SAFE FROM DANGER

 

Do you and can you really trust God to take care of you and your family? Prayers are said so it is at that point we need to let go and let faith kick in. Our arch enemy, Satan, loves to torment us with concern, fretting, fear, and worry. Do not allow him to steal your peace and faith in God. He is not worth the extra gray hairs.

There may be some readers who do not hear much about the concept of "spiritual warfare" but we indeed are in a battle of good and evil, right and wrong, and for our very souls. Scripture and prayer are powerful tools we have to use against Satan. Remember in John 10:10(NIV) we are told 'The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.'

Deception is rampant in our world today. Modern culture is even entrapping well meaning believers who are being captivated and deceived by him. Do not let it happen! Use the word of God as your greatest tool to stop him in his tracks! Tell him to get his stinking little hands off you and your family and be sure to say, "In Jesus name" as there is power in that name.

I thought today I would go over Psalm 91 as a way to sear it in your brain to recall when you tend to want to start fearing. The author of fear is not God. It is one of Satan's tools to try to defeat us. We have victory in Jesus Christ so remind Satan of that when he starts to come against you. Perhaps you need to maybe read it out loud and personalize it with a name to make it hit home.

Here goes!

'Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra you will trample the great lion and the serpent." Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him, I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.'

Try to recite those verses out loud and see if you don't feel a stronger faith inside of you.

PRAYER: Today Lord I choose to know and believe you are my strength and I have no reason to fear. I trust in you Lord and I have power because of you to defeat the enemy. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link below for a powerful song of praise and worship.

http://youtu.be/O4QOuGI3irI

WORRIER OR WARRIOR?

Worry is a bad disease. It is a compulsion. Are there things you can not get out of your mind? The enemy of our souls, Satan, loves worriers. If he can get you to not trust God and to doubt that your prayers are heard then he has  you in his clutches. I must admit I say I do not worry, and that is true in many cases,  but then I start obsessing over what I did or said to so and so, therefore I am doing what? Worrying!

The best way to not worry is to stay in a attitude of prayer and praise. Get your mind under spiritual discipline. Do not start dwelling on bad stuff and "what if's" as it will make you go nutty. Purpose in your heart that you will pray then let go and let God take control. Things in life will happen. Trials and tests will come. It is how we respond to these that counts. Worrying does not change anything but it just gets you fixated on something you can do nothing about.

Matthew 6:26(NIV) says 'Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than them?' the answer is "yes". Verse 27 of that same chapter goes on to say 'Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?'  So why do we do it? 

You have to discipline your thought life. The way to do that is to make prayer and Bible reading a daily HABIT.  Getting your mind set on the word of God sets it on heavenly things. 2 Corinthians5:10(NASB) says 'We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Picture that if you will! Every thought captive for Christ. Renewing your mind daily on the word and giving your "issues" over to God our burden bearer. 

What is it you are worrying about right now? Are you able to start being a daily prayer warrior and let Jesus give you peace?

PRAYER: Today Lord I choose to be at peace. Forgive me for wrong thinking. Forgive me for not meditating on your word when I start to get caught up in worry. I trust you Lord with me and my loved ones. Thank you for hearing my prayers. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I'M JUST A WORRIER

 So stop it! I have heard people say they can not stop worrying. Their mom worried, her momma worried and on it goes. Where is worry from? Certainly not a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Do you think worry brings you closer to God or further away from Him? I am sure all of us have worried at one time or another but the important thing is to not make it a habit. You certainly can not be at peace if you can not stop this bad habit. Does worry change anything? The answer is no. So why worry?
"You don't understand though my son does dangerous things and I get scared.' The thing is that fear needs to be turned into faith and trust. Worry is worthless. It does not stop someone from doing a dangerous activity or being ill. What can you do to stop if you are a worrier?

The solution is to admit you are a worrier and ask God to fill you with peace only He can give. Stop focusing on bad things such as disasters, wrecks, and all the scenarios that will probably never happen. Say out loud "Lord I thank you for taking away my concern and fears. I know it is the enemy trying to make me weak and ineffective for your kingdom. Satan has no power over me so I choose to cast off worry." How do you feel once you say that our loud?

Meditate on God's word as well. Get up each day and say "This is the day The Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24). Isaiah 26:3(NIV) says 'You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast for they trust in you,' Do you really trust Him to take care of you? If so give him your worries and go on and do something constructive and let God give you peace.

