Happy April 18th! It is a great day to have a great day! Today’s devo is “Faith Trumps Fear” written by Virginia Harris! Please take the time to read as she shares her heart with us today! Make today an awesome day!
Faith Trumps Fear – Virginia Harris
II Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
According to my online dictionary, the definition of fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
Fear is a very common human emotion. We can be happily going along our way when all of a sudden….Wham! Something happens, or a thought pops up in our mind, or we hear something…and instantly that spirit of fear grips our heart. Although, this is a very common emotion, this spirit is not of the Lord. I pray that these thoughts that have helped me when I am fearful will be a help to you.
1. Fight fear with truth. Psalm 53:5 “There were they in great fear, where no fear was:…” How many times do we worry and fear the unknown? We fear what might happen. We ask, “What if…?”
Understandably we cannot go through life throwing all caution to the wind and never planning or thinking about the future. We must, however, trust that unknown future to the One who knows and sees all things. When those fearful thoughts invade our minds, we must run to Scripture to remind us of our all-powerful, all-knowing God who loves and cares for us individually.
If you fear being alone, go to Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
If you fear persecution, go to Psalms 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
If you fear sickness or death, go to Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
2. Look to be a help to someone else who might be struggling.
Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
Not only is it helpful in getting our minds focused on the needs of others and off of our fears, it is actually a sin to not do good when we are able.
James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
When those thoughts of fear and doubt begin to plague our minds, make a conscious decision to refocus our attention on encouraging others. If you like to cook or bake, head to the kitchen and get busy making something delicious to share. If your skills lie elsewhere, maybe sit down and write a note or letter to someone who is in need of encouragement. How special a hand written note is these days. I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the convenience of texting, but sometimes I miss the frequent hand-written notes of days gone by. I often think I need to do better in this area. I know how much it means to me to receive such a note. In whatever way that is comfortable to you, reach out and show that you care. You’ll quickly find that your fear has faded some.
3. Saturate yourself with good, godly, uplifting Christian music and Scripture. Music has SUCH power. Ephesians 5:19 “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” With the modern convenience of smartphones with Scripture and music apps available for no cost, avail yourself of these tools in uplifting your spirit and keeping your thoughts positive and God-centered. If those around you prefer quiet to constant music playing or other noise, use some wireless ear pods so you can put one in one ear and still hear if someone needs you. Find some Christian podcasts to enjoy. Two that I enjoy regularly are the Friend to Friend podcast hosted by Jessica Smallwood and Pastor’s Morning Musings hosted by my wonderful husband, Pastor Jeff Harris. There are so many avenues where we can feast our minds on God’s Word and things that will help us in our Christian life.
Growing and strengthening our faith is the key to fighting fear. No matter how strong our faith, we are still human and will still fear at times. Through the truth of God’s Word, purposing to focus on encouraging others, and completely enveloping ourselves in godly music, Scripture, and other godly influences, we will be able to lessen the grip of fear in our lives.
https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/faith-trumps-fear-virginia-harris
