AFRAID?

Does fear have its' grip on you? Do you worry about your tomorrow's? Do you fret over your children or grandchildren who are either small or grown? Do you have a fear of flying or trying new things? Maybe you have a fear of what your boss will do at work or fear of being fired or laid off? What is paralyzing you and making you not be able to relax? A fear of dying troubles many people. Fear of surgery plagues  many because of the unknown. Fear will not get you any closer to God but take you away from Him because it shows you are not trusting God to fully take care of you. Fear is the opposite of faith. It can disable you if you let it get its' grip on you. You have to fight fear. There is a saying "Do it afraid". Sometimes that is what we have to do. Psalm 188:6 tells us "The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." When you are fearful your mind is all over the place. You conjure up scenarios in your head and imagine things that may not even happen. You think you know but you are just speculating. Let's say a person is scared of what their boss is going to say or do and worry they may lose their job. They hear of many downsized companies and start to worry. Worry,by the way, goes hand in hand with that 'fear monster' and in order to maintain a peaceful spirit we have to try to get both under control. It is not easy. Say the 2 Timothy 1:7 verse above OUT LOUD. Get it into your heart and spirit.

Can you give your cares, fears, and worries to God and not take them back? Can you trust that God has a plan and no worrying or being afraid will change anything? It is basically useless but is so easy to be caught up in. Maintaining a peaceful spirit no matter what is in fact a discipline to be practiced. Romans 8:15 says "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

By staying in the word and listening to positive uplifting Christian music we can at least alleviate some of it. John 14:27 says "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."

Matthew 8:23-27 shows how we should try to be and it says "Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” For anyone who has been on whitewater or in huge ocean swells it can be scary. Thank goodness for the expert river guides to take us down the rivers and the ship captains to sail through rough waters.Also it can be a little scary up in a plane in turbulent rough air but the pilots are highly trained to fly in all sorts of weather.  Like Jesus, when his disciples started to get fearful he just simply slept. Can you 'just sleep' during these times? Jesus says in Matthew 14:27 "but Jesus spoke to them at once and said Don't be afraid. Take courage. I am here." Take courage friend. Jesus is with you!

PRAYER: Lord I need you in my heart and in my thoughts. I want to learn to relax and not use valuable time being afraid of the 'what ifs' of life. Lord I want to be more like you. I give you my fears of the world I am in and do not want to keep taking them back. I need your help to do this. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Note: Click on link below to enjoy a worship song to sooth your spirit. Be blessed!
http://youtu.be/4bD_90W6WIc