The Lord is not hesitating because of fear…He is not wavering out of doubt. He is instead calmly, quietly waiting. Waiting for all on their own free will to repent…for in the end, He knows that the time is coming when every knee will bow before Him in judgment.
Tag: thanking god
Psalm 119:95 “… I will ponder Your statutes.”
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I enjoy mindless tasks…a simple job that can be done almost automatically without little attention. It’s those quiet times that the Lord can speak very clearly to my soul and allow me to reflect on Him. In the middle of a mindless task – today it’s shelling peas – He reminded me of my childhood days and the family garden. Shelling a mountain of peas, or at least I thought it was a mountain of them, was a family affair. My Grandmother and Great Aunt would come out to the farm to help. Mom and Dad would get up early and pick, we would all congregate under the large shade trees and the shelling would commence. Conversation would start out lively, but soon talk slowed as we worked in companionable silence. After what I thought was an eternity, the peas were shelled and taken into the kitchen, while the kids gathered up all the pea shells and gave them to the pigs. Ah, those lovely mindless tasks … a time to ponder God and wonderful memories.
Job 12:10 ” In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
God is the Lord of life. Everything in this vast universe is under His watchful eye…not the tiniest detail escapes Him. Our very life breath is orchestrated under His guidance…so the next time you’re wondering if God even notices you and what you may be going through…take a deep breath…feel your heart beating, and thank Him for being in the palm of His mighty hand.
I John 4:4 “…Because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. “
If somehow this verse could be truly realized and utilized by all Christians, our mindset would be changed forever. We would then be certain that the indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to not fall prey to the devil’s gimmicks of doubt and fear. We would then walk in faith and trust, ignoring those hailstones of doubt trying to freeze us in place with fear. The devil’s greatest deception of Mankind is making us doubt God, ourselves, and this verse.
Romans 8:31 ” If God is for us, who can be against us? “
Allow this verse to sink into your soul…pondering the words and meaning. If the Almighty God is defending, protecting, and caring for you…what do you have to fear? If the Maker of the Universe is ever watching over you…what could possibly make you afraid? The enemy may want you to think that you’re alone and defenseless…but you have an all powerful Heavenly Father whispering, ” Fear not! “
Matthew 21:21 ” I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt…”
Doubt divides our mind into what we believe, and what suddenly we’re uncertain about. It causes us to question, which leads to wavering, which leads to apprehension, which leads to anxiety, which leads to fear. Doubt is like a cold, hard hailstone that the devil lobs our way, hoping it will freeze us up with fear. That hailstone of doubt will turn our belief into disbelief, and our trust into mistrust. Doubt comes first, and if allowed, fear will follow.
Psalm 53:5 ” There they were in great fear, where there was nothing to fear.”
Fear will wrap up our minds, making it play tricks on us. Our mind will immediately race to worst case scenario anytime the phone rings in the middle of the night. A fearful mind won’t allow us to sleep at night as the “what ifs” swirl around in our brain like bats. Fear wraps up our mind, causing us to behave irrationally and paranoiac.
Proverbs 4:25 ” Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”
Fear will wrap up your eyes, not allowing you to see clearly. You will be looking, but not seeing…seeing but not perceiving correctly. By turning a blind eye to atrocities…you are silently condoning the actions… and panicking against becoming involved. Fear will wrap up your eyes, making you blind to the truth.
Psalm 38: 13 ” I am like a deaf man who cannot hear.”
Fear will wrap up our ears making us unable to hear. We can then turn a deaf ear to things…refusing to listen. Or we’ll hear, but not listen and understand what’s being said. For fear causes our brain to be unable to focus on small details…so listening intently becomes difficult…because our brain is concentrating on the big picture of fight or flight. Fear will wrap up our ears and make us unable to discern the Lord’s voice clearly.
Jeremiah 51: 46 ” Do not lose heart or be afraid.”
When fear wraps up our heart, we are unnerved and intimidated. We become faint hearted and disheartened…fear preventing us from taking action. As fear wraps up our heart, it destroys our confidence in ourselves…and sadly our confidence in the Lord.
Safetypinlove 