WE MAY VERY WELL BE LIVING IN FRIGHTFUL TIMES BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO BE FRIGHTENED PEOPLE
I've never really been a fearful person.
I alway figured everything would be alright in the end.
I used to tell the kids to remember that even if it wasn't alright here, it would be alright there.
Alright there meaning in Heaven.
You would think that my confidence would grow with age.
You would think I would have been nervous our anxious when I was young and didn't know my LORD like I know him now.
But the opposite is true.
I'm more anxious now than I've ever been.
It's everything around me that I allow to make myself be that way because nothing with God has changed.
Somehow I have allowed the goings on around me to make me think God isn't capable or that he is not paying attention so I had better be on guard and be afraid.
I never was the kind of parent to stay up all night worrying about the kids.
I alway figured they would come home and they always did.
I didn't always think going to the doctor was going to result in them coming in and sitting down and talking to you about things you didn't want to hear.
I didn't think children and teachers would be killed at school.
I didn't think people would target law enforcement officers or that disrespect would be rampat.
Terrorism never entered my mind and I didn't think much about nuclear war.
But now I do.
And its then I remember my God.
He knows about all of this stuff and he knows whats going to happen and where and when.
He has a shield around me.
Not a shield that will automatically protect me from a call from the doctor or from a flying bullet but a shield that will protect me from fear.
The truth is we live in a dangerous time.
It's not as dangerous as other times have been though.
We have a lot of bad people in the world but we have to remember we have a lot more bad people in the world now than ever before, because we have a lot more people in the world in general.
We also have to remember that the ratio of good to bad people is heavily tilted in the favor of the good people.
We have to remember with all the things going on in the world every day the huge majority of them go off without a hitch.
No danger and no harm.
We have to remember that most people are just like us.
They are good people looking for peace and kindness.
Satan wants to terrorize us.
He wants to stop us.
We can't let him.
He does it by getting into our minds.
We have all heard it said the reason the Bible says, "Fear Not" 365 times is because God knew we would need to hear it at least once a day.
God meant it when in Philippians chapter 4:8 he said to us, "Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-mediate on these things".
He said that because he created us and knew exactly how we were going to tend to be if we don't take control of our minds.
Think about it.
We don't follow his instructions.
We watch the news 24/7
We post and share every critical or fearful post we see on facebook.
God never meant for his people to stick their head in the sand but he also never meant for us to stew and worry and keep things stirred up.
In 2 Corinthians chapter ten around verse 5 God tells us we are going to have to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.
Well what does that mean?
Well a person who knew a lot more about God and the Bible then I do could tell you a lot better and go a lot deeper than I know how to go but the southern Indiana homemaker explanation of that is this....
Don't just go around thinking every thought that pops into your head or that someone gives you.
You are going to have to decide what you are going to dwell on.
It's up to you.
When you start getting bombarded with doubt and fear and insecurity you can sit down and feast on it and make yourself miserable or you can take that thought captive.
The minute you realize fear and anxiety and insecurity have entered the territory of your mind you need to launch an attack against it.
Don't let it stay there.
Say out loud , Oh no you don't you bad thought you! You are not going to live here today.
Then go back and start replacing that thought with some of the things about, God told you to in Philippians.
You know, pure things, beautiful things, noble things, lovely things, things of good report.
Even when bad things happen, our thoughts will get us through.
If that wasn't true we wouldn't still be reading about people like Corrie Ten Boom or Anne Frank or Apostle Paul or even Jesus himself.
The world is desperate for people who have peace.
For people who have faith.
Faith grows with exercise and we have got to do the things God told us.
We can't just let our feelings and our thoughts run wild.
Decide now to think on good things.
Decide now to be a beacon of light in a dark world.
Make others glad they ran into you today.
Be like the man in John chapter four.
I love what it says about him.
"He took Jesus at his word and departed."
That was it.
That was enough to settle his heart.
