Generous Faith

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am i a cheerful giver, can God be trusted, couple devotions, does it matter if I'm fearful, family devotions, family time, fear, God's faithfulness, God's provision, great start for the week, how can i live by faith, how to conquer fear, how to give generously, how to live by faith, living by faith, living free, one true God, religion, simple Bible story, the faithfulness of God, the widow and Elijah

In I Kings 17, we see an amazingly true story about a widow and a prophet.

Verses 1-7 tell us there is a famine in the land… and then the story really gets good.

Elijah is commanded by the Lord to go to a specific widow for provisions. When Elijah finds her and asks for help, she explains she only has a little flour and a little oil left. Her plans were to finish the food with her son and die.

I find it so interesting that Elijah’s response to her was, “Don’t be afraid…” and then, he proceeds to give her instructions. He even tells her what the results of her obedience will be.

Did she go home to a room full of flour and oil? No. In fact, verse 16 tells us, “The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the LORD He had spoken through Elijah.” Same flour jar. Same jug of oil. Faith conquering fear at every single meal.

She had to have faith to obey before the miracle happened.

So, what does all this mean?

For me, it’s a great reminder that fear causes me not to give, but faith causes generosity.

What do I mean?

Elijah told her to feed him first. She didn’t feed her son and then see the flour and oil miraculously replenish. She had to give first.

I think that’s why Elijah responded to her excuses by saying, “Don’t be afraid.”

He knew that fear would cause her to hang on to that flour and oil, but faith would cause her to obey.

That’s the human response whether it’s a roller coaster, money, or food in a famine.

Fear causes a tight grip. Faith results in generosity.

When I am believing God for provision… truly leaving it all in His hands… I am a cheerful giver.

When I am fearful of the future, I have a very tight grip on the checkbook. It doesn’t matter if the balance is $8, or $8,000, the result is the same.

When I am fearful, I actually have a tight grip on everything… my family, my friends, my finances, and even my dog. I get on everyone’s nerves… including myself.

Living in faith is just better for everyone!

So, let’s live by the widow’s example. Let’s replace the fear of the future with faith in our God. Faith in the one, true and living God of the universe who has control over flour, oil, finances and everything else under the sun.

Let’s choose to live in the generosity of faith.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

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No Petting the Snake (Dealing with Fear)

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Christian encouragement, conquering fear, controlling anxiety, controlling fear, controlling worry, destroying fear, encouragement, fear, gaining new ground with God, getting free of fear, getting new terrotory this year, getting rid of fear, getting rid of the spirit of fear, how to control anxiety, how to control fear, how to gain new ground with God, how to gain new territory with God, how to get new life with Christ, how to get rid of fear, how to let our powerful God do His thing, how to not be controlled by fear, how to not let fear control you, how to stop fear, letting go of fear, the real story about fear, truth, walking in victory

As I was reading Joshua 24 this morning, I found Joshua reminding the children of Israel of all the times the Lord had delivered them on their journey to the Promised Land. Over and over and over again the Lord provided, encouraged and conquered nations on their behalf.

It made me realize that seeing victory required seeing mountains and enemies and scarcity of resources. I realized that the Israelites were human beings just like us, so just as many times as God provided for them, just as many times as God defeated their enemies, they had to have had fear to some degree. I only have the proof from Judges 7 where part of Gideon’s original army was afraid and (as stated earlier) they were human. I also have the knowledge of how many times God tells us to “fear not” in the Bible, so obviously it was as big of an issue then as it is now.

Normally, I would be fearful of how many times I’m fearful. You know, freaking out at how many times I’ve disappointed God with my lack of faith when He has cleared obstacles before. But this morning, I took courage from the fact that even though God’s people must have had some fear every time they were asked to clear the way, God still gave them the victory. As long as they were dependent on God alone and His guidance, they continued to gain ground. That’s really encouraging to me!

So, what can we learn from the Israelites? Should we just huddle in our fear and do nothing? Should we stay behind and let the brave few march forward? I think not! We should hand our fear over to God every single time it pops up. Sometimes, fear is so much a part of us that we don’t even recognize it, but we can pray for eyes to see fear for what it really is and then stop playing with it and allow our Savior to stomp it into the ground while we march over it into our Promised Land.

Think of fear as a rattlesnake. Do I know that rattlesnakes will pop up in certain territories? Yes, but that will not keep me from hiking through anyway. So, we simply take precautions and kill that sucker when he blocks our path.

Just like with fear. Do I know that fear will pop up when I am trying anything new, or having a breakthrough with my Lord? Yes, but that will not block my path. I’ll come prepared with my Bible verses and in the name of Jesus allow Him to crush the head of the serpent as only He can (Genesis 3:15).

Fear will come, but let’s not allow it stop us and for heaven’s sake let’s not play with it either. I know with me personally when I allow fear in one area of my life, it breeds into every area. So, it must be destroyed completely. We can’t keep fear as a pet. It will always grow too big to control. Always.

So, be encouraged today. Know that fear does come with conquering new territory, but allow God to destroy it and give you the victory anyway.

I’m leaving you with some verses to read through, meditate on and help to prepare you for those steps into great, new territories that God has for you. He has a Promised Land for you this year. Don’t allow fear to keep you from it. Some of these verses will resonate more than others. That’s the Holy Spirit working in you and letting you know how to prepare for the coming days. Take hold of those, memorize them, write them down and cling to them instead of fear.

Here you go …

Psalm 27:1-3,”The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom should I be afraid? When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart is not afraid; though a war breaks out against me, still I am confident.”

