Sunday, January 11, 2009

When Fear leads to Power

"Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." ~ Joshua 1:9

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but has given us a spirit of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." ~ II Timothy 1:7

  • verses courtesy of The Everyday Life Bible: Amplified Version
Fear - noun
an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat
• archaic a mixed feeling of dread and reverence
• ( fear for) a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone
• the likelihood of something unwelcome happening

  • definition courtesy of Apple Computer Dictionary
There is a fear and anxiety within me over the last several months that has become toxic and overwhelming...a fear I'd rather deny as having any existence at all. So I went to the word, God's Word to find truth to battle the fear and what I found was very surprising. It is when we face our fears and follow God with absolute abandon despite our fears and anxieties that we find the power He has laid out before us. There is so much that God has for us, that He desires for us, but that means leaving the fear behind and fully trusting in Him. I learned the hard way this last year that through disobedience God will find a way to make things as they should be, no matter how much it may hurt us. God has no fear of hurting us, not in a physical way, but in a Fatherly way. For He knows the best solutions, the best path that we should take and although He never forces us to do what is right (the first time) He will find a way to get us where we should be.

In early March I chose disobedience, I chose to ignore the things that God would speak to me and wake me with in the early hours of the morning. As a result He found a way to make things as they should be only a few months later and I found myself in tremendous pain. Could it have been avoided, maybe...could it have ended differently, possibly...but I chose to go my own way instead of facing my fear head on.

Now here I am faced with another fear and I have another choice to make. I can choose to believe that God has it under control and that no matter what happens His plan is much higher than mine...or I can choose my way again. I don't really have a solution with this fear within me, all I know is that I'm at a crossroads in my foundation, with the Spirit, and with my trust in God. This time I choose to face my fear head on hoping that through it all, no matter what the result, it will lead to the power God has laid out before me, to the power He has called me to. I want all He has for me, and that means being here, now, and leaving the rest up to Him.

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