Lately, I have been thinking a lot about God's faithfulness. It just keeps coming up everywhere I go in different ways. Songs on the radio, scriptures I read, conversations I have, the many thoughts that run through my mind...etc.
Last Sunday, not yesterday but a week ago, Pastor Steve talked about fear. Which was just another way God was reminding me of His faithfulness.
Pastor Steve stated 4 main kinds of fears most of us have probably struggled with at one point of time in our life, and possibly still deal with today.
Here they are:
A fear of loss: afraid of losing something. Could be a family member, a job, or control over something.
A fear of failure: nobody wants to fail at something....this could be at your job, school, raising a family, any leadership role you may be in....etc.
A fear of rejection: nobody wants to be told no...
A fear of the unknown: having no idea what is coming next! As a college student of many years...;) I am in this spot. I have absolutely no idea where I will end up after college...but I am kind of excited about that. The possibilities are endless!
Anyway...moving on!
So what does fear have to do with faith? Well, I'm glad you asked! :) Fear means the feeling or condition of being afraid. Fear has everything to do with faith! What you fear reveals where you trust God the least.
You see, God doesn't give us fear....it doesn't come from Him. Do you know where fear comes from?? It comes from the enemy. 1 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." When we walk with God, we are walking in His power and in His love. I will say it again....Fear doesn't come from God, but from the enemy.
In Exodus Chapter 3, God speaks to Moses through a burning bush. I mean, can you imagine...you are just minding your own business when out of nowhere you see a bush on fire. But the bush isn't burning up...it's on fire but not burning up. So Moses walks over to the bush and God starts calling His name, "Moses! Moses". So here God is, speaking to Moses through a burning bush. God calls Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt (verse 10).
Mose's first reaction was, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" So basically he was saying, why me? And then, if you jump ahead to Exodus 4:1, Moses says "What if...."
Let's be honest, if God called me to deliver the people from Egypt, as much as I would like to be able to say I wouldn't, I would probably play the what if game. What if they don't believe me? What if they don't come? What if I don't say the right thing? What if....what if....what if...
When we play the what if game, we scare ourselves. We think of all the things that could possibly go wrong. And when that happens, our fears begin holding us captive. We become trapped in them. Instead of having faith that the Lord is there with us, we get scared and we don't do it. We let the enemy win.
So what areas are you not trusting God in your life? Is it your finances? Your job? School? Family? What fears are holding you captive? And how do you get rid of that fear? It's easy....seek God! Slowly, your fears will go away. Instead of being overcome by fears and worries, you will be walking in God's power and love.
Thanks for being so faithful God! Help me to stay strong in the Lord, and not play the what if game. Show me what fears I have that are holding me captive...what areas of my life I'm holding onto and not completely trusting you with. Take away my fears, Lord! I don't want to be afraid anymore. Have your way in my life...do what you will! I'm ready now. Help me to never doubt your faithfulness. Amen!
Stay tuned! I want to also share with you Pastor Pete's message from yesterday....here is a hint....string cheese! :)
