Fear

Fire in the Sierras

 Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."NIV

 

  What are you afraid of in life?   

  During this current environment there are a lot of people living in fear.  Living in fear is a choice, it is not a predetermined emotion forced on us.  I know a lot about living in fear and decided to no longer live with the constant worry.  

  Being born out of wedlock, I dealt with the fear of abandonment.  Blinded in my right eye when I was five, I lived with the fear of losing my other eye.  Living in a household where fighting was a constant presence was a disturbing childhood.  The fear of being poor and hungry was a perpetual issue.  

  You may ask, how did you get passed all of that.  A lot of prayer, therapy and journaling.  You also have to practice.  This means you are going to get up in the morning and consciously say, "I am not going to be afraid of this issue today."  A pastor once told me that fear is the lack of faith, but doubt is a pathway to faith.  Doubt and question God's motives, but you can choose not to live in fear.  It is refreshing to get away from it.  I can truly attest to the freeing effect of not living in fear.

  If the worst thing we can be afraid of is dying, then as Christians we should not be afraid, but embrace that we will be in heaven with Christ and the loved ones that have gone on before us.  What is there to fear in that?  

  

  Write down what you are afraid of and give it up to the Lord for the day.  Then, practice not being afraid of it for a day.

 

A New Beginning

        

Sunrise in Mexico

    

2 Corinthians 4:16

"Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."NIV

    This is a new beginning in that I have not written in a long time.  I can't believe my last post was in 2014.  At that time, I allowed some criticism to silence my thoughts.  So, after a long break I am going to complete this project that I believe is inspired by God.  During my daily quiet time and meditation, this mission keeps coming back to me again and again.  When I started out, my goal was to create a daily devotional dealing with everyday things that we struggle with as Christians, and encourage you to write in a journal your own thoughts.  That is still the same idea, but after reading some of my long winded diatribes, I have decided to adjust my attempt.  So, from now I on I am going to keep my thoughts to about 200 words.  So, you are going to need the following:

1.  A Bible

2.  A Journal of some kind

3.  A writing implement

    This is how it will work.  I am going to start with a scripture that encompasses my thoughts for the day.  When you look up the scripture, read the entire passage associated with the verse.  Sometimes the whole context is better than just a verse.

After reading the scripture, read my thoughts for the day and see if there is something in your life that you have dealt with in a similar matter.

Finally, write down a response to the message for the day and any prayers.

    I promise that you will begin to enjoy the deeper relationship with Christ that I have experienced.  The really cool thing is to go back in about six months and read your prayer requests.  You will be surprised to find how many of them have been answered.

Blessings to All