FAITH doesn’t mean you won’t be…

•Tired
•Tested
•Sad
•Sick
•Disappointed
•Scared
•Betrayed
•Misunderstood
•Abandoned
•Lonely
•Tempted or
•In over your head

It just means you’ll never experience these things alone. GOD will help you. He will fight for you.
~ Hart Ramsey

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:1-6‬

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:28-29‬

“Gracious God,

May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake. May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable. May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent. May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close remember those who have no options. May we who have to cancel our trips remember those that have no place to go. May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all. May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home. During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God.” ~ Michael Youseff

It seems that right now, so many friends are going through a difficult season of fearful circumstances and uncertainty. There’s plenty of fear and anxiety to go around. Worry has been described as “faith in a dreaded outcome”. The power of worry – the fuel that keeps it going – is a familiar conversation we have with ourselves when we feel threatened, insecure, or fearful.
One of the ways to address worry is to expose these inner conversations – begin to verbalize them to God…
“I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble.” (Psalms 142:2)

This is not whining. It’s not self-pity or assuming a victim stance. This is having an honest conversation with God about what you are feeling, no matter how negative those feelings are. Many of us have been erroneously taught, “Don’t confess that!” Please give yourself permission to pour out your fears, insecurities, and longings to your Heavenly Father. You’re not going to lose your blessing because of honesty! The God of Heaven just might be able to handle it!

In pouring out our complaint to God, we dethrone the god of self, and position ourselves to access God’s comfort and strength in those things that worry us.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Paul seems to say, “Just stop being anxious!” But really, he’s asking us to use the power of choice to actually choose a different response to our fear. Once you have this honest conversation, be willing to choose to adjust that inner self-talk so that it aligns with God’s Word. Pray out loud the scriptures like the ones listed here. God is our Provider and will give you His peace in every circumstance! ~ Kirk Henderson

“So many times, I’ve had to remind myself to “pick my battles.” I say that in my head quite often when I get flustered about something that was done yesterday or something that was said months ago. Sometimes it is so tempting to bring up the past, but it is so not worth it. God never does that to us. Another thing I ask myself pretty often is “is it worth it?” Is it worth it to rob the moment or even the day of its joy because I am still thinking about that time__________? No, it’s not worth it. That’s one of those moments to let go and let God. That’s one of those moments to ask God to help me get that off of my mind and out of my system, and focus on all of the blessings God has given me. That’s one of those moments to use my authority to tell Satan to get away from me in the name of Jesus. That’s an opportunity to remind him that he will not have his way in my life, in situation, in my marriage, with my kids, etc. Do not use the past as ammunition, leave it where it is, in the past. Thank God for today and a future He has planned for you.”

“Not that I have… already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me…. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:12-14

I Hear His Whisper . . .
Give me your time.
 
In my love you are able to do all things, for I strengthen you with my love. People make demands on your time and your thoughts, but I wait for you to come and draw you closer when you choose me above your friends and family. Come as my dearest one, and I will give you grace for your dearest ones on earth, so you may show them my love.

When you give me your time, I give you my strength. Are you feeling weak today? Then come before me until you are bathed in power. Sit in my presence, and come back to the truths I will remind you of. No human being can empower you, for their weapons are puny and ineffective. Trust in my strength, not in the affirmation of others. Watch me work in your heart as you “waste” your time in my presence. As you sit with me and unite your heart with mine, you will be filled with all you need to touch the world. Then I will pour you, full of my love, out upon the earth as my gift and my treasure.
Psalm 27:4
The Passion Translation

Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer.

“How many times do I have something bad

happen in my day and it just seems to turn my whole attitude south? I’ve learned a simple

statement that often diverts a bad attitude – “If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it’s still a pretty good day.”

 Boy does this statement put things into perspective. The Bible tells us that we

should intentionally make our minds think of things that are good, true, excellent, and praiseworthy. The more I think about things like these, the

more my perspective seems to stay in check. In Colossians 3:15 we are

instructed to, “Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts… and be

thankful.” Verse 16: , “Let the word of God

dwell in us richly…” Verse 17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…”

 Letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and letting the word of God

dwell in us richly doesn’t just happen naturally. We have to intentionally

make those choices. And we have to challenge ourselves to deal with the bad

while focusing on all the good that is there as well.

Dear Lord, help me to put daily aggravations into proper perspective. Give

me the wisdom to choose to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart. And

give me a hunger to get into Your word and let Your word get into me. In

Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

~ Lisa Terkeurst

God longs to use you because he loves you. He’s not selfish. He doesn’t need your help. He wants to work with you. He wants your life to matter. He wants you to have eternal reward for the things you do here on earth because he’s a good Father who longs to give good gifts to his children. He wants you to stop segregating your life into “God time” and “me time” and start living in continual communion with him. He wants your time at work, with friends, at church, driving, resting, relaxing, and having fun to be filled with the fullness of life that comes from doing life with him.
~ Bobby Williamson

You are going to fear something and you get to choose what it is. Choose to fear God. If you will fear (in reverence and awe acknowledge, trust and obey) Him, you won’t have to fear anything else. Fight fear with fear.
~ Jay Richardson

“God always works through a people who are sensitively responsive to Him. Never does He work through a people who are indifferent, casual, or careless in their relationship with Him.” (Henry Blackaby)

“Fear is the absence of Trust and the mother of all sin.”

All our basic fears can be boiled down to 3:

1. I am unworthy/worthless…

2. I am helpless…

3. I am unlovable…

God says:

1. We are worthy because “there is No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom.8:1

“We are children of God.” Rom.8:16

2. We are not helpless because the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives IN us! “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”

Romans 8:11

3. We are loved immensely by the Creator of the universe and Nothing can separate us from that Love. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

The Enemy is the Father of Lies and of Fear. He WILL try to block us from knowing God, and keep us in Fear.

There are 3 powerful Weapons for “tearing down strongholds” of Fear in our lives and helping us “set our minds on things of the Spirit”:

1. God’s Word

2. God’s Spirit

3. God’s People

Take advantage of these!

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