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Listen while you read: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"1 (Lyrics) |
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)
One Sunday recently, our minister spoke on the passage in the Sermon on the Mount that begins, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life …" (Matthew 6:25 NKJV) and the topic was worry. The message was very much about the things over which we worry. What to do? Turn to God in prayer. It was a good message.
Later, I was meditating on "worry". It's really fear. I am no stranger to fear — I have fears, and they limit me in all kinds of ways. Things happen in our lives. Life is scary. We can get hurt. We can lose things. I lost my mother, suddenly, when I was six. There's a root of fear right there. Fear often makes us do and say crazy things. It can stall our brains, too. The enemy of our souls uses fear as a weapon against us. He raises fears in our minds and stampedes us into panic. So many people suffer from anxiety these days! Wow! Fear.
So, there's some work to do to go back and find the roots of fear in our minds and hearts, and to re-define ourselves and our lives, not seeing ourselves as weak and helpless to cope with life's problems, but in terms of what we are in Christ: I am a child of God. I am precious in His sight. I am forgiven and redeemed from the enemy's hand. Though the enemy may do his worst, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37 NKJV) We need to stop and look fear in the face and say, "Oh no you don't! I am in Christ and 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'" (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
If I find myself awake in the night stressing about something, I ask myself, What's the worst that can happen? Can I live through that? Has God got this? Yes. Okay then! This past year, I had breast cancer, COVID-19, and a hysterectomy. God said, I've got this, and I wasn't afraid. I didn't worry. This year, I will have back surgery — hopefully soon. God's got this!
To help raise your faith, there's a great song to listen to:
- I raise a hallelujah
In the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah
Louder than the unbelief
– Jonathan David Helser and Melissa Helser
Prayer: Lord God our Father, thank You for giving us victory through Your Son Jesus. Teach us to walk in strength and victory each day, defeating the power of darkness and fear over us. Amen!
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Thanks for the good word, Nan.
Thanks, Nan, for sharing. Blessings.
Nan,
Thanks for the encouragement.
Thanks for your devotional.
Words of wisdom from the Bible.
Thanks Nan
I needed that devotional today. Wishing you all the best.
Thanks for your encouragement and sharing of your trials.
We are not alone. God’s with us.
Bless you for sharing your gift of writing and encouragement. This was so helpful and timely. Shalom and May God bring you healing for your surgery.
Dear Nan,
We must remember that worry is fear. Thanks for reminding us.
(On)
Fear and worry are everywhere these days. Many thanks for sharing your courageous story and tips for facing fear with God’s help. Much appreciated, God bless!
Thank you, Nan. Encouragement for all of us. And- don’t forget, there are many of us who will pray “without ceasing” when you call on us. From one precious child of God to another and old friend.
Good morning, Nan,
Thank you for your good words about worry and fear. Good to see your name again.
Blessings.
My dear friend,
What a lovely surprise to see your name at the end of this devotional!
Well done.
Sending congratulations to a wonderful friend.
Oh Nan, you’ve had so much on your plate but through sharing, you are an inspiration to the rest of us. I give thanks for your faith as it sure is a witness to God’s greatness in defeating the power of darkness and fear!
Peace.
Thanks Nan, this is a keeper.
I am glad that God has brought you safely through the trials of this past year and pray for success in your upcoming surgery. You have gone through a lot recently.
Blessings.
Hi Nan,
Thank you for your timely message about fear! I forwarded to my husband who has been under a lot of stress in his job lately. May God guide and protect you as you anticipate surgery this year.
Wow…powerful!
Thank you.
Praying surgery will be soon and successful and speedy Recovery so you can dance before the Lord!!!!
God bless.
Thank you, Nan. This describes the problem so well: Fear often makes us do and say crazy things. It can stall our brains, too. The enemy of our souls uses fear as a weapon against us. He raises fears in our minds and stampedes us into panic.
And then your question:
What’s the worst that can happen?
Hi Nan
I love to receive devotionals from friends.
You’ve had quite the journey recently and apparently it continues. I wish healing blessings upon you and trust your family to be granted strength to offer you support and love.
(Ontario)
Dear Nan,
Thank you so much for your inspiring devotional. It means a lot to me as my husband and I are facing health issues. Thank you for your words of encouragement! Praise God! You have endured in triumph!
Blessings, Gratitude, Joy, Laughter,
(On)
Thank you for sharing and you used that verse from Psalm 27:1, and somehow that has been special from my high school days when my high school teacher had me sing an arrangement of this Psalm, “The Lord Is My Light” and then later the last two verses–13 and 14 NKJV have been special to me.
Thanks for your help today.
Thank for your words of inspiration this morning I read called Attention all who are Worried and are Fearful. I could relate because I find at times I worry when I should “let go and let God”.
Take care and I look forward to seeing another of your writings in the Presbycan Daily Devotion which is part of my morning devotion.
Thank you, Nan, for your good words this morning. Sorry to hear all the health issues you have had to deal with and be very reassured that the Lord’s love and care will see you through your future surgery. I loved your quote of Phil.4:13 as that is my daily mantra and has seen me through many situations. Our Lord is ever ready to be at our side and He is so deserving of our faith and thankfulness. Blessings for your writing and sharing your deep faith.
Good morning, Nan,
I love the expression “God’s got this”. So encouraging and hopeful. Great Bible passages to support your message. You definitely have had some challenges and are soaring like the eagle in yesterday’s devotional.
Wishing you all the best for a speedy operation on your back and a speedy recovery. Praying that you continue to be inspired to share your thoughts with others.
I loved the song that you provided the link for our enjoyment. Blessings.
Thank you Nan for your great Devotional!
You are so correct !! My friend reminds me always! God’s Got this!
I am in Christ and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
Thank you for the reminder!
Have a blessed day!
Good morning, Nan,
I just want to thank you for your amazing testimony.
Praying that you won’t have to wait too long for your back surgery. God knows the right timing.
Bless you.
Worry, fear can be a positive as we turn to God and His Holy Spirit for comfort and solutions. Amen
Thank you, Nan, for these encouraging words today. Words I truly needed to hear! May God bless you this year and I pray that your back surgery will be successful. God has this! Blessings.
Thank you, Nan. What an essential message!
Blessings Nan!