There are a million things in the world to potentially be afraid of. There are tons of opportunities missed because of lack of encouragement, fear, or selfish behavior (which sometimes you might not even know is the cause). A really amazing acronym I found one day says this:
F – Fear
E – Everything
A – And
R – Run
OR
F – Face
E- Everything
A – And
R – Rise
You do have the opportunity to choose with FEAR you live with, and being a Christian, that’s a very easy choice. God lets us know multiple times that we do not have to fear the terrors of this world. In Him, He has already defeated our giants. In Him, He has already rescued us from slavery.
One of my favorite passages in the Old Testament, and even the entire Bible is from Deuteronomy 7. This chapter describes “the Chosen People” within the “second Law” of Moses and his teachings about the Lord. This chapter is also right after The Greatest Commandment in Chapter 6, and right before Chapter 8 which is chalk-full of wisdom and verses when you’re having “SOS moments.” Personally, Deuteronomy Is fantastic, and I highly recommend you read it in full one of these days. I digress. Deut 7 has a portion that I want to specifically look at that hopefully will speak to you, especially if you have no clue what comes next, what you are doing, if you are questioning where you are or your call, or feeling fear overcoming your faith rather than the other way around.
“The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes that I command you today. And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you.” – Deuteronomy 7:6-13
It’s right there in ink! You are chosen. You were chosen to get on this little hopeful blog of mine and read this on whatever day you are reading this. I may not know specifically what God has in store for you because that’s between the Lord and you, but trust Him. Let your faith overcome your fear. God is a faithful God who is there for you. Follow His words, and embrace the fact that we live on this world with faith as our map. No, you don’t know what’s next. No, even if you plan things to the detail it, it won’t always happen. However, there’s probably a lesson or a reason from God as to why you’re where you are, or what’s happening.
Personal example: on this boat, I was getting discouraged at first. I was struggling with some things and I kept praying to God asking Why I am here. I finally am starting to not reject His advice and answers and just listen, and I realized yesterday that I am here to learn, to strengthen my faith, and to be able to have the time to write these devotionals and grow my organization of World in Motion-especially right where I am on this boat.
Not having answers is hard, and that can make your fear overcome your faith, but pray to the faithful Lord above that you want your shoulders to be lifted, your heart to be open.