PRAYER: Help me Lord. I want to trust you but at times I am consumed
with fear and worry. I know only Satan rejoices when I get like this.
I give this to you Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

FEAR MONGERS OR PEACE SEEKERS

 If you are a fearful or worried person then you need to stay away from your news on television. For instance after the Texas explosion the local news people here in the Huntsville area started saying that similar factories that manufacture fertilizer are located here. Now people have something else to worry about. Why do we need to know about all the bad stuff anyway? Want to enjoy your day or evening, then skip the news. Life will go on. You will not be ignorant. You may find a new found peace of mind.

Isaiah 26:3(NIV) says 'He will keep in perfect peace, he whose mind is on him'. Just how do you keep your mind on Him anyway? This past week we also had the Boston Marathon bombings which terrorized people for the entire week till the one who did it was found. Once again we can choose to feed our mind on fear and wonder where the next terrorist will strike in the United States or we can go on with life and give the controls to God.

Isaiah 41:10(NIV) 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.' How do you "not fear" when so many things are going on around you to make you anxious? Stay in the word of God on a daily basis is how! You have to purpose in your heart to spend time focusing on good things and not constantly worrying. Once again the devil has you right where he wants you if you are fretting and concerned over things all the time. Worry is caused by lack of trust in the Saviour to protect you and your loved ones.

Romans 8:31(NIV) says 'What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?' In Deuteronomy 20:1(NIV) it says 'When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.'

Another really good verse to help combat fear is Deuteronomy 31:6(NIV) which says 'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

When we fear, we only give victory to Satan. He has you right where he wants you as fear disables the power of Christ if you constantly dwell on bad things. Psalm 91:5(NLT) reminds you also 'Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.' You have God on your side. Talk to the evil devil and tell him you are a child of God and you do not fear! Put him in his place.

Psalm 23:4(NIV) is often one you hear at a funeral but it is for everyday life of the living as well. It says 'Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.' Do you feel God's comfort? You can if only you will cast your worries and fears on Him as it says in 1 Peter 5:7.

PRAYER: Lord I need you every hour of each day to help guide me through the challenges of this life. I do not need you for one hour on Sunday. Forgive me if I have put you on the "back burner" of life and not come to "talk" to you in prayer more often. I realize there is more to saying you love Jesus than just going into a church building as a matter of fact much much more. I want more of you in my life and less fear. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Click on the link below and worship the Lord and do not fear:

http://youtu.be/7foqxkkh51M

C AND C

It is easy to be fearful in today's world. Impending financial collapse, end of the world, medical problems, death and many things get our focus off God and onto problems that may or may not even happen. The title here stands for 'Cancer and Christ'.

For anyone who has had the doctor diagnose cancer in yourself or a loved one it strikes fear in your heart. As much as you can say you will trust God and He is in control, that C word is a bad word and likes to rear its' ugly head.

 I remember a couple times in my life or my families life where the 'C word' popped up. It is frightening because the main thing that normally comes to mind is death. First of all, a diagnoses of cancer is not a death sentence but it brings fear to many. When you fear you are in a state of constant worry. Let me ask you, when you worry does that show faith in God?

 The other 'C word' is Christ . Focusing on Christ instead of cancer or other fears will give  you more joy and courage. You will be less fearful of impending doom if you can turn your thoughts to Him. If you wake up daily and have fear in your heart, it will be rather difficult to feel like praising Jesus. Whether you face cancer, a lawsuit, bills, divorce,bankruptcy,  family problems, or a scary medical diagnosis, that is not the end of your life. You have to intentionally  focus on positive things and get your mind off the bad. I once heard the comedian Kevin Nelon in a TV comic sketch saying "harness the good, release the bad. Harness. Release. Harness. Release."  Funny but true if you think about it. Hold on to good things and let go of the bad that drags you down and takes your focus off God and thus robs you of peace.

Staying in the word of God is the first and foremost thing you can do to combat fear. Of course Satan wants you to be afraid and powerless as then he has you in his grip. Wake up each day knowing the Lord has something special for you today. Get your mind off 'self' and onto others and part of the battle is won. Always thinking of self is selfish anyway.

This leads me back to a verse I have referred to numerous times which is Philippians 4:8 which says "Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admiral, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."

 Are you able to get up each day thanking Him for another day of life? Every day is a gift from God. He loves you no matter what you are going through and wants you to lean on Him. When bad thoughts come into your brain speak out loud "get thee behind me Satan. I refuse to  let fear dominate me as I am a child of God."


PRAYER: Lord today is another day you have blessed me with. If things sometimes make me fearful I know you are ultimately in control. Help me Lord to seek to keep my focus off myself and onto the things of the Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.