Fear. We project it in many ways. Sometimes we express it, “I’m scared to death!” Other times we panic and use substances to make us feel better – food, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, or shopping. Some may take it out on others – yelling, using sarcasm, cursing, or cutting people down. There are those who give up, retreat, crouch into a corner, and pull the covers over their heads.

My question is why? Why do we allow fear to consume us, direct us, and cripple us. Could it be that we accept some things without believing them?  Consider one example: could it be that a major flaw in Christianity is accepting that the Resurrection is true while not really believing in it? Before you storm my house and burn me at the stake, let me qualify what I mean. There are many things we accept but don’t believe. I might accept what our government does; it doesn’t mean I believe in it. I might accept what my friend does but I may not believe in what he does. When we believe something, we buy into it. We sell out to it. We go the extra mile for it, because our inner most core BELIEVES it!  If you believe in the Resurrection of Christ rather than just accepting it, your fears will be affected.

Salvation is more than the Sinners Prayer.  Some pray the Sinner’s Prayer because they accept Christ.  Salvation requires that we believe in Him.

Fear questions our belief. Fear is the defining factor in whether we accept Christ or believe Him. Sometimes its hard when you are standing in the doctor’s office and he tells you terminal cancer is knocking at your door. Acceptance questions God, “How can this be? Where are you? Why are you doing this to me?” That’s fear talking. Belief rings in our head, “I know You destroyed death. I know who YOU are and no matter what, I’m believing You will turn this for good. You will not forsake me because I believe in YOU!”

The bills are piling up. You are two months behind on the mortgage. The baby is sick. You receive the pink slip at work. Things happen that do not line up with what you read in God’s Word. You know God IS good but what you are seeing ISN’T good! Things in life happen that do not line up with what you bought into when you became a Christian; but Christianity is knowing the more you need Him, the more faithful He will show Himself on your behalf. Fear questions; but Faith relies.

In your darkest hour, never doubt where He is. Fear tells us He’s gone; Faith shows us He is right beside us. Fear questions His Word; Faith believes His Word.

Daniel 3:16-20, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

We need the “Even if belief…” that sheer confidence that NO MATTER WHAT – we are all in with Him. Today, choose to have confidence in the God you serve.

There are very definite scriptures which explain to us how to be esteemed by God.

Isaiah 66:2, “…This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

He tells us first to be humble. Matthew George Easton wrote in his Bible dictionary regarding humility, “a prominent Christian grace. It is a state of mind well pleasing to God; it  preserves the soul in tranquility and makes us patient under trials.”

2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Psalm 25:9, “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.”

Second, He wants us to respect His Word.

Psalm 119:16, “I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”

Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

It seems simple enough – be humble and honor His Word; but we make it so complicated. Christianity should not be on display; and yet, many of us make it so. Some put on a show on Sunday and a different show on Monday. For some, it will take a lifetime to get what God is trying to say. We live in a world which lusts for power; money, greed, self are the norms. God expects just the opposite from us. He tells us that power resides with the humble; wisdom dwells in His Word.

Today, meditate on His Word. Evaluate how you measure up against humility and obedience to His Word. Talk with God about it. Become esteemed by God.

I awoke this morning thinking about my children and the paths in life they have chosen. I remember as a teenager the dreams I had for my life. My imagination has at times been quite creative and at others quite practical. As I’ve grown older and experienced life, reality has put life into perspective. I no longer daydream about the things I used to daydream about. But I have not stopped dreaming.

As we grow in life, some of us accept with regret the paths we are taking. Some of us feel the premeasured, prepackaged life where we have found ourselves is it. We kind of quit dreaming; quit wondering; quit imagining. We slide into a rut of ‘every day routine,’ la-di-da, commonplace existence.

The other day I overheard a conversation between a little girl and her grandmother. I was grabbing a sandwich and they were at the table next to me. In a high pitch voice, the girl announced, “Nana, when I grow up I’m going to be a Otolaryngologist.”

“What in the world is that?” her grandmother asked as I chuckled at the fact this little girl, no older than 4, could even pronounce such a word.

“I don’t know. But it sounds big!”

John 10:10, “…The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Too many of us have hit a lull in life. We don’t believe we have the ability to do this or that. We tell ourselves, “I could never do that. I’m not smart enough or rich enough or young enough or…” We accept the hand we feel has been dealt to us and allow our minds to stagnate. We don’t believe God when He tells us there is more!

Let your mind run rampant. Dream big. There is nothing you can’t do with the power of God behind you. He wants you to live a life of abundance. He wants to give you the desires of your heart. I read a bumper sticker one time that said, “Keep your friends and family guessing what you’ll do next.” Life is an adventure and with God along side, all things are possible.

It seems like just yesterday I was typing these words in 2015 and now its 2016. Time is passing all too quickly.Read More »

Acts 3:1-7, “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.”

This story in Acts intrigues me for several reasons. It is interesting that there is a man who has been crippled since birth and people helped him daily by bringing him to the Temple gate called Beautiful.  Why?  So he could beg to acquire the basic necessities of life. I assume, they would pick him up at the end of the day and take him home as well. What a blessing these people were to him.  Without the coins he received each day, he would not be able to live.  Without their help getting there, he would struggle to survive.

When he sees Peter and John, he asks them for money. Peter and John do not have silver or gold to give him; instead, they tell him “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Those words give me chills because of the power behind them. They take the man’s right hand, help him to his feet, and he takes off on strong feet and ankles.  His life has forever changed.

