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Home Fearless Journey
January 23
Only Thing to Fear
In righteousness you shall be; you shall be from oppression, for
you shall not fear; terror, for it shall not come near you.
Isaiah 54:14 NRS
Have you heard FDR’s first inaugural address, the “nothing to fear but
fear itself” speech? I am sure you have heard these profound words by Franklin
D. Roosevelt after he campaigned against Herbert Hoover in the 1932
presidential election. This inaugural address took on an unusually solemn
religious quality. Many of the points he used throughout the address were
related to Old Testament passages. Roosevelt told the nation “that the only
thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He knew that if fear set in people’s
minds and hearts that panic will result in prolonged suffering. FDR told
people that there was hope; they were “not stricken by a plague of locusts.”
He explained that the nation’s forefathers believed in God and were not
afraid. FDR continued his speech with this statement “these dark days will be
worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be
ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow man.” In
closing his address FDR prays, “In this dedication of a nation we humbly ask
the blessing of God. May he protect every one of us. May he guide me in the
days to come.” I know that by the above words, he had an understanding of
God’s word. He knew what trials and oppressions the people in Isaiah 54
experienced. He knew that fear can destroy a man, a nation. He wanted to
change peoples thinking, he believed the way out of the depression was by each
person ministering to his fellow man. If we are in right standing with God,
fear him alone and allow God to teach us during times of darkness, serve him
while serving others. We will overcome depression. We will overcome suffering,
hard times. God will see us through, not unlike FDR and the great depression
of the 1930’s.
Lord, Thank you for freeing me from depression and suffering. Help
me to be in right standing with you. Amen
February 5
Splendor of the King
Say to those who are afraid, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your
God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”
Isaiah 35:4 NLT
When the Lord comes, he will display his glory and splendor. He will
open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap
and sing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and morning will disappear and we
will be overcome with gladness. The passage of scripture is Isaiah’s
prophecies of the days to come. We do not need to fear the future because of
what Jesus did in the past and what God promises to be near. The Lord can
display his glory and splendor now through us. We need to allow God’s awesome
power to manifest itself through his Holy Spirit. The lame can walk, the blind
can see, and the broken hearted can rejoice by the power that is in the name
above all names, the name of Jesus. Be strong, be comforted, and do not fear.
He has come to save you.
Lord, Thank you for saving me. Thank you for your Holy Spirit.
Help me be a vessel to unleash your glory and splendor. Amen
March 5
Actions of Love
Greater love has no one than
this that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 NIV
I read a story about a young boy who was sent to the corner store by his
mother to buy a loaf of bread. He was gone much longer than it should have
taken him. When he finally returned, his mother asked, “Where have you been?
I’ve been worried sick about you.” “Well,” he answered, “there was a little
boy with a broken bike who was crying. So I stopped to help him.” “I didn’t
know you knew anything about fixing bikes,” his mother said. “I don’t,” he
replied. “I just stayed there and cried with him.” Sometimes loving one
another does not always take words but actions. This boy could not solve the
problem of a broken bike. He could not offer a ride or even advise. What we
could offer was love. Without saying a word, his love comforted the other
young boy. Jesus laid down his life for us. He gave us the command to love one
another just as he has loves us. He loves us more than we can comprehend and
he requires that we love one another. Sometimes we do not think we have much
to offer to those that are hurting, those that are broken down and distressed.
We have the greatest gift anyone could give, we have Jesus and we have his
love.
Lord, Thank you for your love. There truly is no greater love than
you. Thank you for my friends. Help me to share you and your love with others
in need. Amen
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June 6
Shake the Gates
James, and John, the sons of
Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not;
from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
Luke 5:10 KJV
John Wesley once said, “Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin
and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or
laymen, they alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of
Heaven upon earth.” Jesus then called James and John and told Peter they were
to be fishers of men. We are all called to be fishers of men. As John Wesley
indicates, it does not matter if we have a PHD in religion or have been saved
for years. He who fears sin and desires God makes the gates of hell shake. As
‘The Rock’ and ‘The Sons of Thunder’ stood on the banks of the Sea of Galilee,
they were commissioned to leave all they had and follow Jesus. They were
called to catch men for Christ. Jesus tells them not to fear, they would not
let fear prevent their ministries from fulfilling Christ’s call. These anglers
shook the gates of hell; these laymen spread Christianity to Samaria, Judea,
and to all the ends of the earth. Are you sharing Christ with others? Have you
dropped your nets and followed Him? Do you fear sin and desire God?
Lord, Thank you, you subside all my fears. Help me to share your
wonderful name. I want to be a servant that fears only sin. I desire to be
with you, help me share that desire. Amen
June 18
My Fathers Hand
I am holding you by your
right hand. I, the Lord your God. And I say to you “Do not be afraid. I am
here to help you.”
