When Fear Attacks

 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”

Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV)

     An unwelcome guest moved into my home immediately after my husband passed away. No matter where I turned, he was there. And he never slept. I would wake up and he would begin to whisper and taunt me repeatedly. With every attack, my heart would race in my chest as if I had just run a marathon.  

    “Who’s going to be next?” he would taunt. “Someone else is going to die; who do you think it is?” he would challenge and then fade into the background, leaving me with a choking panic in my throat. One morning my daily phone call to a close friend was not answered. From out of nowhere a voice spoke a thought to my heart. “She’s dead. She was the next one,” he lied. And for an instant, I almost believed him.

     In my defense, within about 5 months, I had lost my brother-in-law, who was more like a brother; my sister who was my best friend and two weeks after that, my husband. I cannot begin to describe the deep heartache and grief that surrounded me. I held on to the Lord with every ounce of strength I had but there were many days when simply breathing became an accomplishment.

     Satan, my unwelcome guest, did everything he could to move into my home – and my heart – with his baggage of lies and deceit. His purpose was to drain my joy and my hope and to shake my very foundation and belief in Jesus.

    The entire book of Psalms became my refuge – my hiding place. I literally ran to my Bible and gripped it tightly as I read one Scripture after another in which David held on to God with everything he had. Why? Because even David had days when he was lonely and defeated and heartbroken and beaten up spiritually. And yes, when he was afraid. David – the warrior – was afraid.

    The Scripture found in Psalm 46:1-2 became a minute-by-minute encouragement to me. David writes “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” That was exactly how I felt: everything beneath my feet had suddenly shattered and I was in freefall with no rope for security.

    If you have not experienced the suddenness of loss, either of a loved one or a job or something secure in your life, you will. Jesus tells us that we will have problems in this world (John 16:33) but the great news is that He has already overcome every single heartache that we will face.

    Because Jesus held on to me and spoke Truth, my unwelcome guest was kicked from my home and my heart and replaced with the power of the Holy Spirit. Oh, Satan still tries to sneak back in every so often. But I no longer live in fear. I live in faith.

    Father, thank you for being my strength when I have none and for always being by my side. I choose to listen to your voice. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 Reflect

• Can you think of an experience when fear took over every part of your life and you found yourself struggling?

• What was the first thing you did? Panic or pray?

 Apply

• There are 150 chapters in the book of Psalms. Read 5 per day for one month. Underline or highlight those parts that specifically speak to your heart.

• Memorize Psalm 46:1-2 and praise the Lord for His presence by your side, no matter what you face in life. He is faithful.

Power

• Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV) “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”

• Psalm 27:1 (NIV) “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?”

• Psalm 16:8 (NIV) “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

A Friend Named Barb

 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

I Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

     When someone needs to be admitted to a hospital because of a serious illness, there usually isn’t much smiling or laughing. That is unless it happens to be one where my friend Barb is a patient. Barb doesn’t look forward to going to the hospital but still has to go. Why? Barb is in a fight with a monster named Cancer.

   You would never know it, though, just by talking with her. Her smile is so beautiful and bright that you are tempted to wear sunglasses just to protect yourself from the glow. And her laugh! It’s a mixture of waves hugging a beach while children are giggling and 50’s music is playing on the radio . . . you just can’t get enough.

   But what stands out above everything else is this: Barb’s focus is not on Barb. Her focus is on those around her and their battles. You see, Barb is an encourager. She spreads love and hope like a refreshing spring rain on a thirsty field of corn.  

   Now before you picture her bouncing and giggling as she goes from room to room, let me be clear: Barb has days when just getting out of a chair makes her tired and she has no choice but to rest as she heals. And yet it is apparent that in the middle of those days, she has a peace and calm that can only come from one source – Jesus. 

   Somehow I think that Paul must have had a friend just like Barb when he decided to write  I Thessalonians. Please understand. Barb has those days when she wonders if it is worth it all, these treatments and the side effects. But she knows something that many of us need to remind ourselves: God has a plan and a purpose for everything we face every single day. 

   She will tell you that God did not cause her cancer but He allowed it. And as her friend, I can tell you that she has encouraged more people than I can ever count to hold on to the righteous right hand of a Father who will never let go of His children through the good and the not-so-good. 

   Let me ask you something: Where are you on the encouragement meter? Do you make a point, even in the middle of whatever is going on in your life, to build others up with a smile and a prayer and a hug? Or is your focus so centered on what you are facing that you cannot see others hurting around you? 

   Please understand this: there is no ignoring the battle going on. Barb simply understands that the One fighting for her wants her to encourage others to stand firm as He fights for them, too. And may I share the response to her encouragement? The other patients look forward to her message of kindness, compassion, and life. Her encouragement gives them hope. 

   Yep. Paul must surely have had a friend named Barb.

    Father, please show me those hurting around me who need to be encouraged so that I may build them up with your hope and love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

 R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Reflect on a time when you went through a particularly tough situation in your life.

• Did your focus turn completely inward or were you able to see others who were hurting as well?

 Apply

• Journal your thoughts on a battle going on in your life right now, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

• Now journal the battle a friend is facing. Add Scriptures that will encourage both of you and share them with your friend.

Power 

• I Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

• Galatians 6:2 (NIV) “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

• Proverbs 25:11 (NIV) “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” 

The Falling Branches

 “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

Romans 8:5 (NIV

   The “ice storm of all time” hit our part of the state where I live a few years ago. Schools were closed, electricity was out for about a week, and everyone scrambled to find ways to heat their homes. Had it not been for so many problems due to the storm, the sheer beauty of ice on the trees would have been breathtaking.

