Category: Fearless

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A Shadowed Valley

At present I have several friends who are walking through the shadowed valley. They aren’t camping there, but they are walking through. This is for them and for you.

David, before he replaced Saul as king of Israel, faced daily pursuit from his enemies, physical pursuit. These are his words when he was hiding in a cave from Saul and his soldiers.

“I cry out to the Lord. I beg the Lord to help me. 2 I tell him my problems; I tell him about my troubles. 3 I am ready to give up. But you, Lord, know the path I am on, and you know that my enemies have set a trap for me. 4 I look around, and I don’t see anyone I know. I have no place to run. There is no one to save me. 5 Lord, I cry out to you for help: ‘You are my place of safety. You are all I need in life.’” Psalm 142:1-5 ERV

Maybe you are voicing the same words to the Lord. Maybe you have been tempted to give up. Maybe you feel surrounded by your enemies. King David’s enemies were physical people, but not all enemies are.

Some are emotional, or circumstantial; others are financial or relational; still others may be illness or physical, enemies come in all sizes and forms. But there is not one of them that is too big for our God.

We all need to come to a place that we repeat what David said.  ‘You are my place of safety. You are all I need in life.’

Let me remind you of some of King David’s other words about enemies.

“Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me. 5 You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies.  You welcomed me as an honored guest. My cup is full and spilling over.” Psalm 23:4-5 ERV

Surrounded by enemies, no matter what they are, I will not be afraid because the Lord is with me. In fact, the Lord has prepared a banquet and has invited me to sit down and enjoy a life-refreshing meal of good things. I am His honored guest.

He stands near with his rod and staff to defend and protect. He is our place of safety!

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. 2 I say to the Lord, ‘You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.’ 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases.” Psalm 91:1-3 ERV

The Father wants us coming to Him to find safety, protection and deliverance from our enemies, from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. He wants us to put our total trust in Him. Even when those enemies seem to be circling us like a wolf pack surrounding a sheep – He says do not fear. I am with you. I will never leave you!

“You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day. 6 You will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark or terrible suffering that comes at noon.” Psalm 91:5-6 ERV

“The Lord says, ‘If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help. 15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. 16 I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save.’” Psalm 91:14-16 ERV

There is no fear in life’s shadowed valleys because the Lord is with us and we have His promised protection and salvation!

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In Times of Trouble

I want to take you back to the words that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, spoke in the book of John.

“ The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.” John 10:10 NLV

We see destruction and death on a daily basis. What do we do, how do we replace fear with trust in times of trouble?

“ God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. 2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, 3 and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.” Psalm 46:1-3 NLV

I think of the Israelites when they were escaping Egypt. They were so excited to be leaving a land of bondage and heading toward the land God had promised them. But in short order, fear set in. There was the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army was closing in from behind.

“10 When Pharaoh came near, the people of Israel looked and saw the Egyptians coming after them. And they were filled with fear and cried out to the Lord…13 But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid! Be strong, and see how the Lord will save you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you. All you have to do is keep still.’” Exodus 14:10-14 NLV

The recurring theme throughout all the Bible is fear not, be not afraid. Why? How? The Lord will save you! In times of trouble we are never alone; God’s presence is always with us.

“I will give You thanks with all my heart. I will sing praises to You in front of the gods. 2 I will bow down toward Your holy house. And I will give thanks to Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth. For You have honored Your Word because of what Your name is. 3 You answered me on the day I called. You gave me strength in my soul.

4 O Lord, all the kings of the earth will give thanks to You when they have heard the words of Your mouth. 5 And they will sing of the ways of the Lord. For the shining beauty of the Lord is great. 6 For even if the Lord is honored, He thinks about those who have no pride. But He knows the proud from far away. 7 Even if I walk into trouble, You will keep my life safe. You will put out Your hand against the anger of those who hate me. And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will finish the work He started for me. O Lord, Your loving-kindness lasts forever. Do not turn away from the works of Your hands.” Psalm 138 NLV

Focusing on God’s goodness, giving thanks, trusting His word builds trust and quiets fear.

The words in verse 7 are very similar to the words in Psalm 23 verse 4.

“Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 NLV

“ I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NLV

Keeping our hearts strong and free from fear comes when we have hope and know that the Lord is with us, even in the valley of the shadow of death.

In times of trouble, we put our hope and trust in the Lord.

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Clear Vision for the Future

I was remembering this morning what it was like being an eleven-year-old who couldn’t clearly see the blackboard from my desk in the classroom. It seemed like my vision had deteriorated in just a matter of weeks.

