HOW THE STORMS ARE RAGING!

Looking around at the lives of my family and friends my thoughts are HOW THE STORMS ARE RAGING. Because we work in the helping profession, I see this more often. My heart hurts for them today! Sometimes I get the feeling that our hands are tied and that the enemy is winning. Where can we go for comfort?

Recently, while listening to the lesson being taught in Bible Study at our church, a verse of scripture jumped off the page. It was Ps 112:7 “He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen”. I had seen it before but my memory had lapsed and I had to be reminded by Holy Spirit. Oh! How great it is to see the answers to life’s problems in God’s Word, it’s always right there. It’s funny how it works into my Spirit. I can be feeling a spirit of unrest. My Soul, where my mind/emotions/will resides starts to work out my beliefs sometimes, and it can either be negative or sometimes it is positive most of the time it is negative, why is that?

This morning my negative thinking, "stinking thinking" was arrested as I read over the scripture shown to me yesterday. In Psalms 112 verses 6 to 8 reaches into the places in my heart like a soothing balm, those places in my heart that hurt. I prayed before my study today and ask Father to show me what was going on in so many of my friend’s lives with people who are causing them the pain. Verse 6 says, “Such a man (one who fears the Lord, trust in him and he delights in obeying his command) will not be overthrown by evil circumstances.” Now there it is...that's our promise! Fear must not be allowed to take over. Fear can arrest all forward progress in our growth. It will hinder receiving the Truth that brings Knowledge and Wisdom to live out our lives.

I believe we have an old name that we buy into by the one who is our enemy, and when we become believers our Heavenly Father gives us a new name. As a child I bought into a great measure of Fear. It became my badge that I hid behind. I used it to get out of doing the things that challenged me and I would succumb to them at my expense not knowing at the time it was crippling me in every way. I have the date marked beside this verse when I first saw it 2/22/90 the day I was set free. I actually owned the fact that I was a fearful person and it was working as an opposite to what a believer was to believe. That was the reason my Christian life was not working for me. Yes, I was “doing” all the right stuff and it was wearing me out, thankfully it ultimately brought me to the end of myself/ “ME”. What strong flesh I had built!

God gave me a new name that day it was like I could hear Him loudly say, “today I will give you a new name and you will live this way as you walk in the Spirit, trusting Me, believing Me, walking with Me, allowing Me to be your life and it WILL BE…. My "Brave Daughter”. YOU WILL BE ABLE to meet the challenges that lie before you and I WILL BE WITH YOU!

My prayer for you this very minute is for you to be encouraged, to stay the course and live your life with courage, trusting Father in whatever stands before you. You are His Brave Son or Daughter equip to face all of life's challenges and we will make it!!!