Fighting Fear with Faith

Hebrews 11:1 – 2 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see. For by it the people of old received God’s commendation.

The writer gives examples of faithfulness. Then he carries on his point in Chapter 12

Hebrews 12:1 - 13 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,  keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin. And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?

“My son, do not scorn the Lord’s discipline or give up when he correct you.

“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.” (quoting Proverbs 3:11-12)

 Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you do not experience discipline, something all sons have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. Besides, we have experienced discipline from our earthly fathers and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life? For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

There are so many points to talk about in these scriptures, but I want to focus on LIVING in (and by) FAITH.  Note in Ch11, verse 1, the writer sets the stage with a basic definition of faith and follow it with historical examples. What he also implies is that faith must be followed by a-c-t-i-o-n. It is not enough to believe that something is true, we have to act on it. If I believe I can run a marathon, but I never even enter the race, what good is it. When I was a teenager (ancient history lesson here – haha), I used to tell people that I could be a great country singer, but I never tried (to the glee of many folks around me). Therefore you will not see my name in lights or buy my CDs at Walmart or download them from the internet. That is kinda what the writer is saying here.

Training camps are firing up across the NFL in preparation for another exciting Football Season. Hopeful players/millionaires are straining their bodies and spirits to make the team and allow themselves to perform at their optimum level. To reach that level they must endure the pain and discipline of training and conditioning. Their goal is the FAITH that if they follow the direction of their coaches, they will win the prize. It is the same thing in the spiritual world. We must train and condition ourselves for spiritual warfare and discipleship of Jesus, THE Christ with the FAITH in His “program” to win the prize and commendation of the Creator of the Universe, our adopted Father.

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I am finding this encouraging to me and my situations and hopefully you will get something from it as well.  Fight FEAR with FAITH and follow Coach Jesus’ instructions!!!!

A good friend of mine commented on my last blog that “When fear knocks at the door, I send Faith to answer and many times no one was there.   Hmmmm makes sense to this Old Country Boy

May God Bless You and Yours

Gene

Fight the Fear

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.”  (Romans 8:15)

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Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:6-7 )

Easier said than done. I know. I am faced with fear every day. My fears are mostly irrational and not based on anything in particular except the unknown. While fear can play a big part in survival, it can also (and most of the time) be debilitating. I find myself giving up a project or action because I do not know how it will turn out or if it will succeed. I also tend to over-analyze situations and circumstances to the point of seeing things that may never happen. I have said many times that the only things I control is my attitude and my actions. Others may perceive my attempts in ways that I have not intended, but that is something I cannot control.  Even though I KNOW this, it still factors into my actions at times.

The most important fact about fears that we should always bear in mind is this: Fear is not a rational response to whatever challenges stare at us in life. And it is all in our mind, within us, and not anything external to us.
The purpose of fear is to protect us from life threatening circumstances. For example: to run away when there’s a bear chasing us, or to be careful when handling live electric wires. Fear can cause us to make an irrational response to challenges we face. Fear imposes limits on our minds, removing our clarity and leaving only negative thought patterns. Fear causes us to act emotionally because we panic, our mind shuts down and we respond instinctively to protect ourselves and our egos.
Fear hinders us in situations where there is no direct threat to life, but we might perceive a threat to our life as we know it. Fear of failure is one of the most crippling emotions that can limit your potential in life. Fear of social censure makes one feel lonely. Fear of heights takes away the joy of reaching mountain peaks and touching the clouds.
Here are a few verses that I find helpful and that I NEED to keep in mind when fear attacks me. I hope that you will find it useful sometimes as well.
Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.
(NKJV)
Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
(NKJV)
Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
(NIV)
Matthew 10:26
Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
(NKJV)
Matthew 10:28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
(NKJV)
1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
(NIV)
1 Peter 3:13-14
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."
(NIV)
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
(NIV)

Please pray for me as I am going through one of those fearful stages now … Thank you all

May God Bless You and Yours

Gene

Another Saint Goes Marching In

1 Thessalonians 4: 13 -18

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Yesterday, we had another saint march home. James Laza Jr. passed on to be with our Lord at St Mary's Hospital in Huntington WV. He was the Pastor of New Hope Community Church of God in Huntington. He is survived by his mother Shirley Laza who lost her husband only this past May. Please keep the Laza family and friends in prayer as they grasp and grieve the earthly loss of this fine man. Also keep in mind that we do not have to grieve as unbelievers. Paul writes (see above) that because of the resurrection of Jesus, THE Christ, when we graduate from this earthly course, we will be present with our Sovereign Savior. So although we can express the personal loss of a beloved believer from earth, and morn the physical loss of a dear friend, we should also acknowledge the “promotion” to a heavenly place beside Creator of All.

 

I am certain that Brother James is hearing the words directly from THE WORD – “Matt 25:23 - His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’

 

May God Bless You and Yours

Gene

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY BEST FRIEND, MY LOVER, MY WIFE!!!

I know these past 7 years have not been a holiday (unless you count Halloween with all the scary times and troubles), but you have made my life fuller and more exciting than it has ever been. I LOVE you and look forward to the rest of our lives together.


Our vows included "for better and for worse" I hope you have endured all the "for worse" part because you deserve many, many years of the "for better" part of our union. Since "We Danced" (thanks Brad Paisley), we have seen life's ups and downs and witnessed the miracle of 3 grandchildren. You have given me the opportunity to know love like I have never known before and a family that has shown me the purpose God has for every man ... to pass on his stories, experience and whatever wisdom he has accumulated throughout
his life to the next generation. We have laughed and we have cried TOGETHER. Our lives has been sung about in just about every love song ever written.

The following verse sums it all up .....

When she reaches that River,

Lord you know what she's worth.

Give her that Mansion up yonder,

'Cause She's been through Hell here on Earth.

Lord give her my share of Heaven,

If I've earned any here in this life.

'Cause I believe she deserves it,

My Woman, My Woman, My Wife

(Marty Robbins)

May God Bless You and Yours

Gene

Just Checking In

Hey everyone ,

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post, but things have been a little hectic lately. We have FINALLY moved into our new apartment and I have assumed the duties as the building manager, so my time has been quite stretched getting all my tools accessible and unpacking. I continue my search for spiritual insights and lessons that will improve our Life Experiences  as the days go by. Please be patient and pray for me as I try to find a place in my schedule to accomplish all of that. I am certain that I NEED to keep immersed in God’s Word and seek HIS will and direction if I am to climb out of this depression and spiritual funk.

Today, I have to take the dog to the vet for his last regiment of shots and then to Chantal's for coffee and measure windows for the kid's blinds ...then back home to
do stuff in the apartments ....busy day today . I hope you all a wonderful and productive day as well :)

May God Bless You and Yours

Gene