisis and onto Christ. Matt.8:23 “Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples.” Jesus was in the same boat with His disciples. Jesus was near. God is near. The presence of Jesus does not mean the storms will not happen.
In Faith
Matt.8: 24 “Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” [NIV]
From today’s Scripture reference, we can see that there are two ways to respond to storms. The disciples exemplify the first way, which is to panic. They panicked and all their years of experience faded away. Jesus exemplifies the second way to react to storms, Matt.8:24 “…so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.” Jesus responded in peace. Don’t you just love Jesus?
The first thing we see in this story about Jesus is that He was human. Jesus had preached all day and he was tired. Jesus was human. Read the rest of this entry