I went from getting A’s to C’s almost overnight. It was an observant teacher who told my mom she thought I needed my eyes checked. A trip to the optometrist revealed I was acutely nearsighted.

It’s hard to recall what was more troublesome, not being able to see clearly or being an pre-teen girl who now had to wear glasses, thick glasses. Choosing to see clearly won out over embarrassment.

Sitting here this morning an old hymn began filling my heart. This hymn was taken from a Irish poem in the 6th century and translated to English in the early 1900’s. It has to be read slowly to absorb the meaning because the old English can be hard to understand.

 “Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
all else be nought to me, save that thou art—
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father; thine own may I be;
thou in me dwelling, and I one with thee.

3 High King of heaven, when victory is won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.”

If we are truly seeking clarity for soul and spirit, we need to be focused on Christ. Day or night, waking or sleeping our minds can be filled with His word.

“God has raised you with Christ to a new life. So you should want more and more the things that belong to heaven. That is where Christ is now. He sits there at God’s right side. 2 So think about the good things that are there in heaven above. Do not think only about things that are on the earth. 3 Remember that your old nature has died. God is keeping your new life safe with Christ.” Colossians 3:1-3 EASY

“Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9 Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 ERV

Some think of the Bible as being restrictive, filled with impossible demands and negative teachings. Not so!

Those people are vision impaired. The Bible is a love letter from a Father to His dearly loved children giving them instruction for success, joy, wisdom and courage.

“The Lord, your God, is with you. He is strong. He will save you. He will be very happy about you! He will quietly love you. He will sing, because he is so happy about you!” Zephaniah 3:17 EASY

As we go into the new year, may I suggest that we have our spiritual vision tested. Let the word of God bring life into focus so we can see the future clearly.

Be thou my vision Lord of my heart!

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A Hundred Billion Times

The last couple of nights Dave and I have spent time sitting on the porch at the fire ring. Our conversation always centers on how much God has blessed us.

The life we’ve had, our family, the experiences that have molded and shaped our lives. The friends, the breath-taking moments and the mundane, He has always been present.

Last night friends joined us and told us they will probably be going to Portugal next fall for a destination wedding. How wonderful! Since you’re there you must go to Greece. Greece for us was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Not for all the touristy reasons. It was the sense of the presence of God. I know I’ve told you before, but the most remarkable part of our trip was engaging in conversations with the locals and listening as they told the stories of the cathedrals and the godly influence of their communities.

Those are the stories that we recounted to our friends.

The presence of God – “the heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shows His handiwork”. (Psalm 19:1)

“ Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it. 19 When we love others, we know we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God. 20 But even if we don’t feel at ease, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence of God, we will have the courage to come near him. 22 He will give us whatever we ask, because we obey him and do what pleases him.” I John 3:18-22 CEV

These are the words of the Apostle John. Feeling at ease in the presence of God – that is what we experienced while we were in Greece.

In the wee hours this morning, my heart began to sing.

“God of Your promise
You don’t speak in vain, no syllable empty or void
For once You have spoken
All nature and science, follow the sound of Your voice

And as You speak
A hundred billion creatures catch Your breath
Evolving in pursuit of what You said
If it all reveals Your nature, so will I
I can see Your heart in everything You say
Every painted sky, a canvas of Your grace
If creation still obeys You, so will I
So will I

If the stars were made to worship, so will I
If the mountains bow in reverence, so will I
If the oceans roar Your greatness, so will I
For if everything exists to lift You high, so will I
If the wind goes where You send it, so will I
If the rocks cry out in silence, so will I
If the sum of all our praises still falls shy
Then we’ll sing again a hundred billion times!” So Will I (100 Billion X)

This is a song we sing frequently in Sunday worship but when it comes rolling out of my heart at 2 a.m. it has a greater depth of meaning.

In just a few days our nation will have a celebration of Thanksgiving. The focus wasn’t football or parades, not family gatherings, or food; it was a gathering of people who had survived immeasurable hardships, and they were giving thanks to God Almighty.

Make a resolve this Thanksgiving, if all of creation will praise You, so will I!

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Lessons from Autumn

Raised most of my life in the desert “Fall” never had much impact on my life. However, a few years ago when we first began to camp host in the White Mountains, I was awed by the beauty of this natural change.

The air gets brisk, the leaves begin to change – yellow, red, gold. And then they begin to fall leaving the branches bear and preparing to face the cold winter. But fear not, they will not die; they are just going through a stage of dormancy. They come back next Spring with new life, green and luscious.

Nature doesn’t fear change; it embraces it.

We go through changes. It can seem like our leaves are falling off and we are being left without a covering, but nothing could be further from the truth. God is our covering; He is our provider.

