WHAT HINDERS YOU FROM DOING WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7)

MEDITATION:
Fear can be one of the most debilitating emotions we can have.
It can prevent us from being successful in anything we try to do.
It can stunt the growth and improvement of our talents and skills.
It can cause us to withdraw from others and isolate ourselves into
a silo.

When we withdraw from others, we will find we are on a slippery
slope of hopelessness. We close the door on the possibility of things
improving. Why do we need to avoid isolating ourselves from others?
Because God often sends others into our lives to encourage and lift
our spirits.

Fear can also cause us to start questioning what God has clearly
told us to do. If we aren’t careful, fear can take control of our
lives and lead us into a disobedient relationship with the Lord.
We may be confident that we are obediently doing what we feel
the Lord has told us to do. However, when persecutions, problems
or disappointments come into our lives, we can start having doubts
about God’s plan and wonder if we heard Him correctly.

Many of our fears are triggered by the unknowns. When we don’t
know what lies ahead, we become apprehensive. We start to imagine
all the things that can go wrong. As our imagination causes us to focus
on the negative possibilities, we start to magnify our thoughts of potential
problems until they seem insurmountable.

We need a sound mind to see things in the right perspective. We need
a sound mind to prevent ourselves from giving up when things get to
be confusing, or we encounter obstacles. We need a sound mind for us
look at things more from God’s viewpoint.

God gave us the Holy Spirit to enable us to see things as He sees them.
The mighty power of the Holy Spirit enables us to prevent fear from
enslaving us. Christ came to set us free from the enslavement of sin,
but also to free us from being a slave to fear.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – What fears are active in my life?
    – Has fear consumed me to the point that I
       spend an inordinate amount of time worrying?

To those who belong to Him, Jesus tells us not to worry.
    Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for
    tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day
    has enough trouble of its own.
    (Matthew 6:34)

When Jesus tells us “do not worry”, we can be sure that worry is
unhealthy for us. Fear can cause worry, but worry can also lead
to fear. No matter which comes first, together they can inhibit 
our efforts to do what the Lord has called us to do.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, please forgive me if I have been enslaved
to fear and worry. I know that you don’t want me to have
these emotions when I truly belong to You. I also know that
You can free me from this type of bondage. Please help me
to rid myself of fear and worry, so I can freely follow the path
You have charted for me. I know that serving You will open
the door to new blessings for me. Satan doesn’t want me to
have those blessings, so he tries to infuse my thoughts and
actions with fear. Holy Spirit, erase these negative thoughts
from my mind and create in me a positive attitude toward
following the Lord’s desire for my life. Remind me often
of the Lord’s love, His plans, and His blessings for me.
Defeat the efforts of the ‘Evil One’ trying to discourage
and deter me from serving the One who loves and cares
about me.”

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