Archive for the ‘Fear’ Category

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Fear Of Failure

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

We know there are all kinds of fear.

God gives us hope to be rid of fears in our lives when He tells us that His perfect love casts out fear.  I’ve repeatedly told those who care to listen there is only one fear we are supposed to have.  The reverential fear of God is the only fear we should have.

Yet, I’ve been afflicted with all kinds of fear during my lifetime.  I’ve had to let God show me how to increase my faith in Him and His perfect love.  I’ve not only known the fear of failure but I have failed many times.

I am delighted to type about how just this day I read how our brains are geared to accept failure as if it is a learning tool.  We can learn from our own mistakes or we can learn from other people’s failures.  We don’t have to fear failure if we learn to grip it as the learning tool it is meant to be.

In 1983 I was attending a women’s prayer meeting when I was reminded again about how God’s Word says all things will work out for our good.  It takes faith to believe in God. It takes more faith to believe He is the good working God He says He is. 

I praise and thank the Lord God Almighty because He is faithful and true.  He says all things will work out for our good to the ones who love Him and He will make it all happen. 

His hand is not too short to save.  He is more than able to do what He declares will be done. 

Don’t fear failure.  Be prepared for times when it looks like failure is yours.  Yes, be prepared to trust the Living Lord to help you see how it will all work out for good.

God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap.  If a man sows to the flesh he will reap corruption.  If he sows to the spirit he will reap life.  See Galatians 6 for more on the subject of sowing and reaping. 

You may ask why I placed Scriptural thoughts about sowing and reaping here now.  I’m mindful of the fact that even when we feel we’ve failed we cannot always see the full outcome of our actions.  We may focus on the failure not seeing the results that are yet to be produced.

How many people know about TAE?  Thomas Alva Edison was said to be “addled.”   The school teacher that tried to teach Edison may have been the one that was confused.  It all worked out for good.  TAE was taught at home by his Mother.  He looked like a failure to a teacher but he was far from being one that failed to accomplish great things.

Edison began to teach others that failures are not really a lack of success.  Things that we sometimes look at as an act that fails can become something that is very good if we look at it the way Edison looked at it.  Isn’t Thomas Alva Edison the one that said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10000 ways that won’t work.”

Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from trying things.  If you’ve failed a few times you have good company.  How many people do you know who can honestly say they’ve never failed to accomplish something they planned on doing?  If you know someone that says they have never failed you know they haven’t been sincere with you because everyone falls down some time.

If what I read in a magazine today is true then our brains are equipped with a wonderful way of recovering.  Our brains can find news ways of carrying out a task if the first or hundredth way did not work.  No wonder the phrase, “If at first you don’t succeed try try again.” is so popular.

Love never gives up.  God does not want us to give up.  Don’t fear failures embrace them with God’s help.  Don’t let satan rob your joy. 

You can still do all things through the help of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Don’t give up and don’t live in fear.  Fear is an attack from the enemy.  Recognize who the fear comes from and put it where it belongs.  Let faith answer the door to your fears and the fears will fade away.

Written by Elizabeth Evans Wolfe

I still need prayers going up to God for my faith is in Him to help tend to matters that are too big for me.

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Had A Little Talk With Jesus

Friday, April 9th, 2010

I had a little talk with the Lord a bit ago.

I told him about my concerns and fears. 

When I talk with the Lord the conversation is continuous if there are no other interruptions. 

Someone recently wrote about putting things in the GOD CAN can.  I made some of those cans before.

You coat a tin can with paint or paper and write the words GOD CAN on the side of it.  You are supposed to cast your cares upon the Lord by writing your prayer needs on paper and toss them in your GOD CAN to remind you that God is able to take care of all our needs.

I kept telling the Lord about some things I want tended to right now.  I can be quite persistent in prayer sometimes.  All of a sudden I thought about the GOD CAN again and I said, “MY GOD CAN!” 

My God can handle all my needs.  My God is able.  My God can do what no one else can do.  MY GOD CAN!

I thought about the Biblical story where people called on all their gods to try to bring fire down to burn up their offering.  They did everything they could to get help from their false gods.  You know the rest of the story, don’t you?  The false gods could not produce fire.  Their gods didn’t have the power.

Our God was then called upon to send fire from heaven.  Here is what is written in I Kings 18:36-39 about Elijah calling on Our God to send fire:

“36And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.38Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”39And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.”

There was no large amount of fanfare necessary to get God to do this wondrous thing.  Trumpets didn’t have to be sounded in order for this to occur.  God instantly sent the fire.  God orchestrated the circumstances to begin with.  God was fully in charge. 

