O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.
Memory of the Month: Proverbs 15:1-A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Today's reading: ISAIAH 28-29 PHILIPPIANS 3
The Path Of Life
At age 6, I looked up at my 50 year-old Dad and asked, "Daddy, will this be over before school starts?"
Like everyone else in our country, I was afraid of all the talk about the Cuban missile crisis. My Dad smiled and said, "No, I don't' think so..." He had fought in the Philippines in World War II and knew he couldn't promise anything-but he put his hand on my shoulder and walked...
My Dad was 9 when World War I ended. Then came the 'roaring twenties' with all the gangsters and then the great depression, World War II, the Korean War, The cold war. By 50, my Dad's life had spanned some awful things.
My life has spanned some awful things. Awful things are going to happen in each life span-each generation will face different challeges and horrors. All the while, people chase their dreams...
Terror has always been and will always be. Why, then, have we not learned to cope with it better. With each new thing that comes along, there is a new 'knee-jerk'. Tighter laws, looser morals. Some think you can legislate security. Some think we have no choice but to live without boundaries.
The one thing that can be guaranteed in this world is fear. I could try to say that all fear is not bad, but then I would be forced to draw a line and pretend I know when fear becomes a wicked thing. So, all I can say is that the Bible says 'fear not'. In the Bible Jesus says "fear not" and "let not your hearts be troubled".
We can see danger and take every precaution without fear, this is prudence-doing the right thing at the right time-but we have no power to stop the onslaught of the enemy.
Only God is bigger than danger and terror and He says for us not to be afraid.
That is said so easily. So how can we not be afraid? Billions of people live in fear but keep going. They live their lives and cope-but afraid. Why? People don't just run from danger, they run from the truth. That means they run with fear away from the truth. It that rational? The enemy does not do rational things.
The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy-John 10:10, Luke 22:31, 1 Peter 5:8. The enemy knows that if you seek God's help in Christ and defeat personal fear, he has no power over you.
Have you ever been afraid you would miss something special like the 'next better' thing? There are hundreds of things we fear-and God says to fear none of them-why? He is bigger-always. Stack all the power up in the world and then cover it with all the money and it is still only a speck in the landscape of God's being.
So why is our world so wicked? Why doesn't God fix it? God gave us all a free will-choice. The path to a life of no fear-a life of confident assurance that your life is in the palm of God's hand and nothing can pull you out-this is a choice. We make this choice every waking moment to live in God's presence or not.
There is a place of quiet rest-near to the heart of God. This means that as we live this life we put ourselves under His hand and face, with peace and assurance, all that the enemy throws at us.
Do we trust God with the ones we love most? We must.
My Dad lived through a time of 4 wars and knew that war is futile. He knew fear and it is also futile-wasted, emotional energy.
Spend your emotional energy wisely and rationally and humble yourself-ego and all- under God's hand. Nothing in this spiritual world can harm you if you choose to be conscious of God's protection around you.
Seek God first before anything else-ask Him what He thinks about mental terror and suddenly you realize that no terror exists in God's presence. That is because sin is not allowed in His righteous presence.
That is why the Bible says , "Seek His face".
Psalm 27:8: “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘O LORD, I will seek Your face.'”
Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy.
Do you hear God saying, "Seek My face"? He is speaking to you...
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven,
I do fear-a lot. I confess I have not searched for your truth. I give you my fears. I give you my sin. Have mercy on me.
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