Did God Know that?

If you are like me you may have wondered  "Why is God asking me to do this? Doesn't he realize that I am not qualified to do that?"
Well, let me ask you- "Has it ever occurred to you that that never occurred to God?"

Moses answered God, “But why me? What makes you think that I could ever go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11

Moses didn't feel qualified either. Moses was no public speaker; he stuttered, he had killed a man and now God wanted him to be a leader to the children of Israel, taking them to freedom. In verse 12 God says that He will be with Moses and he will be with you too.

Go not because of who you are, but because of who He is! Walk On Child of God, Walk On!

Internal Storm

I hope you enjoy this piece I wrote today- It was great news for me yesterday when my Doctor told me the IL2 Treatments are working- though I will need more treatments I will make through - God is with me!!

 

The Internal Storm

Driving alone in the car I feel the inner storm begin to rise.

The pit of my stomach fills with butterflies. 

Thoughts roll through my mind, blowing in and out.

A sense of dread swirls about. 

My grip on the steering wheel tightens in anticipation;

as I pull up to the building I see my reflection.

 

“Calm down” I whisper “God is near”

“You know He promised He’d always be here.”

 

Seeing the Doctor has evoked this fear

But hearing his words was music to my ears.

“The treatment is working” he said with some joy.

 

Storm now evaded a smile comes to my face,

Thank you Jesus for your unending Grace!

Fear

We all know the definition of 'fear' so I don't mean to insult your intelligence, but I wanted to take a  look at the word. I seem to be a bit obsessed with the meaning of "Fear" given I am to begin cancer treatments soon.   The dictionary I used gave the following definition:
1. ‌
‌  a. ‌ A feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.
‌  b. ‌ A state or condition marked by this feeling.‌
‌2. ‌ A feeling of disquiet or apprehension
‌3. ‌ Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.
‌4. ‌ A reason for dread or apprehension

The definitions 1, 2 and 4 make me think of the type of fear I am currently dealing with in this field trip "Cancer".  The one thing that I tell myself every day is that God works all things for my good. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

 

Notice the verse says ALL things, not some things, not just the good things that may be obvious to us, but all things good & bad!  Sort of hard to wrap your mind around isn't it.  If you were to list out your current fears it would show you the places in your heart that you need to develop more trust in God.  Start by choosing definition 3, fear being a reverence and awe of God.   I read somewhere recently that "Fear is a down payment on a

circumstance that may never happen."  I'm not sure who said that, but it makes good sense to me. 

 

There is no scary circumstance that God cannot make some good out of, keep your eyes & ears open and you will discover the good that can come from anything if you give all your fears over to Him. 

 

Prayer today-

God I give you my fears; my fear of needles, my fear of cancer, the fear of my altered life.  Take them and show me the great things you can make of them. I know there will be great testimonies coming, great opportunities to share your love, mercy and grace with others and I look forward to seeing it all. In Jesus name, Amen.





Fear: Fight or Flight?

Fear is the emotion or reaction of a perceived threat. How do you react when in fear? Fight or flight? Are you lashing and bashing or running and deserting?

Reactive Fighting

Mary & Martha were afraid for their brother Lazarus, he was very sick so they sent word to Jesus to come right now. Can you just imagine the urgency of their message? They knew Jesus well and knew he was capable of saving their brother. But two days and Jesus didn’t come, Lazarus died.  Then Jesus shows up. Now can you imagine Mary & Martha coming “unglued “ on Jesus?  They see him coming toward the house, “There that little bugger is” says Martha. She drops the pots and pans she was cooking with (you know she is the event planner) and runs out the door, Mary hot on her heels. They both say:

“If you had been here, our brother would not have died.”

John 11:21, 32

Ok so maybe that is all in my head, the girls were more respectful to him than that according to the Bible, but I may have had a moment…out of fear.

What causes your fear? 

Are you afraid of what others think? Are you judging yourself? You are if you assume you know what others think of you.

A miss diagnosis of who you are can be your biggest hindrance in doing what God wants you to do.  Pastor TJ Hankey reminded us this weekend that God saw Gideon as a warrior, not a man hiding in a pit.

 Gideon replied, “But how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest one in Manasseh, and everyone else in my family is more important than I am.”

Judges 6:15

Gideon, I believe had judged himself to the point he had no self-esteem, I mean he was hiding from the world in a pit! So unsure that he, Gideon, could possibly hear from God, he asked for a sign to be sure!  Gideon’s misdiagnosis prevented him from seeing who he could be and what he was capable of doing; holding him hostage in that pit.

So what are we to do?  Fear will always be there, the only way around it is to overcome it.

Emotions-

Don’t let fear direct your emotions- Bow up to yourself and boss those emotions around!

Get Moving-

God has a plan for all our lives, when you hear God’s voice or feel His urging, get moving.

Pray-

God will give you strength, and everything else you need in just the right timing and portions to do His work. You can bank on it.

Faith or Fear?

 “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24

 This verse is filled with a joyful promise from God; but it doesn’t mean God is your personal vending machine. God still has a plan for your life.  If what you are asking is for the right reasons, by that I mean not out of selfish desires or pride, God may answer your prayer.

Andy Andrews has a book called The Traveler’s Gift.  In one chapter the traveler David Ponder, meets Gabriel in heaven and he takes the David into a warehouse filled with racks and racks of stuff.  There are photos of children, wheelchairs and cures for disease, anything anyone could imagine.

The David asks, “What is this place?”  The Gabriel replies, “ This, my friend, is the place that never was.” Gabriel goes on to explain, “This is the place where we keep all the things that were about to be delivered just as a person stopped working and praying for them. The contents of this warehouse are filled with the dreams and goals of the less courageous.”
 

A Warehouse full of things perhaps no one had enough faith to ask for or didn’t ask for out of fear. Gabriel, in the story, also says that:

 “All men are driven by faith or fear-one or the other-for both are the same.” 

True they are both the same, yet fear takes our faith in the wrong direction. We “fear” the unknown because it hasn’t happened yet and we do not know what to expect. We cannot see it or touch it, only imagine it.  Faith is a belief in something you cannot see or touch- it too is an unknown. But we have faith that it is there just like the air we breathe. Is there a reward in faith? Yes, seeing what you have believed in come to fruition.

"Now faith is being sure we will get what we hope for. It is being sure of what we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1 NLT

Don’t let your dreams end up in God’s warehouse, have the courage to pray for your gift without ceasing, knowing by faith God will deliver your Joy.