Psalm 46:1-3, “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with its turmoil.Selah”

Psalm 118:6,“The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.”

Psalm 56:3-4, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 91:5, “You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day…”

Psalm 112:7-8, “He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the LORD. His heart is assured; he will not fear. In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.”

Isaiah 35:4, “Say to the cowardly: “Be strong; do not fear! Here is your God; vengeance is coming. God’s retribution is coming; He will save you.”

Isaiah 41:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.” — How beautiful is that? Put your hand in His as a trusting child.

Isaiah 41:13, “For I, Yahweh your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you.”

Isaiah 43:2, “I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and ⌊when you pass⌋ through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you.”

Isaiah 44:8, “Do not be startled or afraid. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are my witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no ⌊other⌋ Rock; I do not know any.”

Isaiah 8:12, “Do not call everything an alliance these people say is an alliance. Do not fear what they fear; do not be terrified.” — I love this one because it reminds us that we are not to be terrified like those who do not have the hope of Jesus. I can’t even imagine trying to deal with fear without Jesus!

Jeremiah 17:7-8, “The man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence indeed is the LORD, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.”

Matthew 10:29-31, “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  

Luke 12:31-32, “Yet seek ye his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.”

Hebrews 13:6, “Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.”

Be blessed this week, dear ones and know that our God does not want us be smothered by our fear, but He wants us to acknowledge it and bring it to Him so that He can destroy it completely as only He can.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

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A Thing Called Courage

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courage, fear, fuel, love, sharing the Gospel

A Thing Called Courage

 

  – A few weeks ago a friend of mine asked me to pray for her to have courage in bringing up God in a sticky situation. Of course, I complied, but it led me to think about what it takes to have courage in life, especially in regards to sharing The Gospel. Fear is the opposite of courage and The Word tells us that fear is not from God. In fact, it tells us that God gives us the spirit of power, love and a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). If that’s not courage, I don’t know what is. So, why is it hard for us to find the courage we need to tell people about God? Why is it hard for me to share The Gospel with people I claim to care about?

   After a few days of soul-searching, I concluded that courage is fueled by love. After all, when a parent loves a child they make unimaginable sacrifices to better that child’s life. Things that would have scared them to death before are now done without a thought of self-preservation, if the child is at risk of injury. Heights are now not a problem, if the child is stuck in a tree. Snakes must be killed, if they are in a child’s play area. Talking into television cameras if your child is lost is now something they are at ease with because it could help bring their child home. Their courage is fueled by love.

  Another example is our soldiers. Why would someone volunteer  to go into a war zone? When asked, soldiers often say they volunteer for love of country, or love of their family. They have courage because they love what their country stands for and want to preserve it for others. Again, love fuels courage.

  So, where does this leave me? If love fuels courage, but I am too scared to share Christ with others, does this mean I do not love? I John 4:16-17 says, “And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

  I know and believe in the love that God has for me, but what about the abiding part? Am I truly abiding in His love? If I have Christ’s love abiding in me, will I still have fear? I John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” Well, that answers that question. If I am truly abiding in Christ and He in me, there is no fear. There is ONLY  love, which I am learning fuels courage.

   Paul in Philemon verse nine said that for love’s sake he was appealing for Onesimus’ case. He was pleading his case because of the love that he knew Philemon had within him. How did he know that Philemon had love? He knew because the Holy Spirit was residing in him. Galatians 5:22 tells us that the first expression of the Spirit reigning in our lives is love. The only way that I can love people the way that God would have me to love them is by completely  yielding to His Spirit. When He is in control, love flows freely through me. When love flows freely, courage is not an issue. Courage is fueled by love.

  I John 4:9 tells us that God made the ultimate sacrifice of love by giving His Son to die for our sins on the cross. Verse ten goes on to say that this was done as a substitution for us. That’s what love looks like. That’s what courage looks like. I am to hold NOTHING back. After all, everything hard has already been finished. My only requirement is to let others know. My lack of love has caused me to see this task as a hard thing when in reality it is a very simple thing. When love is covering my actions, people see that. They don’t feel like they are on a checklist to meet my “Christian witnessing quota”. They see the sincerity and hear the love. Whether they receive the Good News or not is between them and God, but the Spirit’s love in me has got to shine forth. It has to be my fuel.

  I John 4:17 says that when love is perfected in us we have confidence in the Day of Judgment. I have always thought that this refers to having no fear before God because I have received His love and I know I am saved. I do believe this is part of it, but now I also think that this refers to our witness to others. Revelation is very clear that the blood of people we were commissioned to tell The Gospel to will be required of us at Judgment. The Word tells us that their blood will be on our hands. Verse 17 of I John 4 assures us that we can have confidence, not fear at The Judgment. How? When our lives have been fueled by Christ’s love, we are about our Father’s business. What is our Father’s business? It is telling people about His Son, our Savior (Acts 1:8). We won’t be fearful at The Judgment because we will know that whatever the Spirit prompted us to do, we did. We had courage because we had His love.

  So, my courage (or lack thereof) has become yet another checkpoint for me. If I have no courage, I have no love. If I have no love, I am not allowing The Holy Spirit to have full control. If I am not allowing The Holy Spirit to have full control, who am I allowing to control me? These are sobering thoughts, thoughts that in reality I would rather not deal with. But, the Word of God says clearly that if I do not love those around me, I am not who God has called me to be. Augustine of Hippo said, “If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”

  With these thoughts ringing in our ears, let us be reminded that God has made provision for what He has commanded. As a pastor once said, “there was air before there were lungs”. God has the love for us to fuel our courage. We just have to yield to it.