Saturday, September 25, 2010

Whom Do I Fear?


I have been blessed with the ability to work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and a phone. A printer and a fax helps as well but not always necessary.

Earlier this week, I sat at my dining room table staring at my inbox, three consecutive emails came through that would deliver the news that the three of my files that I have been working on were no longer viable deals which would result in no income for my family for the following month. As each email hit and I opened, the anxiousness and fear began to well up in the pit of my stomach. I could feel the fear moving its way up inch by inch up from my stomach into my throat. I felt the need to throw up, but I didn't. As quickly as I received those emails I received another email from a fellow Christian blogger who just posted a blog on "Fear." I couldn't open the blog post fast enough. Thinking to myself, "I need this right now, Help me Lord! Because I'm beginning to spiral into the pit of fear and worry!"

As I began to read the blog, I grabbed my Bible and look up the Scripture references given.

I opened up to Mark 4: 35 - 41........
"On that day, when evening came, He said to them, 'Let us go over to the other
side.' Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was;
and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind,
and the waves were
breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus
Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him,
'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?'
And He got up and rebuked the wind
and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.' And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They
became very much afraid and said to one another,
'Who then is this, that even the wind
and the sea obey Him?"

Romans 15:4 says,

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

I was transposed into the pages of my Bible and God showed me that I was just like the disciples. I was fearful as the waves of the storm were coming over the sides of the boat. I began to fear the threats of this world. I'm not alone! Jesus is with me in the boat, why do I fear? I fear because He's not doing anything to stop the waves from crushing down on me! Why Lord are you doing this? My inner voice is screaming this as my mouth keeps silent. To perfect your faith. Trust me Jesus is saying. But I trust in my flesh, but He wants me to trust in Him. Not when I want the storm to stop but when He is ready to stop the storm from crashing onto me. The Creator who has the ability to calm the sea is in the boat with me and I am fearful of what mere man can do to me?
Matthew 10:28
"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."

Romans 8: 35
"Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

v.37-39 "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I've been reading, studying and leading a group of ladies through the book, "Trusting God" by Jerry Bridges. My boat is being rocked and in the danger of possibly being tipped over but I will not fear because I am HIS and HE is MINE. I will not fear because nothing can separate me from my SAVIOR, LORD JESUS. I will not fear man but I will fear GOD. And whatever storm that comes is to build my FAITH in HIM not in my flesh...and it will prepare me for the day when my FAITH will become SIGHT and I will be made COMPLETE. Thank you JESUS!