A blogging friend devoted an entire month
to the subject of “fear”. She asked if I would
contribute a couple of devotionals that she
could include on her site Seeking God Daily
(check out her Blog sometime).
Over the years, the Lord has sent me several
devotionals on the topic of fear and I thought
I would share one from a few years ago.
BIBLE PASSAGE:
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
and delivered me from all my fears.”
(Psalm 34:4)
MEDITATION:
It is safe to say that man has always had worries and fears.
We worry about the things that will happen tomorrow.
We worry about the world we live in.
We worry about our health and financial stability.
We have fears regarding the world our children will live in.
We have fears of losing our freedoms due to a corrupt government.
We have fears of being attacked by criminals,
and especially those with no consciences.
As believers, we have fears of witnessing to others.
We also have fears of being excluded
and shunned by others due to our faith.
According to statistics, our greatest fear is death,
and following close behind is the fear of speaking in public.
Many are filled with countless anxieties.
The pressures of modern life
is a major contributor to the worries of many people.
However, Jesus gives us advice
for handling our fears and worries:
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or
‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the pagans run after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek
first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not
worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:31-34)
We can see two important
points in the advice Jesus gives to us:
1. Pagans (aka ‘ungodly) will always worry and spend
a lot of their time trying to find ways to allay their
worries and fears.
Why?
Because they are trying to solve problems in their own strength.
They have not discovered that there is a loving God who
is qualified to calm their fears and has a desire to help them.
One of their greatest fears is death, because those who do not
have a relationship with the Lord are lacking the assurance
that they will spend eternity with Him.
2. The solution to worry is to
“seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness”.
Whenever we ‘seek His righteousness’,
it means that God is our highest priority.
Our desire is not only to obey His commandments,
but to also develop His characteristics in our own lives.
We genuinely want to be more like Jesus and
as this desire grows, we discover that we are
developing a closer relationship with Him.
As our fellowship with Him grows,
our desire to be more like Him increases.
When we are close to Him, and we have a desire to
become even closer, our worries and fears will begin
to subside because we realize that He provides all we need.
The psalmist also gives us sound advice:
He said that when he sought the Lord,
the Lord heard him and removed his fears.
If we want to overcome our worries and fears, then we
need to follow the advice from the psalmist (and Jesus)
to make ‘seeking the Lord’ our highest priority.
This means more than just a knowledge of His existence;
it means developing a relationship with Him
and becoming more like Him as we live.
ACTION:
Are you burdened down with worries and fears?
How are you trying to overcome them?
Are you trying to succeed in your own strength?
Or, are you actively seeking the Lord
and do you have a desire to be like Him?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I know that You have the power to help
me overcome my worries and fears. Forgive me if I have not
made You the highest priority in my life. Create in me a desire
to be more like You. You love everyone and have a desire to see
everyone accept Your salvation. Help me to desire the same
things You desire. Your Word tells me that when I obey Your
commands, I am confirming my love for You. Forgive me for
disobeying any of Your commands, and give me a resolve to
obey all of your commands in the future. Lord, I trust You to
give me the courage I need for witnessing to others. Help me
to live the kind of life that will serve as a witness to others by
showing that my faith in You is genuine. Knowing that You
hear me, Lord, as I talk with You, brings me peace in the
midst of any storm.”
COMMENTS:
I just want to take a moment and give some brief information
about the daily devotionals I distribute through email and post
to Facebook, LinkedIn, and my Blog (utvolwoody.wordpress.com).
As you might imagine, I could say much more about
the devotionals and the Lord’s involvement, but I just
wanted to mention a highlight or two.
In 2013, the Lord inspired me to start creating devotionals
and distributing them to a fairly large group of people
(to date they are being viewed
in all 50 states and over 70 foreign countries).
I realized early that He is the
author, and I am His distributor,
He also made an impression on me to create them
for encouraging others to love Him, and not for
the purpose of getting others to like me.
I am amazed each day when as He gives me the
thoughts, words, and scriptures to include in
these devotionals.
The best part is: I get to read them first!
I really feel like a ‘middle man’ as I try to create
what I sincerely believe the Lord wants to
communicate in His devotionals.
One of the things I have discovered is:
although His message for the day is for all of us,
apparently God targets selected individuals at times.
On some days I will get an email or comment from someone
saying the devotional was just what they needed for that day.
Of course God knows everyone (including me) who receives
the devotionals, so it is no surprise when I receive positive
feedback regarding His provisions for the day.
It encourages me and confirms that He is not only speaking
to all of us, but He also has a message specifically designed
for someone with a special need to hear from Him that day
(as a result of what is going on in their life).
He also knows when we are struggling with some of His
commands and consequently, He wants to encourage us
to become more obedient and trust Him with every part
of our lives.
Lastly, my Blog includes a Testimonies section, so if
the Lord has blessed you in a special way that you
want to share, let me know (by leaving a comment)
so I can include it in on my Blog.
Hope everyone has a great day!
blog: UTVOLWOODY.WORDPRESS.COM
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
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