Let’s stop living in fear

Religion

Discussion

November 5, 2009

Trust God and live in peace

Anonymous The Jacksonville Daily Progress Thu Nov 05, 2009, 07:02 PM CST

By Dr. Sam Smith

Butterfly Ministries

“… God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

- 2 Timothy 1:7

I have been around a while (quite a while), and I do not remember a time when I have seen so many people so worried about so many things — worried about what is going to happen with health care, what is going to become of our money, worried about what the banks and Wall Street will do next. Too many are singing the blues. We are allowing the physical plane to steal our peace, and we live in fear and worry far too much.

Have we all of a sudden forgotten that God has us covered just as much today as He did five or 10 or 5,000 years ago? It is time to step back, take some deep breaths, lift our eyes and hearts to heaven and chill out.

If God did not give us a spirit of fear, reckon who did? Could it be — Satan? Jesus said regarding Satan:

“When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

- John 8:44

When we live in fear and hopelessness and worry, the enemy has us just where he wants us. When we remember that our Father God is in control, that He created and sustains us, we will overcome the fear and the lies that hold us down. Remind yourself that the spirit of fear does not come from heaven.

You may be thinking, “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know what I am going through.” I know life can be hard. It can seem almost unbearable at times. This time spent on earth in our earthly bodies is a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, and for some the lows far outnumber the highs. That is why it is so important to get to know the only One who gives us hope for something better. We have a Savior, a Redeemer who has promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Jesus is the answer to all the lies and fears and feelings of hopelessness poured out on us from the enemy. If you reach a point in your life when you say you cannot make it on your own, you have discovered the truth for all of us. We cannot make it on our own, and we never have to. God never intended for us to walk through this life alone. He sent His Son to die for our sins and give us the promise of eternal life in heaven, and sent us the Holy Spirit to walk with us until the end. All he asks in return is that we believe that Jesus is the Christ, follow Him, and accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

Jesus said:

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

- John 12:46

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

- John 8:12

The Light is what we all need more of. Without His Light, we stumble and become lost in the darkness of the lies of the enemy. No one wants to walk in darkness, and no one has to.

We have the choice: Do we allow the lies of Satan to strangle us, hold us down and blind us in the darkness? Or do we open our hearts to Christ, accept His truths, and walk in the glory and beauty of His light of love? The choice seems obvious, but so many fail to choose Jesus. Without Him we live in fear. With Him we walk in power and love. There will always be things to fear and worry about on earth, but they do not have to steal our peace. This, too, shall pass — whatever it is. The peace and light and love of Jesus are eternal. Fix your heart and mind on Him. We do not have to sing the blues. We can sing praise and glory to our Savior, and His golden light will brighten all our days.

DR. SAM SMITH,

BUTTERFLY MINISTRY

ssmithkate@aol.com

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