Isaiah 41:13 NKJV
My dad was not a Christian as I grew up but he was a good father. He was
a carpenter by trade and worked with his hands all his life. I remember his
hands were strong and when he would hold my hand, I felt safe, secure,
protected and proud he was my father. My dad passed away when I was 14 years
old and I lost that security. At the age of 32, I found my heavenly father
with his hand stretched out to me. Now he is holding my hand and I feel even
safer, more secure, more protected and blessed. I feel no fear-He is here to
help me.
Lord, Thank you for never leaving me or forsaking me. Thank you
for holding my hand and taking away all of my fears. Amen
July 18
To Fear or Not to Fear
“Don’t be afraid,” Moses,
said, “For God has come in this way, with thunder, lightening and smoke to
show you his awesome power. From now on let your fear of him keep you from
sinning.”
Exodus 20:20 NLT
Do you fear God or are you afraid of God? One of the hardest things
Jason & I had to do in writing Journey to a Fearless Life was to differentiate
between the statements to ‘fear not’ and the scriptures that tell us to ‘fear
God’. This scripture has both types of fear within the context. First, the
word fear in Hebrew has more than one meaning. When Moses said ‘do not be
afraid’ or ‘fear not’ he was using the Hebrew word yare’, which means
frightened or terrified. When he told the Israelites to ‘fear God’, he used
the Hebrew word yirah, which means to revere or have reverence to God. We need
not be afraid of God in a frightening way, not wanting him to draw near to us.
We should have a reverent awe of who He is, God almighty.
Lord, I understand how great and mighty you are. I know how
blessed I am to be forgiven of my sins and I revere you above all others. I
will not be afraid to draw close to you and allow you to speak to me words of
wisdom, knowledge and understanding. In Jesus name, Amen
August 24
Conquest and Commitment
…None of their enemies could
stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies.
Joshua 21:44 NLT
Did you ever notice how most of the people who have really
affected this world for the good have been people who had a great drive for
accomplishment? Not necessarily a desire to make themselves great, but an
unfailing desire to do great things. They had a spirit that would not give up,
even in the most discouraging of times. Abraham Lincoln faced many losses in
congress before he finally was elected as President. Thomas Edison went
through hundreds of filaments before he found the right one that would bring
about the light bulb. Many of the great discoveries of our world today came
about because of an undying determination. There are two attitudes that need
to be in each of our lives as believers: Conquest and Commitment. Joshua had
commitment and was on a journey of conquest. Neither of these two attitudes
has a place or room for fear. If Joshua allowed fear to enter into his
thinking, he would have not been able to conquer or be fully committed to the
cause. The same went for Abe and Edison, if fear of failure was a factor, than
neither of these men would be considered an American hero. None of our enemies
can stand against us; none of the obstacles that stand in our way of achieving
greatness should be a result of fear. The Lord helped Joshua as He will help
you and I conquer our enemies.
Lord, Thank you for your help. Without you, I would be nothing. I
will be committed to you and be more than a conqueror. Amen
October 30
Well Pilgrim!
No weapon formed against you
shall prosper.
Isaiah 54:17 NIV
My brother-in-law Jay is a huge John Wayne fan. He can tell you every
line of every movie The Duke was ever in. Jay has John Wayne collectibles
around his house, even a life size cut out of the movie star, along with a
stack of his movies. In most of the actor’s roles, he played a cowboy, a
soldier, or some form of tough guy that used weapons, primarily a six-shooter
or a rifle, for defense. He defended off bad guys and protected the cause he
was fighting for, the leading lady, or his battalion of men. As Christians
there are, other types of weapons are formed against us. The enemy does not
always point a gun at us, or launch a grenade our direction in the literal
sense. He often tries to defeat us by placing doubt in our minds, division in
our hearts, and temptation to our eyes. The scripture says that no weapon
formed against us can prosper. We have authority over anything the devil might
throw our way. Just as John Wayne would fire back at outlaws with his rifle,
we can fire back against our enemy with the word of God. When doubt enters our
thoughts, we can look at scripture for assurance. When division enters our
hearts, we can look to God for unity. When temptation presents itself, we can
withstand the pressure by letting God direct our ways. No weapon formed
against us shall prosper. We can be confident in our faith, we can be a John
Wayne for Jesus, willing to take aim at the enemy and fight for our beliefs.
Lord, I am for you so who can be against me. No weapon of the
enemies can come near me because of your love. I have the authority in your
name to fend off those thoughts and temptations that are not of you. Amen
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