Tag: Fear

HomeTag: Fear

26
Oct '21

Trade Fear for Peace

Posted on Oct 26, 2021 in Devotions | Tags: , ,

26
Oct '21
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)
 
Can you imagine never having fear?
 
What if you didn’t have to be afraid of finances, relationships or afraid of being hurt, disappointed, or alone? What if you could rest knowing that despite what the future holds for you, you could have peace?
 
God’s Word tells us that we don’t have to fear judgment or eternity when we belong to Christ.
 
Once we put our trust in Him, we can rest in His love and forgiveness.
 
Then, as we turn to Jesus daily, His love envelopes us, comforts us, and gives us peace.
 
The more we draw near to Him, the more we understand His ways and can rely on Him to meet our every need.
 
And God doesn’t want you to keep His love all to yourself…He desires that you love others with the love you have experienced from Him.
 
Today, ask God to give you opportunities to show Him to others. Trust Him to put people in your life who need to know His all-powerful, saving grace and who need to trade their fear for His peace. Amen.
 
I pray this devotion blesses you as it blessed me. Pray for opportunities.
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!

06
Oct '20

Anxiety

Posted on Oct 6, 2020 in Devotions | Tags: , ,

06
Oct '20
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7) 
 
Have you ever seen an octopus and how it grabs hold of its prey?
 
Each of its tentacles has tiny suction cups that grip. 
 
It constricts and tightens around what it catches.  

Some octopuses can even paralyze, weaken, and kill with poisonous venom.  
 
Anxiety is like that octopus.  
 
It slips into the tiny cracks in our confidence, poisoning our thoughts and sucking the life out of us. 
 
It constricts our actions and paralyzes our ability to think, rest, and enjoy life. 
 
It doesn’t always make sense.  

Sometimes, it can hit us like a freight train. 
 
Other times, we can pinpoint the source of it. 
 
Whether it comes from fear of the unknown, what others think of us, or how a situation will turn out, anxiety is disabling.
 
But God’s Word tells us to cast all our anxieties on Him because He cares for us.
 
God cares for you so much that He wants to take your fears, concerns, and worries onto His shoulders.  
 
Peter tells us to cast our anxieties on God, which means to throw forcibly! 
 
Ask God to take your stress and give you His peace as you wait on Him to work. Amen.
 
What a way to look at fear, after reading this devotion I won’t look at an octopus the same way ever again. I never put the two together but what a powerful point of view. I pray today after reading this devotion you are enlightened and encouraged  to cast your anxieties on God, or as today’s devotion says, throw forcibly.
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!

30
Jan '20

Be Strong and of Good Courage

Posted on Jan 30, 2020 in Devotions | Tags: , ,

30
Jan '20
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10) 
 
God tells us how to go through fear. 
 
Isaiah 41 challenges us to not be controlled by fear. 

God is with you & will bring you His strength.
 
He says do not get discouraged or disillusioned.
 
We may not be able to control the things that scare us, but we can certainly get through those things with the peace that comes from spiritual maturity.
 
Don’t let fear control you! God is with you and He is for you!
 
Walk through your storms with your head up, confident in Him. God knows your outcome and you can rest in that!
 
Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee . . . (1 Chronicles 28:20)
 
When I read this devotion I felt it needed to be shared. We all struggle with a certain amount of fear, some more than others and some not willing to admit it but if you take anything from this devotion I pray it’s this, “Don’t let fear control you! God is with you and He is for you!” The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!

01
Aug '18

Fear is Contagious

Posted on Aug 1, 2018 in Devotions | Tags: ,

01
Aug '18
And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart. (Deuteronomy 20:8) 
 
Today’s verse is taken from a message that God gave Moses to give to the Israelites in preparation for their battles in the Promised Land. The Lord began preparing the people before they crossed the Jordan River to encourage them that He was with them and would fight for them. The Lord made a point of addressing the danger of fear in their hearts. He tells the “fearful and fainthearted” to stay out of the battles and to go home instead. Why? Because fear is contagious. 
 
The message for us two-fold: we need to be aware of how our fears influence others and we need to be wise of those whose fears can influence us. Fear is a deadly weapon and a powerful tool used by the enemy. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done to rid ourselves of fear. Even if we can identify our fears, this does not mean we can overcome them on our own. The first step is to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord. When we bring our confessions to Him, the healing process begins. The next step is to read God’s Word and believe what it says. Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is built on knowing and believing the Word of God. 
 
Does it still take time to change old habits? Yes. 
 
Will the Lord lead us to make certain changes? Yes. 
 
Are we responsible for following  God’s guidance? Yes. 
 
And, will the enemy continue to remind us of our fears? Yes! 
 
But, the Truth sets us free, if we are truly willing to believe and apply it to our lives. Today, if you are struggling with fear, examine your closest influences and the fears they may be invoking. Ask for wisdom in how to handle them. It is hard to fight your own battles when others are bringing discouragement. Be honest with the Lord in your personal battles with fear and prepare your heart to take a stand against the lies of the enemy. Christians in the world today are in warfare from all sides but Jesus told us to be of good cheer for He has overcome the world (John 16:33). It is our faith that is the victory that overcomes all of the fears that the world brings (1 John 5:4). The Lord will go before you and fight for you, just as He did for the Israelites. 
 
