On Being Fearless

It seems a bit hyperbolic to use the term "fear" or "fearless" these days when talking about how we approach our lives.

When I think of fearless people, my mind turns to our military, firefighters, police officers. Not someone like me who is just trying to navigate a complex world.

However if we turn to what it meant to be fearless in Biblical times - especially Old Testament times - we find that SIN was the number one thing people feared. Proverbs 28:1 tells us this:

The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Meaning having a guilty conscience, due to sin, makes the wicked turn tail - and run.

So...does being fearless, in the faith-based sense, mean we should disregard being sinful?

No.

I believe it means that we should know - really KNOW - that God is with us always. That his forgiveness is given before we ask for it.

And that is really what we need to do - freely repent without fear of condemnation from God. 

For God loves us and never leaves our side. It is faith that allows me to believe this is true, even when I don't feel like anyone is by my side. It gives me great comfort to pray to God - the unseen Father - even in those times when I feel like no one is listening and no one cares. 

God cares - all the time. And in those times when he doesn't answer my prayers in the way I want - I have to believe he didn't because what I wanted wasn't right for me. No matter how it feels to me in the moment.

Which is, for us mere mortals, the hardest part of all. Acknowledging that God is in control, not us. No matter how much our own precious little egos believe we ARE in control.

To me it is the biggest leap of faith to accept this. And I have to re-believe every day. Always.

It is the very least I can do for a God who loves me in the moment, who accepts me for who I am in the present without ever holding the past against me.

The Book of Joshua, Chapter 1, is the origin of the quote above. The entire book of Joshua deals with what happens after Moses dies. In Chapter 1, it is God's promise continuing to be fulfilled - to deliver the Israelites to their Promised Land - even though his first leader has passed away. Joshua is given the task to keep the Israelites moving to the lands outlined in verse 4:

Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 

Note: all biblical verses are copied directly from Bible Gateway.

New Year | New. Year.

New Year.

New. Year.

See the difference? Yes, punctuation matters.

And in this case - I mean both.

New Year - another year is about to come to a close and we turn the page of a calendar to another number (one, hopefully, we remember when we write the date). 

New. Year. - a simple "dot" can change this from the turn of a calendar page to the turning over of a leaf in our lives.

Turn the calendar page and turn a leaf. It's not too much for us. 

Because God has us - always.

I will start the New Year in hope & gratitude. I will start my New. Year. with a renewed focus on this blog, and spreading God's word as far as I can find ways to do so.

Amen.

Sunday Prayer 4

Praying daily gives me a sense of peace, even if only in the moment of prayer. God's love and compassion is larger than any giants we might face, and he is with us every step of our day. Everyday.

I like to vary my prayers based on my emotions in the moment. Sometimes they are quite specific, sometimes they are for others, and other times I need a general prayer of gratitude to God. This one fits that bill for me. 

God, you are the foundation upon which I build my life. You are my source of protection & strength. You fight for me, lead me, and protect me thru hard times. With you I am never alone or abandoned. Thank you for being my source of strength & salvation. Thank you for crushing the devil's schemes and bringing me closer to you.

In Jesus' Name, Amen

"...never alone or abandoned..."

Some of the most important words I carry in my heart & soul every moment of every day. 

Knowing this - the firm belief that it is so - has gotten me thru some of the hardest times that a life can bring.

The constancy of God is wondrous. He only wants what is good and loving for us. God is steadfast. God is Everlasting. 

God is all.

Saturday Symphony

Aggressive. Edgy.

This past week has left me feeling this way. Just an exhausting parade of work overload, personal challenges, and winter blahs.

And at the heart of it all - as ever - is the love of God. Always there to pick me up and lead me back to the straight and narrow path that brings me to Him.

Everyday when I wake
I'm trying to get up, they're knocking me down
Chewing me up, spitting me out
Hey, hey, hey
When I need to be saved
You're making me strong, you're making me stand
Never will fall, never will end

I have seen Skillet live - they are passionate, talented, and deliver a gut-punch about faith. In a raw, visceral way that gets down into the beating of my very soul. I feel them thru the soles of my feet.

Their message is universal - love is the answer. In all things, in all ways - trust in God and his love will carry you thru the darkest moments, the most trying times.

Of Nightmares & Joys

It's been a dreary couple of weeks here in New England. No snow (which is a big disappointment to this here winter lover), lots of rain, and basically bleak.

Inside and outside. 

A small part of my personal life is, once again, in serious upheaval. Draining emotional issues that leave me numb and useless. It is times like these that we should turn to God. Yet my perfectly formed little human ego - makes that a huge challenge for me.

We doubt your goodness

We doubt your love

As if every promise from your word 

is not enough

Doubt. Such a human thing to do. Even as I pray ceaselessly, I doubt.

Is God listening? Does he hear my "desperate pleas"? Does he even care? 

But he is there always. And those blessings as well. They do abound no matter what else is going on around us. Yet when those other things leave us feeling disoriented - as if our very soul has fractured into a million tiny pieces - God is still there.

Even if we don't feel him, hear him, or even worse, acknowledge him.

What if trials of this life

The rain, the storms,

The hardest nights, are your mercies

in disguise.

God is there. In our nightmares, our worries, our fears, our anguish. In our joys, our laughter, our happiest moments.

God is there.

Always.

Blessing us no matter what we think or feel.

Sunday Prayer 3

Did you know that the heart is mentioned over 800 times in the King James version of the Bible? Or over 500 times in the New International version.

Something to pay close attention to. Clearly God wants us to know that he knows our hearts better than we do. And that he wants to be in our hearts 24/7/365. 

2023 is my Year of Kindness. I want to spread my own kindness outward to others - in words and deeds - in the hopes that the kind people already among us will do the same. And that the unkind may receive kindness and be transformed. 

You can't be kind if your heart isn't generous. God can grant you that generosity of spirit thru prayer and trust in him.

Sunday Prayer 2

Entry to the new year was, for me, bumpy to say the least.  Work was more challenging than expected and certain other things outside of work proved to give me more than what I thought I could handle.

Yet I'm still standing.  Prayer - can do that for a person.  Keeping it simple today...