He Is With Us

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

To live in fear is a terrible thing. I have always been pretty fearless, it’s only by God’s Grace I am still alive and not in prison. (Considering if I went to prison I would definitely be dead – fearlessness + no filter = not good characteristics for prison life!) I very rarely worry, I KNOW I am not in control of anything so spending my time worrying and making myself sick is useless, it won’t change anything. And most things we worry about never happen – it’s the unexpected you have to worry about! Haha! But for some reason I let fear get it’s grips on me the past month, and finally had to confront it. Sometimes God has to press down hard on me to get me to look up. I am just sorry I made the two who love me miserable along with me.

Fear of what is happening in the States; fear for my family and friends there; fear of what will happen to us if Christian was to get very sick and/or die; fear of failing Raelee. Fear that we are not doing enough witnessing to the people around us. Fear of failing the mission God has for us here. Once that snowball got rolling it just got bigger and bigger. God’s word says in Isaiah 41:10:

 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

Fear. One of the enemy’s most popular weapons that he uses against us. Worry, anxiety, fear…it can overwhelm us, drag us into the mire of sin, control every action and every thought we have. It starts to cover everything around us in darkness. I believe it is at times of breakthrough, of hope starting to shine in the darkness  that the enemy fears most and does his best to blind us, distract us. Or times when the world around us is chaotic; sickness, disease and death hit close to us and the devil uses those times to bring us down, make us feel hopeless and helpless.

The answer to my fear – and to anyone’s fear is reading God’s love letter to us, remembering the scriptures He put there for just times like these. I didn’t even get out of bed yesterday until I had listened to music with headphones for a couple of hours and through the words of the songs God spoke to my heart and I spoke to His. He reminded me how much He loves me, He held out His hand to pull me up and out of that pit of fear. He told me He is with me and He is ready to strengthen me if only I will look up. It’s just like when Raelee is frightened and I tell her over and over “Look at me, I am here”.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7

Fear Not. There are choices I have decided to make to keep the enemy and his weapon of fear and anxiety away. I choose to look up. I choose to guard my heart and my mind, I will not look first at the news, at social media as soon as I wake and less everyday. I choose to do more to lighten the load my husband carries. I choose to find ways to parent Raelee with less frustration on both our parts. We are both “outside the box” people – just on different sides of the same box! I choose to fill my mind and my house with music that lifts God and our hearts. I choose God first in the mornings and last at night; and all the time in between I choose to look up. I choose to fill my mind with His truths so that there is no room for lies and darkness. I choose to pray first and pray more. I choose to remember that the One who breathed life into me is in control of everything, that nothing catches Him off guard.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

“But now, this is what the Lord says…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”   Isaiah 43:1

There are many, many more scriptures that talk about fear, anxiety and worry. I believe there are so many because God knows everything we face, He knows the enemy’s schemes and weapons against us and mostly He knows the only way we can stay strong and be courageous it to keep our focus on Him – to look up.

And never fear for He is with us.

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”  Luke 12:22-26