Not one of us has been untouched by this Pandemic and many of us sometimes feel concerned about all that surrounds us. God’s truth is worry (feeling concerned is a nice way of putting it) is connected to fear. This is a normal natural human response to trauma and negative circumstances and we ARE living in perilous times. It should be remembered though that we should be governed by the Spirit of God and not by our soulish fleshly responses. Jesus must have felt fear, because in the garden of Gethsamane the night before the crucifixion he prayed until he sweated drops of blood. David must also have felt fear facing Golioth. Fear, worry and anxiety should not prevent us from completing our God given assignment.
I am optimist at heart but sometimes I feel overwhelmed as:
I open my social media pages and read of so many deaths, sometimes it is like reading the obituaries
I listen to the news and all around there are negative Prognosticators. As soon as I block one news feed there comes another.
Friends and family talk and many talk as if doomsday is today.
All this can stir much worry, anxiety and fear in us. God has not given us a Spirit of fear. Fear is a demonic assignment from the pit of hell and is a weapon that the enemy is releasing to shake us from our positioning of Faith and trust in God
So what do we do about all this?
Philippians 4:4 - 9 AMP
4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!(B) 5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].(C)
8 Finally, [b]believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. 9 The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you
Prayer
Abbah Father we need you every moment of every day. We just cannot do it on our own. Would you guard our heart and mind. Keep our thoughts fixed and focused on you and all you said. May you give us the peace that passeth all understanding. We resist anxiety, fear and worry and all attached to those negative emotions in the name of Jesus. We take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. We choose to stay in peace. If we should stumble Lord pick us up and keep us on the straight and narrow pathway.
Thank you Father
In Jesus name
Amen
Make this declaration daily
Adapted from Psalm 138:8
God will perfect everything that concerns me
He will not abandon me because of his unfailing love
I leave you with these words by Reinhold Niebuhr
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference
Amen
And a worship song by Chevelle Franklin below
Walk Good in Christ
Till we meet again
Pastor J
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