Fear & Anxiety… What Does God Say?
We all have things that we fear, but you can choose to overcome those fears and live in confidence through Jesus Christ. The Bible has numerous encouraging words about fear, the hope and great confidence we can have in Jesus.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.2 Timothy 1:7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid; but gives us power, love and self-discipline.Psalm 94:19When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.God gives us all the tools we need to overcome our fears and anxiety. We are His children and He tells us he will take care of our every need. When we look for comfort and hope in things like money, jobs, and personal security; our fear and anxiety will only be fueled in a negative way.Psalm 115:11You who fear him – trust in the Lord, he is their help and shield.
Having fear in the Lord is how we overcome the fears and anxiety of this life. This doesn’t mean to be scared of God, it means to trust in him, respect and have reverence towards him. When we develop a healthy fear of the Lord, he begins to put life into a perspective from his eyes.
Fear can sometimes be healthy, but when the fear and anxiety consumes our life,
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Commitment of Steel: How About Those New Year Resolutions?
This January, we will most likely see a glut of opinion pieces written on how to make and keep new resolutions… and even what to do if we fail. They’re intended to encourage us to not give up- press on- be patient- and imagine the reward at the finish.
We find our story in Matthew 4. Right after Jesus was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and His Father speaks some of the most reassuring words a son could hope to hear. Matthew also says that Jesus successfully completed the 40 days and nights of fasting before the tempter came to distract Him (Matt. 4:2).
And still, I’m intrigued by the timing of the tempter.
So, here are a few of the nuances that got my attention.
So here’s a couple encouraging tips to remember:
Keep in mind that’s the enemy’s job.
Don’t allow him the satisfaction of making you feel weak or victimized.
God will use the opportunity to continue growing you in wisdom,
further grow you up in His ways, and even toughen you up in the process.
Making a Plan and Putting it into Practice
Based on I Tim. 4:8
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,
holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
As you work through setting new resolutions and taking on good advice of how others keep them,
remember these bits of encouragement to help you keep your focus on Jesus.
With His help and in His power, you can turn your resolutions into commitments of steel.
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Jesus at the Center
I want Jesus to be the center of everything…
the center of my life
the center of my family’s life
the center of the Church
the center of my work
We live in a world with so many distractions… and let’s not forget our adversary,
who loves to use those distractions to try and pull us a way from Jesus.
One distraction I have found to be a hindrance- a roadblock- in my Christ-centered life is getting involved with too much. Being too busy can be a tool the enemy uses, and one that is a common struggle for most people. Personally, I’m active in a lot of different groups, meetings at work and at church. All the things I’m a part of are great causes and have great meaning, but the tasks and time that each one of those things takes can take over my true purpose very quickly.
I have found, when I try and put an order of importance on my priorities and stick to that order, I sometimes fail miserably.
I tend to allow all these good, meaningful things to become the center of what I am doing instead of Christ being the center of all I do.
There is a difference.
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Living in the Light
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changes not, Thy compassions, they fail notAs Thou hast been, Thou forever will be
There is no light source other than God. He is the source.
There is no shadow when He turns.
There is no other source of Light and Truth.
He is constant, everlasting, and never-changing.
Without Him, there is only darkness… not even a shadow!
Consider James 1: 17
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
…or I John 1: 5-6
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
So what does it mean then; to live, to worship, to embrace His light?
When we live and worship in the shadows, it may look a little something like this:
Faking it, in fear of being fully and honestly known
Denial of our own character flaws & how they impact others
When we live and worship in the Light, it may look a little something like this:
Embracing God’s grace and forgiveness, and extending that to others
Allowing for vulnerability & relationship, with ourselves and others
Realizing none of us are perfect, only humans saved by an incredible, merciful God
Exposing the lies we believe & replacing them with the light of Truth
When we truly believe the concept that we are not the Source of Light and Truth- only God is-
we can then understand that we are mere reflections of His light.
We don’t have to perform. We don’t have to be harsh with ourselves or others.
We simply reflect Him.
But here’s the other thing: it also takes effort on our part… the practicing the Truth part.
It takes a whole lot of honesty and humble introspection.
It takes letting the Spirit reveal the Truth to us and embracing it deep in our souls.
You can read more of Michelle’s writing on her personal blog PianoGirlSpeaks,
or for Seedbed.com.
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Everyone Needs Compassion
How many times a day do we receive grace?
How many times a day does God look at us with compassion and mercy?
The answer is an emphatic…Unending!
We can look throughout the Bible and see God’s compassion in the Old Testament and Christ’s compassion in the New Testament. Through Christ, we can see a living example of what compassion is supposed to look like.
God has worked on my heart to be more compassionate. What better way to show the love Christ to others then to be compassionate towards everyone? Not just the people that are easy to get along with, but those we don’t always see eye to eye with.
Ephesians 4:32 says
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
We have a tendency to be quick to judge and condemn just because someone isn’t living the way we are living or doing the things we are doing. Through all of the negativity, political differences and racial tensions that seem to divide our country; is it possible we can let compassion and the love of Christ shine through what we say and do? Let’s put those things aside and be compassionate to all.
1 Peter 3:8 tells us to
…be like minded, be sympathetic, love one another, compassionate and humble.
One of God’s challenges for us today- and every day- is to love one another and show compassion to those hurting and in need.
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Discovering Jesus, the Real Deal
Christianity isn’t a religion as much as it is a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The evidence of the Bible being true, from an archaeological standpoint, is another way one can know Christianity is real. Even as recent as the last decade, locations (and types of destruction of Biblical cities/Biblical events) have been discovered and unearthed.
A few of many examples:
The walls of Jericho falling in- instead of out- when God’s people marched on the city and the walls tumbled down. Based on the type of wall construction, it was a miracle for them to fall in (not out) at that very moment in history.
Prophecy fulfilled as God used the prophets of the Old Testament to predict hundreds of events that would take place in the future… and some of them thousands of years later. The most notable prophecies are about Jesus. It was foretold where he would be born, what family line, how he would die, and how he would be raised from the dead in three days. Powerful stuff!
Lastly, and maybe most convincing to others that know us, are changed lives.
When the Holy Spirit draws us, repentance takes place and we submit to God’s Lordship over our lives. We accept Jesus as our personal savior; this is our new birth and call to action to work out the salvation that God, through Jesus, has worked into us.
An important part of that call to action is being prepared to tell your story.
God will use your story powerfully as you share how Jesus is the real deal in your life.
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