It's enough for us too.
Take Jesus at his word and live couragesly
The world needs you.
I alway figured everything would be alright in the end.
I used to tell the kids to remember that even if it wasn't alright here, it would be alright there.
Alright there meaning in Heaven.
You would think that my confidence would grow with age.
You would think I would have been nervous our anxious when I was young and didn't know my LORD like I know him now.
But the opposite is true.
I'm more anxious now than I've ever been.
It's everything around me that I allow to make myself be that way because nothing with God has changed.
Somehow I have allowed the goings on around me to make me think God isn't capable or that he is not paying attention so I had better be on guard and be afraid.
I never was the kind of parent to stay up all night worrying about the kids.
I alway figured they would come home and they always did.
I didn't always think going to the doctor was going to result in them coming in and sitting down and talking to you about things you didn't want to hear.
I didn't think children and teachers would be killed at school.
I didn't think people would target law enforcement officers or that disrespect would be rampat.
Terrorism never entered my mind and I didn't think much about nuclear war.
But now I do.
And its then I remember my God.
He knows about all of this stuff and he knows whats going to happen and where and when.
He has a shield around me.
Not a shield that will automatically protect me from a call from the doctor or from a flying bullet but a shield that will protect me from fear.
The truth is we live in a dangerous time.
It's not as dangerous as other times have been though.
We have a lot of bad people in the world but we have to remember we have a lot more bad people in the world now than ever before, because we have a lot more people in the world in general.
We also have to remember that the ratio of good to bad people is heavily tilted in the favor of the good people.
We have to remember with all the things going on in the world every day the huge majority of them go off without a hitch.
No danger and no harm.
We have to remember that most people are just like us.
They are good people looking for peace and kindness.
Satan wants to terrorize us.
He wants to stop us.
We can't let him.
He does it by getting into our minds.
We have all heard it said the reason the Bible says, "Fear Not" 365 times is because God knew we would need to hear it at least once a day.
God meant it when in Philippians chapter 4:8 he said to us, "Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-mediate on these things".
He said that because he created us and knew exactly how we were going to tend to be if we don't take control of our minds.
Think about it.
We don't follow his instructions.
We watch the news 24/7
We post and share every critical or fearful post we see on facebook.
God never meant for his people to stick their head in the sand but he also never meant for us to stew and worry and keep things stirred up.
In 2 Corinthians chapter ten around verse 5 God tells us we are going to have to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.
Well what does that mean?
Well a person who knew a lot more about God and the Bible then I do could tell you a lot better and go a lot deeper than I know how to go but the southern Indiana homemaker explanation of that is this....
Don't just go around thinking every thought that pops into your head or that someone gives you.
You are going to have to decide what you are going to dwell on.
It's up to you.
When you start getting bombarded with doubt and fear and insecurity you can sit down and feast on it and make yourself miserable or you can take that thought captive.
The minute you realize fear and anxiety and insecurity have entered the territory of your mind you need to launch an attack against it.
Don't let it stay there.
Say out loud , Oh no you don't you bad thought you! You are not going to live here today.
Then go back and start replacing that thought with some of the things about, God told you to in Philippians.
You know, pure things, beautiful things, noble things, lovely things, things of good report.
Even when bad things happen, our thoughts will get us through.
If that wasn't true we wouldn't still be reading about people like Corrie Ten Boom or Anne Frank or Apostle Paul or even Jesus himself.
The world is desperate for people who have peace.
For people who have faith.
Faith grows with exercise and we have got to do the things God told us.
We can't just let our feelings and our thoughts run wild.
Decide now to think on good things.
Decide now to be a beacon of light in a dark world.
Make others glad they ran into you today.
Be like the man in John chapter four.
I love what it says about him.
"He took Jesus at his word and departed."
That was it.
That was enough to settle his heart.
It's enough for us too.
Take Jesus at his word and live couragesly
The world needs you.
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