Are We Going to Live in Fear?

I'm going to be very frank in this post!  I may offend some of you, and I apologize, but I feel that God has laid this on my heart to share!  I'll be honest, I was disappointed when I woke up this morning and heard the results of the election!  I am saddened for where our country has been headed economically and morally!  But, honestly what broke my heart even more were all the posts about fear!  Especially from my friends who are fellow believers!

For those of us who are Christian, we do not need to live in fear!  We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7 to not have fear!  I am an NIV person, but in this case, I think the good ole' King James says it best!

2 Timothy 1:7

King James Version (KJV)

⁷ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

People we are called to be a people of power and of love and of a sound mind!  That doesn't sound anything like fear!  Let's step up and be bold and love our neighbors as ourselves! 

I was recently at a ladies conference and one of the speakers made a statement I will never forget!  "Fear is faith pointed at the wrong kingdom!"  Which kingdom are you putting your faith in?  If you truly trust our God and believe that He is all powerful then stop living in fear!  Fear only feeds the enemy, it does nothing to defeat his purposes! 

I'm not promising you that things you are fearing won't happen, but I am promising you that a God who loves you is never going to leave you or forsake you!  He will be with you no matter what happens!  In fact, we are told that in this world we will have trouble!

John 16:33

New International Version (NIV)

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Why live in fear today of what MAY happen tomorrow!  Focus on God!  Seek His face!  I believe that we as Americans will have some rough times ahead of us!  Does me living in fear accomplish anything?  Does me humbling myself and seeking His face accomplish something? 

2 Chronicles 7:14

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Living in fear of tomorrow only steals our joy from today!  Let's humble ourselves as a nation and seek God's answers for our country!  Let's stop depending on one man or government to provide our answers and our feeling secure and stable!  I'll be honest, it doesn't matter who is president right now, I believe our nation and our world is headed into some tumultous times!  We simply need to heed it as a call to be on our knees for God's direction!  We need to be on our knees for wisdom for our leaders of our country and of our churches!  We can't change the results of an election, but we can change our hearts and where our focus is!  We can do our part!  Let's be the body of Christ we were called to be!  A people of power, of love and of a sound mind! 

Anger (Confessions From My Prayer Closet #2)

I know, I know, this post was a long time in coming!  I really have no excuses except that for some reason I have been putting it off!  Not really sure why!  It just never seemed like the right time to sit down and type it!  Who knows!  For those of you who haven't read my original post on my prayer closet you can go here to read it.  My Prayer Closet

So, the second thing that God showed me that I needed to work on was anger.  This didn't really come as a surprise.  I have always struggled with feeling angry when I get too frustrated or when I feel that someone has done something they shouldn't!  Unfortunately the enemy knows this is a weakness for me and he uses my children the most often to push that button!  So, they are usually the ones who have to experience the results of my anger!  When I get upset, I say things to them that I regret almost the moment the words are out of my mouth!  I apologize and love on them whenever the moment has passed, but the damage is still done!

This is an area I have been working on for quite a while!  And, I am happy to say, I've come a long way!  I'll be honest, I still have a long way to go, but I am able to control it much better than I used to!  Through much prayer!  So, when I heard the Lord say anger, my response was simply, "Yeah Lord, I know we need to keep working on that one!  Continue to help me grow in this area and control the words I say even more than I am now!"

His response was not what I expected.  He said, "We can continue to work on you controlling your anger when you feel upset, or we can find the root of the anger and tear it out and you can stop controlling and get rid of it instead!"

Well, that sounds like a much better option to me!  I guess I never realized that I had a root to my anger!  Just thought it was my personality!  So, I am still praying about that and seeking God to see what this root might be!  Maybe that's why I've been putting off posting this because I don't feel like I've found the answer yet.  So, if the Lord brings me to your mind, you can pray with me that I can figure out what the root of this is and take care of it once and for all!  How great to be free of something instead of simply controlling it!