Cloudy With A Chance Of Fear or Sunny With No Clouds In Sight?

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) ~ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

   As I was driving home this morning, I was talking to God and thinking. I was thinking on the topics of fear and anxiety and trust. On a daily basis I remind myself and my children that we are to SHINE for Jesus at all times.

Now, just because I hammer this in to us doesn’t mean it always comes easy. There are times when it is so much harder to SHINE than others. That is just the way it is. There are times when I know I am so clouded up and I have to refocus. There are times when I definitely do not shine.

Here’s a question that came to me today as I was seeking God : How are we supposed to SHINE for God if we are clouding ourselves up with worry?

Think about it. Worry, Anxiety, Fear, Lack of Trust in God…what do these things accomplish? Nada. Nothing. Not one thing! Well, maybe an ulcer or a nervous stomach or headaches. Nothing good though.

How do we combat these negative things? How do we keep these thoughts that cause fear and anxiety out of our minds?

God’s Word, that’s how.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) ~ For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

   My Life Application Study Bible explains the above scripture in this way :

“The Word of God is not simply a collection of words from God, a vehicle for communicating ideas; it is living, life-changing, and dynamic as it works in us. With the incisiveness of a surgeon’s knife, God’s Word reveals who we are and who we are not. ………. The demands of God’s Word require decisions. We must not only listen to the Word; we must also let it shape our lives.”

   There you have it. Plain and simple. I want to share a few more verses with you all. I truly believe in speaking God’s Word over my life. When one of my children is hurting or afraid or anxious, the first thing I do is comfort them with God’s Word. Teaching them verses that proves that God is enough. I know for a fact that when my kids or husband or myself are struggling, that quoting scripture (while believing it) truly does bring comfort.

Think about how you can tell yourself that it is going to be a GREAT DAY! How does your attitude and outlook change? When you speak negativity over your life, instead of truths from the Bible, you are inevitably going to have a BAD DAY, because your attitude can make a huge difference.

Here are the verses I have shared recently with family and friends..and verses that I have spoken over my life recently. I believe that with God ALL things are possible and that what we think on and focus on really makes a huge difference in our life. We can’t shine for Jesus if we are clouded up with junk and gunk.

   Verses About Fear and Anxiety Due to Life’s Circumstances and Trusting God  :

1 John 1:4 (ESV) ~ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

   Deuteronomy 3:22 (ESV) ~ You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.

   Matthew 6:34 ~ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

   Luke 12:25 ~ “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

   Philippians 4:6 ~ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

   Psalm 127:2 ~ It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

   Isaiah 35:4 ~ Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not!”

   1 Peter 5:7 ~ casting all your cares on him, because he cares for you.

   Psalm 56:11 ~ in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

   Jeremiah 17:7 ~ “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.”

   Proverbs 3:5 ~ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

   Proverbs 3:6 ~ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

  

   I know that is ALOT of scripture! Soak on it..Read it…Speak it…and Apply it! What have you got to lose? Fear, Anxiety, Worry ??? I’d say that those are things that need to go. Let’s get rid of some of the junk that is clouding our minds and replace it with God’s Word so we can SHINE for Jesus.

Praying you all find comfort in His Word.

Until Next Time,