Which was the better help for this man? There is no way to answer that because both acts offered him assistance; yet, Peter and John’s way changed his life.

It brings me to this thought: how often do we encounter people struggling with life, and we want to help them in some way. We see what they need to change themselves, but it is easier to bring them to the Temple gate to beg instead of truly changing their lives. Maybe we do not feel comfortable telling them about Jesus of Nazareth, the King of kings and Lord of lords. We would rather offer sweet words and move on. When is the last time you’ve asked someone if they have Jesus in their life or is it just easier to drop a coin in the cup and walk on by.

I feel stronger than ever that we must become people with the faith and vision to take someone’s right hand, help him to his feet, and in the name of Jesus of Nazareth tell him to walk – in the fullness of Christ, in faith, in obedience, in a life centered by God.

Who needs your help today? Will you drop a coin and pass by, or will you change their life forever? Think about it.

Luke 1: 19-20, “The angel answered, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.”

Some of the toughest words to hear in this verse are “…will come true at their proper time.” Waiting for what we believe God has promised us can be difficult, even when the promise is delivered by an angel. Prayers go unanswered. Time ticks by. We wonder if God even hears us! Zechariah and Elizabeth had been waiting year-after-year for a baby. Now, after Elizabeth has passed childbearing years, an angel appears and tells Zechariah they will have a son.

My dad has always told us, “If God is going to do something in your life, He’s usually going to make you wait.” In the case of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the chosen parents of John the Baptist, He knew the perfect time. Zechariah and Elizabeth did not.

Waiting on God’s proper time creates in us a desire, a thirst, a dependence on God. If over the years that Zechariah prayed for Elizabeth to conceive, God had sent him a blueprint, a concise plan, a future glimpse, would they have relied on God? Would their faith have been as strong? Could they have been the parents He needed them to be for John the Baptist? Would they have depended on Him for support? Probably not.

In life there will be times when we have to wait. It isn’t important why we are waiting or how long we are waiting; what is important? God’s plan is being put into motion whether we can see it or not. His promises will be delivered to us, in the proper time.  So hang in there.  They that wait upon the Lord get to exchange strength with Him.

I’ll take that R rating on this post – let me clarify.

What do you Fear?

It comes in all shapes and sizes, and it impacts us in many different ways; but, the bottom line about Fear? It is the area in our lives that we do not trust God.

Maybe for you it is relationships. You’ve been hurt. Your heart is broken. You ‘ve lost someone you loved. Maybe its financial. Your business failed. You don’t have two nickels to rub together. You’ve lost your job. Maybe it’s health. The diagnosis wasn’t good. You’ve found a lump. Your heart is skipping beats. Whatever it is that grips you in the middle of the night; that causes worry and anguish, it is the very thing you do not trust God to handle. 

Paul writes to us of his fear in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, “⁸ We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. ⁹ In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.” 

Maybe right now in your life, you feel that gripping fear. You do not expect to make it through the turmoil of your life. You are overwhelmed and discouraged; depressed and defeated; knocked down and disillusioned.

Paul continues, “¹⁰ And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.”

Where have you placed your confidence today? Are you confident of your Fear or confident in the One who will continue to rescue you?

Take that F word and file it away where it belongs; just after Failure. When we rely on Fear, we will Find Failure.

Pull from you files the R words – rescue, redemption, resolution, recovery, release, reclamation.

Trust in the God who will Rescue you; place your confidence in Him.

1 Peter 1:20 reads, “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”

Can you imagine God, the author of life and creator of the universe, actually thinking through the process of our world? How did He do it? How did He lovingly create the beauty of a flower with all its intricate detail; the outline of the stars to light the night sky; the wings of doves; the muscular legs of a wild mustang? How did He speak it into being? What about the creation of man, formed in His own image; how much thought went into humanity’s formation?

Do you realize time as we know it did not exist until God spoke the universe and time into existence?  Simply put, there are two ways to understand “beginning”. As God, He infinitely existed prior to the structure of the universe. During the creation process, He first created TIME. As a result, He stands outside of time seeing tomorrow as today. Uniquely, the Creator sees all that has or will occur in His design. Even before God imagined light and darkness, He knew what would be ahead of Him. God knew Eve would sin. He knew Noah would need to build an ark. He knew Christ would suffer through the crucifixion. He knew the influence of Paul and his writings. He knew you, and He knew me. All before He uttered a word into being.

Such thoughts throw my mind into a spin; despite knowing all that would occur, He created the universe and us anyway. I can’t help but wonder why?

A woman came into my office for counseling. Her husband of 30 years had repeated affairs.  She felt lost and of little value. As we talked, she continually repeated, “if I could just do it over.” I finally asked her, “Okay. If you could do it over, what would it look like?”

Quietly, she thought. Her hands rolled over and over in her lap as if she were turning back time. Clearing her throat she uttered, “Funny, I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

“What do you mean?” I quizzed.

“If I had to do it all over again, I’d do it the same because I wouldn’t have my children’ and they are the joy of my life.”

We are the joy of the Lord. His creations. His children. Even knowing what was ahead, He created us anyway. Obviously, He loves us greatly.

Wherever you are in life, whatever mistakes you’ve made, He loves you. His love is enough to endure the torture of the Cross so that He might spend eternal life with you. Take the time today to relish the hand of God upon your life and the deep committed love He has for you.