Overcoming Fear

What is it that keeps us moving forward? What is it that makes us think we are helpless? FEAR. Fear of what? The unknown. The what ifs. The possibility of failure. The fear that we won't live up to someone's expectations. The fear that by moving forward we may have to deal with what is in the past. FEAR.

I once heard it said that you can look at FEAR as an acronym.

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

Courage is what overcomes fear, although we must understand that courage only exists where there is fear. Courage is moving forward despite the fear. My courage comes in the promises written down in the Bible, God's Word to us, His creation. Here's another acronym that gives me the courage to move forward - FROG. Yup, frog.

Fully
Rely
On
God

Why should I live in fear that I will let others down? The truth of the matter is I can never live up to everybody's expectations. So, I cannot let that stop me from moving forward to achieving the great purposes God has planned for my life. Failure is inevitable. But failure does not equal uselessness. Failure only devalues my life when I refuse to get up, dust myself off, evaluate what went wrong and get back moving again. Failure only keeps me down if I refuse to learn from it.

On my own strength, I will never be great. Sure, I could achieve worldly success, even the American dream. But if that is all that I achieve, I have left nothing better than before I came. I believe that my purpose in these years of my life is to so impact the world that it will never be the same again. At the end of my days, I want to see a trail of changed lives that are changing lives that are changing lives that are changing lives. Ultimately, that's what it will take to change the world.

No, I do not let fear drag me down. I was created by the Master of Perfection, the Owner of Strength and Power, the Molder and Perfecter of Life, the Living Water, the Source of Forgiveness. Today, I will no longer try to live by my own strength and power. I want my life to count for something more. My fear is that when this life is over and I stand before my Maker, that He would be disappointed in me. That is my fear. God has a purpose for me just as He does for you. But, that promise is not only valid if I live a perfect life, without mistakes, failures, misspoken words. No, that purpose envelopes all my mistakes, misfortunes, my failures and creates with those a story that reaches to the hearts of others giving them hope that they, too, can have a story of victory over their imperfections too.

So, today, I will not live as a slave of fear, unable to move forward to the destiny for which I was made. No, God in heaven became a man here on earth, but unlike any other man, He was fully God. That man became my replacement on Calvary and died taking on the punishment that was supposed to be for me. But, the God man would not let my shame and sin leave Him in the grave, but in the power that only God can have, that God man came back to life after three days and now sits in the seat of power at God's right hand in heaven waiting to return to earth to set things right. Now that, my friend, is power.

That power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that rests inside of me through the Spirit of God that God Himself placed inside of me the moment I fell to my knees asking "God would please save me from myself." Because of that power I am no longer weak, for the power over death empowers me. So I refuse to live with fear and timidity for I now lay hold of all that God has for me. Today I will stop letting fear guide my steps, but I will choose to follow God and obey His commands. My friends this is the sign of true love, to follow and obey with total abandon. My wants and desires mean nothing to me but only what matters for all eternity. No matter the cost or where God may lead, I will continue to move forward to impact a world in need.

What about you? Do your fears of the unknown hold you back? Are you afraid that if you try you might fail? God has a plan for you and it is not in weakness but in the power of the truth only found in Jesus. I challenge you, as I am challenging myself, do not let fear hold you down. I will FROG my way to victory, to a life overfilled with purpose and joy and hope and love. You can have this too if you'll simply believe that God loves you and wants you to be free of the chains that have weighed you down.

No, today I stop living as weak and afraid. I grab hold of the power God gives me this day!

2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Philippians 3:7-11
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Colossians 1:9-14
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Ephesians 1:18-21
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Loving the "Rents"

This is the third topic in our look at love with our youth group during our month of love. We take a look at the command God gives to honor our parents and how important this commandment is in all our relationships in life, including our relationship with God. If you'd like to follow along on paper, feel free to print off the listening guide and use it to follow along. Hopefully soon I'll learn a way you can fill in online and then print or save the final work, but for now I'd love for you to follow along this way. I haven't tried, but you may be able to copy and paste from this document into your on Word or something.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mR8CqpmfDu9s7GZwtZtgaSYhrH1ujT4IydrV9edX8zw/edit?hl=en#

Ok, I hope you enjoy taking a venture with us and our awesome teens as we look into loving our parents!