Why do we try to handle these changes on our own and then in futility say, “there’s nothing left to do but pray”. Prayer should be the first thing we do and then we should rest from worry while God works it out.

Psalm 138 is a short Psalm, only 8 verses but two major points are made.

1. The Lord places His word in the ultimate position of authority; it is ranked even higher than His name.

2. He promises to perfect those things that concern us.

So we should eagerly trust His word and let Him handle things!

“I will give You thanks with all my heart; I sing praises to You before the [pagan] gods. 2 I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word together with Your name. 3 On the day I called, You answered me; And You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life. 4 All the kings of the land will give thanks and praise You, O Lord, When they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled]. 5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of the Lord [joyfully celebrating His wonderful acts], For great is the glory and majesty of the Lord. 6 Though the Lord is exalted, He regards the lowly [and invites them into His fellowship]; But the proud and haughty He knows from a distance. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me; Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O Lord, endures forever— Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.” Psalm 138 AMP

Our heavenly Father makes a much better God than we do. He is asking for permission to intervene in our lives. He won’t force Himself on us. He won’t twist our arm until we give in and let Him help. But He will wait patiently and be there when we call.

Like the aspens, He has a plan for our future. Somethings must fall away and then new growth, new life will come.

Trust His word, rely on His strength, find peace in His provision and give thanks!

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He Heard Me

Have you ever been speaking to someone and you know they aren’t listening? It happens quite frequently. It’s hard to get someone’s undivided attention. I know I’m guilty of only half listening at times; my mind wanders or I’m distracted with what I’m reading or working on.

Did you know God is never distracted? He listens intently when we talk to Him, He’s there when we cry for help and He’s ready to answer when we ask for His direction and wisdom.

“I will always praise the Lord. 2 With all my heart, I will praise the Lord. Let all who are helpless, listen and be glad. 3 Honor the Lord with me! Celebrate his great name. 4 I asked the Lord for help, and he saved me from all my fears. 5 Keep your eyes on the Lord. You will shine like the sun and never blush with shame. 6 I was a nobody, but I prayed, and the Lord saved me from all my troubles.” Psalm 34:1-6 CEV

I’m not sure what fears and troubles are plaguing you today but our Father does.

Ask for His help; He is here to save you from every distress. He is faithful; He can be depended on!

“Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out.” Jeremiah 33:3 CEV

He’s listening and ready to help!

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Free Indeed

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

” So if the Son makes you free, you are really free.” John 8:36 ERV

On this day of independence, it’s important to remember that we are truly free through our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are no longer held captive or enslaved by sin and/or the devil because the Son, Jesus Christ, broke the chains of bondage and set us free! Hallelujah!

Our nation was founded by men and women who were seeking a better way of life; an opportunity to achieve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They trusted in God’s leading and direction in the founding of this nation.

We are blessed with a great heritage of those who have fought for our freedom and with founding fathers who established our nation using the Bible as the base and foundation of our governing laws.

Many things have changed since the founding of our nation but one thing that has not changed is God is still and forever will be, Lord God Almighty who rules and reigns in mercy, truth and justice!

We can trust Him and Him alone! He is our hope, He is our peace, He is our joy, the Everlasting God!

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories” Isaiah 41:10 CEV

Keep your hearts free from fear. When God reigns He brings peace and with Him is ultimate victory.

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Facing Danger

Sometimes when I know a Bible story well, I can reread it casually and not learn a new lesson. However, before I started reading this morning I said “Lord, I want to see your lesson in this story as if it’s the first time I’m reading it”.

Go with me to Daniel, chapter 3.

In Daniel, chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that only Daniel could interrupt. It was about the king’s greatest and the subsequent fall of his empire. In his dream the king has seen a great statute with a gold head, which Daniel said was him and his kingdom.

At the beginning of chapter three, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered that golden statute to be crafted and all the subservient nations were commanded to come for its unveiling. The statue was ninety feet high and nine feet wide. The order was given that when the music began to play everyone was to bow down to the statute and worship the king.

Everyone did, except for three young Jewish officials. The king was furious. In fact, the Bible tells us his face was distorted with anger. Since these men were valued advisors the king gave them a second chance.

“Now if you are ready to get down on your knees and worship the object I have made when you hear the sound of the horns and harps and all kinds of music, very well. But if you will not worship, you will be thrown at once into the fire. And what god is able to save you from my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If we are thrown into the fire, our God Whom we serve is able to save us from it. And He will save us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the object of gold that you have set up.” Daniel 3:15-18 NLV

At this response the king became more furious and had the furnace heated seven times hotter. He had the men bound and thrown into the fire.

