Fear can be a crippling thing....if we let it. Fear can prevent us from doing things, from adventuring out of our comfort zone. If we let fear have control.........we can miss out on a lot! But, if we learn to go to our Father during times of fear, we can gain faith! Psalm 56:3-4 says, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." Fear will bring out the faith in your life!! In Psalm 55, David is talking about being betrayed by Ahithopel. Ahitopel had been a dear friend of David's, and he had betrayed him and gone over to Absalom's side. David writes: "For it was not an enemy that reproached me....but it was thou, a man mine, equal, my guide (companion), and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God ..." David is so hurt by Ahithopel's actions. He could see it more if it had been an enemy that had done this, but it was a friend. In vs. 16-17 Davids says, "As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and he shall hear my voice." When fear strikes in your life........it will make you pray more!!!
Okay, so here is my newest fear...........my oldest child is 15 yrs. old, and has her learner's permit. It's not that she is a terrible driver........she's a wonderful driver. I am proud of her, and frankly, very impressed. But, let me tell ya........like ole David, I have certainly been praying more! If you are a parent, then you know that with each new phase in your child's life, comes more things to pray about. If you are a parent of a baby or young child, just fasten your seatbelts, honey! Just when you pray through one phase, another one hits with a whole new set of things to pray about!
Kaylea took driver's ed in school before she got her learner's license. She is prepared and knows the rules of the road. But, as we learn throughout life, it is experience that is the real teacher. She could spend years studying all sorts of books about driving, but until she puts it into action, and experiences driving, she will never get any better!
Same with our spiritual walk. We can read the Bible 24 hours a day........and that would be great.........but until we start putting the Bible into action in our lives, we will be weak, inexperienced christians!
Kaylea is fearful when she gets behind the wheel.........and that's a good thing! When you fear something, you respect it, you do your best, you are alert and on top of things! Just don't let fear take control of you, and keep you trapped! Kaylea improves and continues to learn each time she takes my car for 'a spin'. Her fear.........her respect for driving.........is increasing her faith in what she has learned about driving in class and in the books.
Fear the Lord, respect Him enough to read His Word and pray daily. As you do this, then your faith will increase. It's a wonderful cycle. The more you learn of Christ, the more you want to learn of Him!!! Don't let fear push you into the pit of doing nothing, of bullying you out of your relationship with Christ! Put your trust in God and then, you too, can say, "...I will not fear what flesh can do unto me!"
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