The Fear Foe

Today’s Text Comes from: 

Psalm 56:10-11

I praise God for what he has promised; Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

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“It's wonderful to climb the liquid mountains of the sky. Behind me and before me is God and I have no fears.” 

—Helen Keller

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I have recently read some Neal Anderson writings. He gave an example of what fear is really all about—the kind of fear that robs us of faith:

     “In order for fear to happen, there needs to be something that we’re afraid of that is both present and potent.”

1. Present… It has to be here, now.

2. Potent… It has to be a strong threat to something important.

Fear causes us to shrink our faith back into philosophy. It’s the primary reason we choose to not trust God: 

• We’re afraid of what God might ask us to do.

• We’re afraid of actually doing it.

  

• We’re afraid of what people might think if we do it.

• We’re afraid of letting go of the things that we know we’re going to have to let go to do it

……we’re just afraid, so we choose not to trust Him fully.  

Check this out: The Omnipotent One, the Omnipresent One, the Omniscient One… The Omni-Everything (All Knowing) One says, “What are you afraid of? I’m more potent than anything that’s come in front of you, and I am always present in you and around you. Besides that, I know about everything and I love you more than you can imagine or understand. TRUST IN ME!

PRAYER: Lord, my heart’s desire as an individual, as a saint, as a child of God is to walk in moment by moment dependence as You live Your life through me. Jesus, enable me to do just that—enable me to trust You. Even faith is a gift from You, Jesus. Please give me that gift too!  So I offer myself to You that I might experience Life in who I really am in union with Christ, the Son of God, and the King of Kings.  I pray these things in Jesus’ precious name.  Amen!

Testing Positive for Growth

Today’s Text Comes from: 

Ephesians 4:14-16

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Today’s Notes from the Scriptures

When it comes to spiritual maturity, we can’t simply take for granted that we’re growing. To evaluate personal progress, I’ve compiled a brief inventory of spiritual benchmarks. Check the list for an idea of how you’re doing. But remember, these items are just a place to start; see the Bible for a complete growth chart!

We know we’re growing spiritually when we become increasingly aware of our sinfulness and weakness. As I read biographies of godly saints, it’s clear that they don’t “get better” with age and spiritual maturity. Instead, they become ever more sensitive to their dependence upon the Lord. 

Moreover, progress is apparent when we respond to sin with quick repentance. Failure to deal with sin is rebellion against God. Growing believers turn away from wrongdoing and embrace righteousness. As we live with the good results of dependence and repentance, our desire to obey intensifies, and the attraction of sin lessens.

Growth is also marked by an increase in two things—joy and struggle. Faith is often developed through hardship because living out the principles of trust and endurance help us “get it.” 

So we’ll see maturity in our relationship with God when we view trials and temptations as opportunities of learning, which in turn help us in our growth.

Paul, David, and Daniel prove that adversity can help form spiritual giants. These men recognized sovereign God as the gatekeeper of their lives. We are maturing when we perceive whatever comes our way as being from Him, which also means that He’s working it for good (Rom. 8:28).