    Instead, people found themselves with damage to their yards and trees because of the ice snapping one massive limb after another and forcing each one to plummet toward the ground, leaving deep scars from the impact of the fall. I was not exempt from that damage in my yard.

   I had an enormous oak tree on the south side of my home that was my best friend in the summer because of the shade it provided. The branches were huge, and the tree majestic. But as I began cleaning up my yard after the storm, I discovered that an enormous dead limb at the top of the oak tree had given in to the weight of the ice and had crashed to the ground, taking with it three healthy limbs.

   As I looked at the damage, my mind switched to the “dead limbs” that we all have in our lives. Maybe it’s gossip, jealousy, an anger issue or always having to be right. Whatever they might be, those dead limbs can do unbelievable damage to our family, our friends, and even to people around us that we might not know well. But they do something else, too. They also damage our relationship with God.

   We are very foolish if we think that our wrong choices will have no consequences and that people will not be hurt or relationships ruined. “Yes, I am having an affair,” my friend told me, “but it only affects the two of us. Nobody will get hurt.” My heart broke in pieces. Nobody hurt? What about your husband and children and his wife and children and the fact that you have destroyed their trust by your actions? One dead branch – an affair – fell, and it took with it several once-healthy branches of spouses and children and trust.

    A young man that I had encouraged to take a different path and stop using drugs stopped me in the hallway at school and said “Listen, I know you care about me. I get it. But just leave me alone and let me do my drugs. Nobody is getting hurt. I’m fine. It’s my life.”  And with each police report in the paper with his name in bold type, his family and friends who love him become casualties from the dead branch of drugs.

    Our gift of the ability to communicate with God is broken when we engage in behavior that does not glorify or reflect His will for our lives. David knew that. He wrote in Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”  David found out the hard way, that cherishing (taking pleasure in) behavior outside of the will of God results in heartache, a broken relationship with God, and consequences. As the dead branch fell - lusting after Bathsheba, a married woman - it ultimately resulted in the death of his son. A  healthy branch - a precious son - gone because of a father’s dead branch choice.

  I encourage you to examine your life for hidden dead branches; they will eventually come crashing down and take healthy branches with them. Any focus outside of the will of God in your life will affect those around you and they will be hurt, or in some cases, even destroyed. And your relationship with God will be hurt as well. When you identify the dead limbs, repent, give them to the Lord, and ask Him to help you cut them off as quickly as possible. Then kneel before Him as He removes each branch and pulls you back into His presence.

    Lord, forgive me for allowing sin in my life.  I repent and ask for mercy as you cut off branches that do not glorify and honor you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What branches of your life have you been trying to hide from the Lord?

• Think through each branch. What could be the result of holding on to these branches? Are loved ones hurt? Relationships destroyed? Is the branch worth the pain it may cause?

 Apply

• Dig into the Word and ask the Lord to show you those branches in your life that do not glorify Him. 

• Make a list with the name of each branch and offer them all up to the Lord. Burn the paper as your offering to Him and your desire to reconnect with Him and His will for your life.

 Power

• Romans 8:5 (NIV) “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

• I Corinthians 10:31(NIV) “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

• Psalm 66:18 (NIV) “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened . . . “    

Don't Forget To Dance!

 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

Romans 12:11 (NIV)

   One of the most precious videos I ever saw showed a two-year-old boy who finally was able to hear for the first time. Having been deaf from birth, he had never heard his mother’s voice or music playing or birds chirping – in other words, all of the sounds that we enjoy and take for granted.

   As the little boy sat on his mother’s lap, she spoke gently to him, calling his name while hearing aids were placed in his ears. “Brian. Brian, it's Mommy.” He jerked his head toward her face, instantly smiled, and bounced up and down on her lap. His father laughed and then cried as his son laughed back at him and reached for his arms.

   Suddenly, in his excitement, the little boy jumped to the floor and danced in a circle, clapping his hands and giggling. What a beautiful reaction to hearing voices for the first time!

   That pure joy reminded me of the moment I decided to give my heart to Jesus. I couldn’t quit smiling and sharing Him with everyone I met. Maybe I didn’t dance as I told my friends and family about the Lord, but inside I couldn’t contain the jig my heart was dancing at my newfound faith.

   Sadly, as I got older, I forgot that excitement for what He did for me and almost ( I hate to admit it) became complacent about my gift of eternity. I guess I could explain my fading enthusiasm by saying that as I got older, I was more dignified in my walk with the Lord. But to be honest, I think that I began to take it for granted and I allowed my extraordinary relationship with Jesus to become ordinary (ouch). Can you identify?

   We must never forget what Jesus did for us. Our hope is not in the temporary but in the eternal. Do you remember the excitement of asking the God of the Universe to live in your heart?

He is still the same Father now as He was when you first met Him face to face.  His truth has not changed. Jesus willingly died for every single one of us. He longs for a relationship with us, His children.

   My encouragement for everyone is simple: share the exciting news of Jesus and His mercy and grace, forgiveness, and love. And while you are at it, don’t forget to dance!

   Father, I never want to take for granted the gift of eternal life that you have given to me. May I share it with enthusiasm with everyone I meet. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

•  Do you remember how you felt the moment you asked Jesus into your heart?

• How does that excitement compare with how you feel today?

Apply

• For one week, make it your goal to share the joy you have as a child of God with one person every day. 

• At the end of that week, write down all the responses you received. Could they see your excitement in your heart for the Lord? 

Power 

• Romans 12:11 (NIV) “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” 

•  I Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

•  Colossians 3:23 (NIV) “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”