Pause for a moment and put yourself in their shoes. The words they spoke above were not gracious platitudes; they were the words of men who were willing to die for God. They were facing imminent death, but they refused to bow to anyone but God. Into the furnace they went.

“He said, ‘Look! I see four men loose and walking about in the fire without being hurt! And the fourth one looks like a son of the gods (or the Son of God)!'” Daniel 3:25 NLV

This takes me back to Psalm 23 and what King David said there, perhaps these three young Jewish men had read the writings of David:

“ Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me. ” Psalm 23:4 NLV

Seeing that these men were not consumed by the fire he ordered them out of the furnace. The Bible says they weren’t singed and they didn’t even smell like smoke. The king realized that the God they served was truly the Almighty God.

“Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He has sent His angel and saved His servants who put their trust in Him. They changed the king’s word and were ready to give up their lives instead of serving or worshiping any god except their own God. 29 So I now make a law…For there is no other god who is able to save in this way.” Daniel 3:28-29 NLV

I don’t imagine that any of us will face a fiery furnace but what this tells me is that there is no danger that we will face that God will not go through it with us.

Stand Strong – God is able to save!

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Stay Put

Just a bit of a different take on a verse this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever used a clothing accessory in a teaching before but as they say there’s a first time for everything.

Are you familiar with collar stays?

When I was in high school and would iron my dad’s dress shirts it was important to remember to put the collar stays in place when I was finished. I did the same thing for Dave when we were first married. All the nicer dress shirts came with collar stays. They kept a man’s collar for rolling down; they were stiff, rigid and kept the collar looking freshly pressed. It presented a professional image.

Why am I talking about collar stays and how do they apply to today’s teaching?

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV

“The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm. 4 So always trust the Lord
because he is forever our mighty rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4 CEV

Stayed – rigid, firm, unbending, like a rock.

Last night I was startled awake at midnight. It was so abrupt that my heart was racing and I was shaken. I laid there for a while trying to calm myself and go back to sleep but I was unsuccessful. I got up and came to the couch and laid down here.

I prayed. Then this verse came to mind, and I could hear the Lord speak into my heart, “Kristi, you need to be stayed”. Along with that admonition came the picture of those silly collar stays.

I needed my mind to be stayed. Focused singularly on the Father and His promise to never leave me or abandon me. He promises to be my rock and my hiding place, my ever present help in time of trouble. I have been told to come boldly into His throne room to find help in time of need.

Yes, stayed on His word.

I wasn’t frightened, I didn’t feel as if I was in danger, but my peace had escaped me. It needed to return.

The Lord and talked for a long time and sleep came.

“3  and you refresh my life. You are true to your name, and you lead me along the right paths.” Psalm 23:3 CEV

I hope this was helpful to you today, I know it was for me. I plan to stay put, with my mind on my Almighty God and loving Father.

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A Good Follower

How many of you are like me, you’d rather lead than follow? Some times I just bristle and think I could do it better but therein is the rub. Learning to be humble, to be a servant, is when we are most like Christ.

As kids, I’m sure you all played at least one game of “Follow the Leader”. When I would play it, all the neighborhood kids were involved and the boys would try to do things they didn’t think the girls could do – like climb trees, etc. The goal of the game was to be the leader.

However, if we are going to be truly successful, we must be willing to follow the leader, Jesus.

“17 From that time Jesus began to tell people his message: ‘Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near.’ 18 As Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew. These brothers were fishermen, and they were fishing in the lake with a net. 19 Jesus said to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.’ 20 Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.

21 Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee. They were preparing their nets to catch fish. Jesus told the brothers to come with him. 22 So they immediately left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

23 Jesus went everywhere in the country of Galilee. He taught in the synagogues and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. And he healed all the people’s diseases and sicknesses.” Matthew 4:17-23 ERV

These men had a successful fishing business and Jesus called them to follow. Do you see what it says? Immediately they left what they were doing and followed him. Immediately. Good word – you know what that word means – it means immediately…duh! No hesitation, no questioning, no second thoughts but immediately they followed.

For the next several days I’m going to have us look at following the leader. Those of you who work with horses know how important it is to have a horse that will change leads – it’s equally as important to us as we follow Christ. Not all believers are followers. Jesus was addressing a crowd and his disciples and he gave them this command.

“Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. 35 If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it.” Mark 8:34-35 ERV

Following Christ requires two things – first we must be willing and second we must be obedient. Jesus, himself, knew how to follow.

“ I didn’t come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, ” John 6:38 CEV

So, over the next few days we’ll be looking at the Scriptures and working on our lead changes. When we follow Christ we will gain life, life more abundant.

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” Isaiah 1:19

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