God’s Word still gives life to faith.  God helped me today when I took the time to have a talk with Him.  He gave me inspiration to give serious thought to the fact that OUR GOD CAN.  OUR GOD CAN DO ANYTHING!

I repeat words that help me focus on the positive instead of the negative.  There are enough negative things going on around us that I find I have to dwell on the good to get rid of the bad.

If sad or bad news has entered your thought realm have a talk with Jesus.  Tell Him all about your concerns.  God said to cast your cares on Him because He is able to tend to all things in the best way possible.

I”ve had times of fear.  I’ve walked in confusion before.  God doesn’t give us fear.  God doesn’t give us confusion. God does not give these things to us so we have to recognize where those thoughts come from and we have to do something about them. 

I typed all of that to expose the fact that we are all human.  We all have to have times when we draw upon God for strength.  Taking time to talk with the Lord and to meditate upon faith filled words that come from Him will help us dispel our fears. 

No one wants to walk in fear.

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Do You Fear God?

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Psalm 55: 19, “19God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.”

The NIV says it like so:  “19 God, who is enthroned forever,
will hear them and afflict them—
Selah
men who never change their ways
and have no fear of God.”

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2055&version=NIV

I was talking to a Pastor today.  We got on the subject of how some people don’t want to change their ways.  There are those who want their own selfish ways and they don’t ever plan on turning away from their sins.  They may even be sitting in a church near you.

All the people that come through the church doors are not necessarily people that truly want to do things God’s way.  A friend of mine was once married to a man that she met in church.  He attended church with her all the time.  He had asked Jesus in his heart and he was one that many people most probably thought to be a good man.  My friend said things were very different at home behind closed doors.  She spoke of the ways he treated her in a wrong fashion.

I pondered on the sad truth that many people have to face ugly things behind closed doors.  The type of people that pretend to be Christians in front of others but they are able to be abusive to their own family members when God is the only one watching them truly must have no sincere fear of the Lord.  If they believe in God then surely they know God can see everything they are doing.

I told the Pastor I was talking to today that I heard of a person that declared they did not plan on changing their ways even though their closest family member let them know that the things they were doing behind closed doors just is not right.  The Pastor told me about Psalm 55:19.

I read the passage and found myself sorrowful again realizing that there are people that don’t yet know the fear of the Lord.  Some of those people may walk through the church doors, they may say lovely prayers, and they may even spend a lot of time in the Bible studying it but if they are not doing what the Bible says they should do by showing love in their own homes they are definitely out of touch with God.

God wants His people to do good and not evil.  He wants us to turn from evil ways showing kindness to everyone especially the people in our own homes.  God wants His people to hate evil.

If you really have the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom you will most probably read Ps. 55:19 and ask God to help you go through any changes He wants you to go through.  You will pray to turn from evil ways and you will believe God will help you change.  God’s Word clearly tell us that repentance is needed in our lives.  Repentance is turning away from sin.  It’s like taking a U-Turn and saying, “I don’t want to do wrong things any longer.”

You won’t change if you don’t want to change.  If you fear God you will welcome change with open arms.

A person can stubbornly choose their own way and end up eating the bitter fruit of having their own way or they can turn away from evil and be blessed.

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Who Is Afraid?

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

People that are filled with faith don’t usually like to talk about fear.  Fear and faith are opposites.

Yet Christians know there is One that is to be feared and revered at all times.  God is due the reverential fear spoken of in the Bible.

God holds the keys to hades and death.  God is able to take a person’s life away in a moment.

God doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve.  God is so merciful that He sent His own Son to die on Calvary’s Tree in order that we can receive salvation.  God is the Only One that has a perfect blend of mercy & grace in His character even though He is also Our Just God that should be feared because of His great power.

No one likes to be around a tyrant.  God is not a tyrant.  God does not seek to devour or to destroy.  God just has the power to do so when it is right and good to do so.

There was a Pharoah that defied God on a regular basis.  That Pharoah is the one that wouldn’t let God’s people go when God sent messengers (Moses & his brother, Aaron) to tell the Pharoah to let the Israelites go.

God wasn’t the tyrant.  If God were a tyrant He would have destroyed us all long ago.  Our sins separated us from God and we could have been separated from Him forever if He didn’t plan a way for us to receive salvation.

Let’s look at some words that describe what a tyrant is: A  ruler that uses his power in a cruel  manner. One who demands his own way without regard for the needs or desires of others. This person is oppressive and is one that uses his own judgment in order to manipulate things to his own advantage.  This person does not use sound reason. This person lays heavy burdens on the backs of others in order to achieve what he wants out of life.

