Fear Not!

I wanted to share these passages of Scripture with you. Notice especially the text in RED.

God is on your side!

Psalm 27:1-3

“The LORD is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the defense of my life;
-
Whom shall I dread?

When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,

My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

Though a host encamp against me,

My heart will not fear;

Though war arise against me,

In spite of this I shall be confident.”


Psalm 46

“God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change

And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,

Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride…

The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;

He raised His voice, the earth melted.

The LORD of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our stronghold…

Cease striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

The LORD of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our stronghold.”


Psalm 112

“Praise the LORD!

How blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

Who greatly delights in His commandments.

His descendants will be mighty on earth;

The generation of the upright will be blessed…
He will not fear evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is upheld, he will not fear”


Proverbs 3:25-28

“Do not be afraid of sudden fear

Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;

For the LORD will be your confidence

And will keep your foot from being caught.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

When it is in your power to do it.

Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back,

And tomorrow I will give it,’

When you have it with you.”


Isaiah 35:3-6

(Jesus quoted from these amazing verses to John the Baptist when
John was in prison and was questioning the Messiah’s goodness!)

“Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.

Say to those with anxious heart,

"Take courage, fear not

Behold, your God will come with vengeance;

The recompense of God will come,

But He will save you."

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened

And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

Then the lame will leap like a deer,

And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.”


Sermon on the Mount

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:19-25)


Jesus to His newly commissioned disciples

"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master… Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:24-31)


Upper Room encouragement

"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also… Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:1-3, 27)

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)


Not a spirit of fear

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. You have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ …

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:14, 18)


Fear not, but be ready

“Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:14-15)


Love casts out fear

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18)


Peace of God… God of peace!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4-9)

Fear of the Future?

Probably the greatest temptation during times of economic uncertainty is to hoard your wealth. Fear and uncertainty can create the following three temptations:

• A longing for a life of comfort and ease.
• The Perceived right to a particular lifestyle.
• The desire to be protected from any consequences of economic uncertainty.

taken from Ron Blue and Jeremy White Surviving Financial Meltdown page 33.

Wisdom from Ecclesiastes

Have you ever read through Ecclesiastes in the Bible? i have and it can seem quite depressing but what I do appreciate about it is the perspective it gives on riches or wealth during these kind of economic times.

This morning Bob Lepine read from and commented on Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:12 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=eccl%205:10-6:12&version=31).

It is a good reminder that wealth can be a stumbling block to knowing God. Wealth can seem like such a desirable good but it also creates such a need for attention that it distracts from what is truly important!

In 5:10, Solomon shows us how wealth also will never satisfy our craving for meaning or purpose.

Verse 12 seems to point to the fact that those who have much wealth end up with sleepless nights worrying about their wealth. It is like a magnet. Wealth just draws us towards itself. In this case wealth is having more than we immediately need.

So what do you think? Are you wealthy? and if so how does your wealth affect you?

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Encouraging News from a WTR

You just never know how God is going to use what you are doing to impact people.
Consider this one couple who came to a WTR a year ago.
No greater mission—EVERY home a godly home,

Nick

Dear FamilyLife,

I really should share with you. Last year, my husband and I attended because we had been struggling with each other due to infertility and many problems with adoptions. We had had so many ups and downs with the adoption that it was taking a toll on us. The week-end was amazing and we left renewed. At the conference I had put a prayer in the prayer box for "the perfect placement of our daughter" as we were pursuing an adoption of a little girl in Taiwan. We left on Sunday, feeling really good and then on Monday received a horrible e-mail stating that there were new requirements that we did not meet for the adoption (after 10 months of turning in paperwork, sending money and going through the home study). We felt like God had turned his back on us. Really I'm not sure we as a couple would have been strong enough to have endured this had we not just attended the conference. To make a long story short, we then found out we were pregnant in October and in January found out it is a girl. I now realize God did answer our prayer of the perfect placement of our daughter, just not the way we thought it would happen. Praise God. Thank you so much for offering such a wonderful week-end.

Rosy