I felt this was a powerful devotion and one we need to be reminded of. We as humans are so easily influenced and it goes all the way back to the beginning of time. God’s word never ceases to amaze me though, it addresses every single thing we go through. As today’s devotion says, it’s important that we take a look at our lives and see what influences are invoking fear. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Break the chains of fear today. 
 
Have a beautiful day in The Lord! 
 
Today’s Reading is Psalms 55:22 

01
Aug '17

Fear is Contagious

Posted on Aug 1, 2017 in Devotions | Tags: ,

01
Aug '17
And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart. (Deuteronomy 20:8)

Today’s verse is taken from a message that God gave Moses to give to the Israelites in preparation for their battles in the Promised Land. The Lord began preparing the people before they crossed the Jordan River to encourage them that He was with them and would fight for them. The Lord made a point of addressing the danger of fear in their hearts. He tells the “fearful and fainthearted” to stay out of the battles and to go home instead. Why? Because fear is contagious.

The message for us two-fold: we need to be aware of how our fears influence others and we need to be wise of those whose fears can influence us. Fear is a deadly weapon and a powerful tool used by the enemy. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done to rid ourselves of fear. Even if we can identify our fears, this does not mean we can overcome them on our own. The first step is to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord. When we bring our confessions to Him, the healing process begins. The next step is to read God’s Word and believe what it says. Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is built on knowing and believing the Word of God.

Does it still take time to change old habits? Yes.

Will the Lord lead us to make certain changes? Yes.

Are we responsible for following God’s guidance? Yes.

And, will the enemy continue to remind us of our fears? Yes!

But, the Truth sets us free, if we are truly willing to believe and apply it to our lives. Today, if you are struggling with fear, examine your closest influences and the fears they may be invoking. Ask for wisdom in how to handle them. It is hard to fight your own battles when others are bringing discouragement. Be honest with the Lord in your personal battles with fear and prepare your heart to take a stand against the lies of the enemy. Christians in the world today are in warfare from all sides but Jesus told us to be of good cheer for He has overcome the world (John 16:33). It is our faith that is the victory that overcomes all of the fears that the world brings (1 John 5:4). The Lord will go before you and fight for you, just as He did for the Israelites.

Amen! When I finished reading this I thought, Wow, What truth! Let’s be aware of how our fears influence others and remember we need to be wise of those whose fears can influence us. Fear most certainly is a deadly weapon and a powerful tool used by the enemy. Faith and Fear cannot exist together. Just a few points from today’s devotion that I wanted to mention again and bring to your remembrance. Let’s take a stand against the enemy today and don’t allow fear to rule your life. Face Everything And Rise!! Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

Have a wonderful day in The Lord!

Today’s Reading is Psalms 57, Romans 4


12
Jun '17

“A Four-Letter Word”

Posted on Jun 12, 2017 in Devotions | Tags: , ,

12
Jun '17

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

More than once since I committed this verse to memory I have had to embrace it as truth and pray that I not give in to a “spirit of fear.” I have come to believe that the word “fear” really is a four-letter word and should be considered profanity. Wouldn’t it be great if we could somehow have it censored from all of our thoughts and feelings, like bleeping out a bad word? But instead, fear is very much a part of our reality, even more so than we realize or want to admit. I know there are times when being fearful can be a good thing, such as being afraid of doing something that might bring harm or danger.

The spirit of fear as mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7 is a different kind of fear. This fear hinders what God has given us: His power, love and sound mind. This fear grips us with doubts and insecurities, waging war with our thoughts and feelings. This kind of fear is not of God but of the enemy, the devil. Fear is one of the greatest weapons Satan uses against us, as it attacks our minds. He tells us that we are no good, not worthy, unloved and useless. These thoughts affect us all, he picks on everyone, no one is spared. How can we fight against such thoughts? By believing the truth of the second part of the verse. God through His Holy Spirit has given us power, love and a sound mind, not in our strength but in His.

Are you dealing with fears today that are gripping you so tightly that you feel helpless and hopeless? How can these fears be conquered? Start by praying for the Lord to open your mind and help you understand how to use the power given by His Holy Spirit. The power precedes love, so next pray for your heart to be filled with His love, knowing that His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). What a great pair…power and love! Then, ask the Lord to clear your mind and bring to your thoughts His words, taking captive those thoughts not of Him. 

O, Lord, I pray that You teach us how to live victorious lives through the empowering love and strength of Your Holy Spirit. And in Jesus name we ask that You break those strongholds of fear that bind us up and keep us from experiencing the peace and joy that You desire for us. Amen. 

I recently read this and I knew it had to be shared. Fear is a stronghold and it’s time we break the chains of fear that hold us captive. I pray this blesses someone right where you are today and I pray it inspires you to get up and keep moving forward.

Have a wonderful day in The Lord!

Today’s Reading is 2 Timothy 1:6-12