When I think of the Pharoah that wouldn’t let God’s people go I see a man that was so selfish he wouldn’t let go.  The Bible clearly shows us what an oppressive tyrant looks like.  We don’t want to be governed by such a person.

The Bible also shows us that even though our God is to be feared in a Holy way He is far from being one that wants us oppressed.  As a matter of fact even though it’s fair to say He wants us to fear Him in Holiness He does not want us to walk in fear.

God wants us to walk in love.  He wants us to be free.  He is the God of Israel that set them free from the tyrannical ruler that used them for selfish purposes.  He is the God that made a way that we can be set free from the power of sin and death.

I’m afraid of sinning against God.  I’m afraid because I believe in His power.  I believe the sheep will be separated from the goats.  I believe we will be judged for every idle word spoken.  I believe that the things we’ve done to others (both good and bad things) will be judged by God.  Jesus said as we’ve done it unto the least of these we’ve done it unto Him.  I don’t want to sin against God.  I don’t want to pretend God can’t see everything I do.  I don’t want to pretend things can be hidden from the sight of our Living God.

Even though I am afraid of God in a reverential way I don’t walk on this earth trembling every day as if God is out to get me.  I know God has a perfect scale.  He has all things balanced out in such a way that we are blessed to have Him as our God.  God knows us and he loves us.  He is patient with us and He does not treat us as our sins deserve.

I Peter 2:17,  “17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”

I Peter 1:17, “17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:”

Hebrews 13:6, “6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.“

Hebrews 12:28, “28Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear:“

Hebrews 10:31, “31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Ephesians 5:21,  “21Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

2 Corinthians 7:1, “1Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Romans 8:15, “15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

Luke 12:5, “5But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.“

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


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Faith VS Fear – Encouragement VS Discouragement

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Faith is believing in what you cannot see.  Faith is trusting in the God we cannot see. We are trusting God to help us do things that seem impossible without His help.   He supports us by encouraging us.  His Holy Word gives us faith to do impossible things.  There are examples of things God has done to help others written in the pages of the Bible.  We should support one another by sharing the encouraging messages God gives us in His Word.  We should always be prepared to give helpful words to one another.

Sharing testimonies of what God has done for us are other ways we can encourage people.

Fear is the opposite of faith.  Fear constricts us and keeps us from freely enjoying the blessings God has for us.

We will feel discouraged and it is possible that we will be ones that offer discouragement rather than encouragement if we don’t learn to focus on the faith filled Words and thoughts God gives us.

These thoughts are being shared by Elizabeth Wolfe

I hope these thoughts help you.

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Manipulation/Stubbornness/Demanding Your Own Way

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Have you ever been upset because you didn’t get your own way?

There are countless stories I’ve heard about how some people react when they don’t get their own way.

Some people use intimidation or fear to try to control other people.  Other people can be very quiet about how they will try to gain what they want.

Think of how you’ve seen others act when they aren’t happy with the way things are going.  Have you met the ones that start yelling or raising their voices?  Those kind of people may just look at you as if they want to hit you.  What about the ones that get real quiet? Have you met anyone that gets your attention by discontinuing communication with you?  There are many ways to hurt people. 

I read about King Saul seeing that he ended up being tormented by evil spirits because of his stubbornness.  He didn’t want to obey God in every way.  He only wanted to obey God when it was convenient for him to do so.  I think about old King Saul when I want to steer clear from evil patterns of demanding my own way.

King Saul was head and shoulders taller than the other men.  He was favored by God at one time in his life.  That’s how he gained the position he had.  He lost everything because of his stubborn and selfish ways. 

Saul did not instantly lose all he had been blessed with.  God allowed him to continue being King for a while.  Saul was pretty miserable while he was still alive because of those demons that plagued him. 

It was evident to those around Saul that something was wrong.  He attacked his own son and attacked the very man that helped him find peace.  Saul wanted to control others and he couldn’t even control himself.

I believe it’s  important  for Christians to recall that the fruit of the spirit called self-control is to be desired above the evil spirit of manipulation.

We are told in the Bible that we should examine ourselves.  Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean that we walk on this earth doing everything right all the time. 

I’ll end this writing with several thoughts that may help you or a loved one if they have trouble with manipulation.  Many thoughts shared come from I Corinthians 13:

  1. Love Does Not Demand It’s Own Way
  2. Self-Control Is A Fruit Of The Spirit
  3. Stubbornness Is As Witchcraft
  4. God Leads The Devil Drives
  5. Love Is Patient
  6. Love Is Kind
  7. Love Rejoices In The Truth
  8. Love Is Not Puffed Up
  9. Love Suffers Long
  10. Love Does Not Seek It’s Own Way
  11. Love Hopes, Believes, & Desires Good For Others
  12. Love Is Not Selfish

Posted in Depression, Fear, God Will Tend To Evil Doers, Good VS Evil, Obedience To God, Rebellion, The Sin Of Stubbornness | No Comments »

Faith, Fear, And Obedience To God

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

We know that faith is the substance of things hoped for the conviction of things unseen.  The just are known to live by faith.

