On Sunday Pastor Bob started a six-week message series entitled FEARLESS, based on a book by Max Lucado. The concept is "Imagine Your Life Without Fear." It's not claiming to eradicate scary things, but help you look to Jesus instead of panicking. After all, Jesus is the expression of God's love, and "Perfect love drives out all fear." 1 John 4:18
Allowing fear to take hold of you is a sin, because it denies the sovereignty and power of God - I think. It's a sin I struggle with constantly, and I mean constantly. From the germ phobias to the "bigger" issues like finances and health. It is significant because fear is often a reason I refuse to do something I know God wants me to do, and disobedience is definitely a sin!
This series couldn't come at a better time for me since I'm facing some huge fear issues. You know about the financial stuff, but there's also the whole termite thing.
To bring you up to speed, we were told the house was treated some years ago and no signs it had been breached. We were calmed by this and moved on. Today we came home from the doctors (Toby is now 18lbs 10 oz - still only 70 percentile) to find termites swarming (flying around in a group) around the back yard. I would compare it to mosquitoes at dusk in the summer!
I ran the kids through the bugs and into the house one at a time. Then promptly checked us all for hitch-hikers. It's like the itch you get when you hear someone has head lice!! I called Scott who had an unusually stressed response and told me to call the exterminator and ask him what to do and if we should move house! (They don't kill them in the yard, just in the house!)
I called Mike the terminator (I like it better than "exterminator"). He persuaded me it is a seasonal thing with the swarming, and we should be able to tell if they are endangering the house, but the untreated shed is definitely vulnerable. we're getting it treated.
No joke, I am waiting for a giant termite to come to the front door and ask to use the phone, just like in the commercials! I'm trying to diminish my fear with the clear understanding that I have been manipulated by the TV commercials for exterminators!
Interestingly, I had a mini- media fast this weekend and watched no TV nor surfed the web. I found that even the innocuous makeover shows play into my fears and desires. Follow me - I see a nice house/yard/wardrobe, I wish I could make similar improvement to mine, I can't because it costs big bucks and WHAM - I start to worry about not having enough money (whatever "enough" is!).
Where does God come into all this? ( I know you're wondering!) Faith is not about believing that God will destroy the termite colonies within 25 feet of our house forever!! Although that is my prayer and hope.
Faith is knowing that God is our source and protector in all circumstances. Should termites get in, he will provide what we need to handle it, including emotional strength, if we do not allow our fears to convince us that we will drown in our problems and there is no hope.
Step by step and day by day I am consciously seeking to make decisions that are not based on fear but on truth and reason. It feels good each time I do!
Anyway, I want to encourage you to move out of fear with me. Take a few moments and really consider what your most consuming fears are. How do they impact your life? If your lifestyle or daily decisions are governed by your fear, guess what - you're a slave to fear.
Jesus offers us freedom.
Allowing fear to take hold of you is a sin, because it denies the sovereignty and power of God - I think. It's a sin I struggle with constantly, and I mean constantly. From the germ phobias to the "bigger" issues like finances and health. It is significant because fear is often a reason I refuse to do something I know God wants me to do, and disobedience is definitely a sin!
This series couldn't come at a better time for me since I'm facing some huge fear issues. You know about the financial stuff, but there's also the whole termite thing.
To bring you up to speed, we were told the house was treated some years ago and no signs it had been breached. We were calmed by this and moved on. Today we came home from the doctors (Toby is now 18lbs 10 oz - still only 70 percentile) to find termites swarming (flying around in a group) around the back yard. I would compare it to mosquitoes at dusk in the summer!
I ran the kids through the bugs and into the house one at a time. Then promptly checked us all for hitch-hikers. It's like the itch you get when you hear someone has head lice!! I called Scott who had an unusually stressed response and told me to call the exterminator and ask him what to do and if we should move house! (They don't kill them in the yard, just in the house!)
I called Mike the terminator (I like it better than "exterminator"). He persuaded me it is a seasonal thing with the swarming, and we should be able to tell if they are endangering the house, but the untreated shed is definitely vulnerable. we're getting it treated.
No joke, I am waiting for a giant termite to come to the front door and ask to use the phone, just like in the commercials! I'm trying to diminish my fear with the clear understanding that I have been manipulated by the TV commercials for exterminators!
Interestingly, I had a mini- media fast this weekend and watched no TV nor surfed the web. I found that even the innocuous makeover shows play into my fears and desires. Follow me - I see a nice house/yard/wardrobe, I wish I could make similar improvement to mine, I can't because it costs big bucks and WHAM - I start to worry about not having enough money (whatever "enough" is!).
Where does God come into all this? ( I know you're wondering!) Faith is not about believing that God will destroy the termite colonies within 25 feet of our house forever!! Although that is my prayer and hope.
Faith is knowing that God is our source and protector in all circumstances. Should termites get in, he will provide what we need to handle it, including emotional strength, if we do not allow our fears to convince us that we will drown in our problems and there is no hope.
Step by step and day by day I am consciously seeking to make decisions that are not based on fear but on truth and reason. It feels good each time I do!
Anyway, I want to encourage you to move out of fear with me. Take a few moments and really consider what your most consuming fears are. How do they impact your life? If your lifestyle or daily decisions are governed by your fear, guess what - you're a slave to fear.
Jesus offers us freedom.
Allowing fear, lust, anger, pride, any emotion, dictate how you live your life is living in slavery. Even if you've received the gift of salvation through Christ, it is up to us to take hold of the freedom and move out of slavery.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
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