Tag: fear

Turbulence

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You have been redeemed by Jesus to live a God discovering, God serving, God-ordained life. 

But that doesn’t mean it is easy. 

There will be storms that you must go through. 

There will be higher altitudes to climb to. 

There will be unexpected turbulence along the way. 

I dislike turbulence. It’s always unexpected and it always makes me feel afraid as the plane passes through it before it returns to normal.

God doesn’t cause the disruptions but He will use them, if you let Him.

He will use them to teach you how not to give up. 

He will use them to strengthen your faith.

He will use them to forge your character. 

“And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:2-4 NIV

My friend, Jesus knows where you are on the journey and what is disrupting it. He is with you and will not leave you in it. Hold onto the truth of His love and let that truth bloom into hope.

The turbulence will cease and you will get to where God wants you to be.

The Leap of Faith

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Faith is not a feeling.

Faith is an action.

It is a choice to believe something that leads to doing something. 

To trust God with the impossible.

To put actions to your words.

“Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything?” 

James 2:14 MSG

If God is asking you to do something that means that He has already given what you need to do it.

Joyce Meyers says that “Faith is taking the first step before you know what the second step is.”

It is time to put your faith into action.

What is God challenging you to do today?

What To Do With Worry

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“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭

NIV

Do you know what to do with worry?

Here, God says to cast it all on Him. 

What does that mean?

Cast means to toss. You can’t throw something without letting it go. 

All means to give Jesus every irrational fear, every overwhelming worry, as they come to you.

Your anxiety means not to deny it but to name it. What is the fear underneath the worry? Name it, acknowledge it, feel it – then cast it to God. 

Anxiety – the greek word used here literally means to be drawn in two different directions and be torn apart by it.

On Him – where do you put that which is tearing you apart? Put it into the hands of Jesus. He is strong enough to handle it. 

Why?

Because He Cares – and it means Jesus is “caring right now in this present moment”, whatever you are dealing with

For You – yes, YOU.

What are you suppossed to do with worry?

Look at it, name it then cast it totally on God and ask Him take care of you as you deal with it. 

What Gives You Courage

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One of the most amazing things about receiving God’s love (and I mean really receiving it- taking it in, letting it sink into your soul, walking in the truth of it, living loved) is that it gives you courage.

Courage to step out of your comfort zone.

Courage to change the way you talk to yourself and to others.

Courage to not give in to old habits, coping mechanisms or escape tactics.

Courage to face your feelings and issues.

“My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.”

1 John 3:18-20 MSG

When anxiety is stealing your joy, you can bet it is also stealing your ability to love fearlessly as well. Put your worries in God’s capable hands and get busy loving the people He has placed in your life.

Have a wonderful fearless- loving day, my friend!

Worried?

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What are you worried about today?

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

Worry is not meant to be the center of your life. 

Jesus is.

Worry will keep you distracted and you will miss the small moments of joy that are sent by God to let you know He loves you. 

His love for you is better than worry.

Love is a better way to make decisions than fear. 

Instead of worrying, pray. 

Put it in God’s capable hands. 

Hand over what you are worrying about to Jesus right now. 

Then allow a sense of God’s wholeness to fill your soul.  

Then get busy loving the people He has placed in your life.

What is worry stealing from you today?

No Fear in Love

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What drives out fear? Love does.

Don’t believe me? Think back to a time when you were in love with somebody. How bold were you? How much hope did you have for the future? Did you do any crazy things with them because you were in love with them?

Right this minute, you are loved with a perfect love from a sinless Savior who came so that you could live unhindered by fear.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:18‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

The word perfect here doesn’t mean flawless, it means complete. It means complete love.  Not a temporary infatuation but a deep developed love that stands the test of time and eternity.

His was a love that bled when the lash tore open His back and the splintered wood of the cross dug into it. A love that persevered through the unendurable physical and spiritual pain of the cross until He could utter the truth, “it is finished.” 

When fear rises up to dismantle your faith or weave it’s tentacles around your feet to trip you up, you must remember this fact: You have nothing to fear. You are in love. 

Jesus walked the earth, spoke truth to all who would listen, healed broken bodies and restored broken souls to God. It was His love that breathed life into the first lungs of man and His word that drove the darkness and chaos back before that and it is His love that sets you free to love as freely and completely as you are loved. 

What drives fear out? 
Love. 

The love of Jesus.

Hang your hat on it and get down to the business of loving others with the confident abandon that comes with it.

Don’t Procrastinate Hope

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What are you hoping for today?

“Wait, Israel, for GOD. Wait with hope. Hope now; hope always!”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭131:3‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Hope now. 

Right now.

While you wait.

While you are stuck.

Open wide your heart and let hope flood in.

Let it wash over your mind and fill your spirit to the brim.

There is no better day than today.

There is no better time than right now.

No matter what is going on around you, hope is available to you.

Jesus died on the cross, destroyed the power of sin and rose again to eternal life.

He is alive.    

He is holding out eternal hope to you.

Don’t procrastinate hope, you have permission to hope now – no matter what.

Faith and Fear

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This journey with Jesus is a faith journey, not a fear journey.

Faith and fear are both ways to walk into the unknown and I have a secret to tell you – every new day is unknown. 

You don’t know what will happen.

It could go as planned or go completely different.

Sometimes better different, sometimes not so much.

Fear holds you back, faith releases you forward.

I’m not suggesting that you ignore your fear or be in denial of it.

I’m encouraging you to not let fear decide what you do or don’t do.

Faith is a word for trust.

Trust Jesus with all your unknowns and allow Him full access to the places in your heart that are ruled by fear.

Let His love flood in and wash away the fears that are holding you back today.

Everything Else is Worthless

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“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him”.

Philippians‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NLT

At the end of your life, you may or may not have human praise but if you have gone after a real relationship with Jesus, you will have so much more than that.

You will have rich relationships, miraculous moments, great faith adventures as well as the single most important thing you can have with you as you step into eternity – Jesus Himself.

Don’t waste your life by pursuing goals to make yourself more comfortable, more secure or safer.

Live the life you were created for by pursuing the one goal of knowing Jesus.

Not just to know about Him but to know Him in every area of your life.

Not just to work for Him but to work with Him.

Keep this goal as the top priority and all the other goals will quickly fall into their proper perspective.

And in Truth

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“..and in truth.”

1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ NIV

God will never ask you to love someone and lie to them at the same time. 

He does not ask you to avoid the truth or use His love as a cop-out to deal with the truth.

He does not ask you to stay locked in a silent prison of fear while you “act” love out.

Sometimes it is harder to love in truth than it is to love in action. 

Whether that means talking or listening, truth is the only foundation of love. 

Be brave.