We also know that fear is opposite of faith.  God’s perfect love also casts out fear. 

God also tells us He wants us to be obedient more than he wants sacrifices.  God’s Word is clear telling His people that the one who knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it is walking in sin.

These thoughts came to me after fasting and praying lately:

If we are going to walk in faith then we are going to have to dispel fear.  There is only one fear the Bible tells me can be a part of my life.  The fear of the Lord is the only fear I should own.

Recently I wrote about how I made my largest mistakes when I was moved by fear.  I was thinking of how the enemy really got a hold of me when I was weakened in so many ways after my husband’s death.

I was weak in so many areas while people were telling me how strong I was.  They didn’t know how weak I was.  My earthly protector and helper was gone.  My life was turned upside down.  I had to learn how to lean on God more than I ever had in my life and I wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

Job knew what it was like to have his life flipped upside down.  Job was in anguish as he struggled to deal with the sorrows and pains that came his way.  His friends supposed he must have done something wrong and yet he was without fault for in his case the enemy had been allowed to do anything except for those things God would not allow. 

I believe there are times we walk in faith and we do all we can to do what we believe is right and we can end up knowing some of the sorrows that Job knew. I also believe there are times when our faith wanes because the cares of  this world are on our minds and we forget the promises of God.  Fear grips us as we try to cope with everything and we strive to handle things ourselves. OH we, Christians, know about prayer and asking for prayer but there are still times when we forget to rest in the Lord waiting on Him to show us divine direction so He can guide us.

 

I did everything I thought was right after my husband’s death but I failed to do everything exactly right.  I know God understands where I was and what was going on around me.  God understood every fear.  God understood why I goofed in all the ways I goofed.  I moved out of my other home too quickly.  I rushed here and there scurrying to do what I knew was right while forgetting that God wasn’t rushing me.  I was putting pressure on myself that God did not give me.  That is how I made so many mistakes.  I suffered some heartaches and struggles needlessly. 

Okay, so we are human and we make mistakes. 

We can still learn from our mistakes.  It is our merciful God who tells us we can come to Him asking for help when we see the need for help.  We also need to take time to listen to His voice for He talks to His sheep.

I felt the Lord also reminded me that there are times when we get an attack from the enemy because of not walking in perfect love.  If one is to walk in perfect love they should be walking in faith doing what they believe is right no matter what they see others doing. 

If God convicts you of a sin  and you disobey Him then you are opening the door to the enemy.  Perfect love is gone in an area of your life and you have allowed the enemy to walk right in taking residence in your life in some form. 

When the enemy comes in like a flood ask the Lord how the enemy got so much control over your thought realm.  That is one of the ways the enemy attacks us.  He can send bad and negative thoughts your way causing you to hear voices other than the voice of God.  His negative reports can cause more damage than some of the plagues that hit the Egyptians.  Losing your peace of mind is not pleasant.

 

God wants us to walk in obedience to His Word so we can walk in that perfect love receiving things from him instead of things from the enemy.

Remember God says we are to draw near to Him and He will draw near to us.  If God is near to us we can hear Him better.  He also tells us to resist the devil.

The devil is the author of lies, deception, and all things that are against God.  If you are struggling with hearing negative thoughts that are causing you confusion know that it’s possible it’s time to call on God asking him for help to get rid of the things that are not of God.

The Pastor told us at church that the enemy seeks whom he may devour and the enemy attacks the mind.

Let’s all pray for the mind of Christ Jesus.  Let’s continue reading the Word of God so we can have good thoughts going through our minds and so we can discern good from evil. 

God be with you as you walk in faith not fear.  May the good Lord help you be obedient to Him. 

If per chance you see an area in your life where you’ve allowed the devil and his cohorts to get a foothold in your life may it be that you will call on God seeking deliverance.

I John 1: 9 is the spot to go if you need to know confession of sin to God brings God into the situation ready to deliver you from it. 

If you are a child of God you want to draw near God to hear His voice.  You will also want to resist the devil knowing he will flee.  The devil only acts like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  The enemy of God’s people is a defeated foe. 

JESUS in you is greater than he that is in the world.

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Joshua 1:9

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

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Deuteronomy 31:6

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. “

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Psalm 56:3

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Psalm 56

 “Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?”

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