Nothing to Fear

I've had many tears and sorrows. I've had questions for tomorrow. There have been times I didn't know right from wrong. But in every situation, God gave me blessed consolation, that my trials come to only make me strong.

Those who have heard and sung the songs of Andrae Crouch (we sang many of them), will recognize that first paragraph from his song, “Through It All”. The chorus goes on to say, “Through it all. Through it all. I’ve learned to trust in Jesus. I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all. Through it all. I’ve learned to depend upon His Word."

Actually, those words could be my song and my story, because through everything I’ve encountered in my life, from a young girl to today, I’ve learned, through it all, to trust God and His Word. That is my anchor, my mainstay, my pillar of strength, my shelter from the storms, my strong tower.

I like what George Mueller said to a man who had asked him the best way to have strong faith. 'The only way to learn strong faith is to endure great trials." Whew! Great trials?? That's not what we wanted to hear.

If ever we need to trust God and His Word, it is in these perilous times. There’s plenty going on to make us fearful. In times like these, when our entire world is in turmoil and when nothing seems safe or secure, our God says, "Fear not!"

Isaiah 41:10 says “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.”

To those, today, who are facing financial challenges, health issues, marriage problems, have children who are off-course, have fear for safety and peace, our Father’s message to us today is the same as the angel’s word to the shepherds “Fear not”, the same words that God spoke to Joshua, “Fear not”, the same words that Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and DO NOT BE AFRAID."

Knowing that I have a Father who comes to me and says, “Fear not, I am with you” gives me so much hope, encouragement, solace and assurance for all my todays and tomorrows. By the way, He's your Dad, too -- He says the same thing to you!

Got Fear? Get Love!

Day 28 in this Month of Love – Got Fear? Get Love!

It's quite easy to find FEAR lurking behind every corner. It can smack us in the tummy just after we've said, “What a great day it is!” Or, right after we’ve prayed. Or right after we’ve celebrated a great victory. Maybe a negative medical report came in, or we’ve lost our cell phone, or our car broke down and there’s not enough in the bank to repair it. I’ve been there. I have been literally worried sick about so many things, including my finances, what people thought about me, and what tomorrow would hold for me.

Once upon a time, my husband was my “go to” guy for those things that seemed to overwhelm me. He did a great job of relieving my insecurities and concerns. He was my rock and pillar of strength. He was a man of many talents and abilities. He could fix just about anything, and if he couldn’t, he sure knew who to go for the help he needed. Yes, God was #1 for me, but right up there pretty close to God, was my husband. So what does a girl do when her very-close-to-God guy checks out of this earth and leaves her with facing life by herself? Oh, sweet relief. I know. God becomes her ALL in ALL! She does what she was supposed to have done long before – be her #1 for any and everything that concerns her. Now God is my “go to” Lord and His perfect love has given me all the right reasons to be strong, brave, courageous AND the ability to resist fear. His LOVE is greater than any fear.

1st John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear. Maybe Perfect Love should be capitalized, because the only Perfect Love is God's love. God IS Love. If we’re afraid of facing a person or a situation in our life, God’s love can help us put our fears to rest. That verse points out that we should be conscious of God’s love. It needs to more than just a fact from the Bible to us. We ought to be experiencing it daily.

It would be so easy to run away from it all.....but the one with undaunted faith and determination simply RISES above it all and conquers anything that resembles FEAR -- we FACE THAT GIANT -- and aim our sling at its ugly head and declare: I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR and I rise above it ALL! After all, my PERFECT One casts out all MY fears.