Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm. But I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Psalm 55:5, 8, 16
“The witch is mean and I don’t like her.” - Madison
When my three year old niece Madison encounters anything scary, like a Disney villain, she instinctively keeps her eyes fixed on the fear, but places her hands over her ears. She silently soaks in every moment, until the scariness passes. We only have two hands to block out one sense, which do you choose?
What about when the horror is every moment of our lives? For example, disease, death or divorce? I think we respond like Madison. We sit in the dark. We stare at the terror. We scream at the situation. We cry fear instead of faith. We focus on the moment instead of His face. We watch fear like a hawk; we miss watching our Father like a child. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Not only do we continue to focus on our fear, but we also choose to cover our ears to God’s calming and comforting peace. When we refuse to listen to Truth, the nightmare grows darker and darker with lies.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33 Real life nightmares will come to be our reality. Yet, Jesus tells us to take "heart" that He has overcome each one. We must hear Him to believe Him; never more urgently than in the middle of the storm.
My choice is always from my heart: stare fear in the face with faith, speak praise over pain, and listen to truth over terror. I will cover myself in garments of righteousness, lifting trembling hands before His throne of Sovereignty and Peace. This is my only hope in my present trouble. It may not take away the terror, but it will shelter me in the storm.
Enjoy Him, Michelle
mlpack1@yahoo.com
8 comments:
Thanks friend. FYI I cover my eyes so not to see the scary things but I can still hear and David lets me know when a scary scene is over.
I needed to remember to face fear with faith.
This day I am not fearful but needed to remember Who I serve and Who is in charge.
I have been faced with lies masked as truth and it has just made me mad. It is God's Holy Word and to think someone is distorting what Jesus did on the cross makes me angry. This gives me a passion to teach and share about knowing The God of the Bible and not someone's interpretations.
Thanks for the encouragement. I am glad that you are always sharing His Word with others. Keep it up my friend.
Have a great day. Lisa
Thank YOU!!! I think that most all of us (except the sickos who revel in that stuff) tend to do exactly that when the scary parts come...but looking at Madison I thought - wait, that's more of what we do in real life...we tend to stop listening to God until "the prettier parts" come. I will set no vile thing before my eyes, King David said - so to turn from evil sights is good and Godly, but to stop listening to Him in the dark is the worst. Especially when we are silenced from proclaiming our faith and praise. Of little faith is what Jesus chastised in the storm. May my faith train up to call out to Him. Lies masked as truth - my greatest downfall. To discern the truth from the lie..oh, my life's mission :)
Thank you so much for your encouragement...means so much to me, Lisa!!! Thank you!
Wow. That was awesome. Totally awesome. - Carolyn
A great word for today my friend!! A genius at writing – so gifted and using it all for God’s glory!! How awesome is that!!!! Let us always focus on what is UNSEEN and not be fooled by what we see in this temporary world. - Janice
Enjoyed your blog post...very timely. :) - Mary
Beautiful as usual. - Becky
Loved this one on fear!" - Gail
I loved this!
“The witch is mean and I don’t like her.” - Madison
"I FEEL life is very difficult right now and I don't like it."-Debbie
But I do love Him. He is perfect. His timing is perfect. He is a Redeemer. He makes a way when there seems to be no way!
Two things that help me with fear:
1) I say out loud: "Lord I choose to receive the PEACE YOU GIVE and not the fear I feel."
It helps me to acknowledge that I feel fear but I will still try and choose to receive His peace. I have to say it out loud because I feel so afraid. I have to say what's true out loud.
John 14:27; "Peace I leave with you, Peace I give you...." See He already gives peace so we don't have to pray; "Give me Your peace." We must simply say, "I receive the peace You give."
2) I acknowledge the feeling and "do it afraid." It doesn't say that Joshua (who I was just reading today!) wasn't FEELING afraid but he went forward and moved with courage despite his feelings.
I might feel sick to my stomach and feel physically unable but I again can choose to make the call, forgive the friend, walk on stage, etc. KNOWING that His strength will enable me to move forward. I have to choose not to allow my fear to debilitate me.
YOU ARE a brave and courageous woman of God! I am so proud of you! You help encourage and strengthen me too!
Debbie
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