Whom Shall I Fear?
Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
This is the definition of the word FEAR found in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary; FEAR verb\'fir\ : to be afraid of (something or someone) : to expect or worry about (something bad or unpleasant): to be afraid and worried. FEAR noun : an unpleasant emotion caused by being aware of danger : a feeling of being afraid: a feeling of respect and wonder for something very powerful.
Fear; a tiny four letter word that packs a powerful punch; it's an emotion we have all known since the day we were born. Did you know that fear is part of our sinful-Adam nature and NOT something that GOD wants for our lives? 2Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. If we let satan instill fear in our lives he will use it to drive out the love of GOD and to torment us. 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
If Carlton and I had given in to the fear that satan tried to spew over our lives, neither one of us would be living in the favor GOD has for us. Does satan try to make me afraid and bring all kinds of "what-ifs" to my mind? Of course he does but do I dwell on them? NO, absolutely not! A few weeks ago, I was praising GOD for all He has done for us since June, when these thoughts came to mind;
when the Children of Israel were at the Red Sea and they thought that Pharaoh was coming to take them back to Egypt they were shaking in their tracks. Even when GOD rolled back the waters and made a dry path for them to walk through I am sure there were ones that could only focus on the fact that Pharaoh was hot on their heels and there was a huge wall of water surrounding them; they couldn't see the miracle GOD was performing or the salvation that awaited them on the other side. Even after Moses told them "...Fear ye not,stand still,and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever." Exodus 14:13, I'm sure some were still blinded by their dire circumstances.
This is exactly what satan wants us to do; focus on the circumstances that surround us and not focus on the way of escape that our Great and Mighty GOD has made for us. I have made up my mind that I serve a powerful GOD that is fully in charge of my life and there is absolutely no place in my life for fear. If we give place to fear we take our lives out of GOD's hands and it's like a slap to His face. Personally I want to know that GOD is taking care of me because He has seen every aspect of my life even before I was born and He definitely has my best interest at heart!
The only part of the definition of fear I want to work in my life is "a feeling of respect and wonder for something very powerful" which is a fear of my Heavenly Father...JEHOVAH JIREH my Provider, and JEHOVAH RAPHA, my healer!
Here are some scriptures that deal with fear. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage , fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
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.
Psalm 34:7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
Psalm 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.
Psalm 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear : what can man do unto me?
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed ; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry , Abba, Father.
Hebrews 13:5-6 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. So that we may boldly say , The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
1 Peter 3:13-14 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled ;
~TSM~
Update on Carlton
This past week has been a roller-coaster of emotions in the Mathews' household. We went to Charleston knowing Carlton was going to have a stem cell transplant in a few days. When we got there he had blood work and a bone marrow biopsy. He signed release after release, each sounding more ominous than the previous one. There were so many things that could go wrong but in the end If all went going to plan Carlton would be in remission and cancer free for at least 2-3 years, GOD willing even longer.
During the middle of the hubbub I asked the Nurse what his numbers were and when she looked them up we were all shocked to know they had risen over 300 points in a little over two weeks. After getting his bone marrow results back it was decided the transplant had to be postponed.
The question WHY kept coming to my mind. The answer from the Lord has been more than abundantly clear...it wasn't the right time. Scripture after Scripture has been brought to my attention, to remind us that GOD hasn't forgotten what we are going through. I want you all to know we are NOT giving up on Carlton's Divine Healing...We have given this to GOD to perform a miracle in HIS time! It may be through the use of this new chemo he started last week. It may be by another way that we haven't even thought about; either way I am STANDING FIRM on all the Scripture He has brought to my mind, and the peace that only HE can give!! Thank you once again for all the support and prayers that I know are going up for Carlton.
~~TSM~~
Great Post Teresa! I struggle a lot with fear.. mostly fear for my kids' salvation and oh, how the enemy loves to come in and start me on the road to a panic attack. But fear is the opposite of faith, and when you said it's like a slap in God's face.. Wow. So true. And I definitely don't want to do that. Thank you for all the encouraging Scriptures. I am continuing in prayer for you and Carlton. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteMARYLU so glad you stopped by. There is nothing more upsetting for a mother than to think about her children not living for Christ. satan loves nothing better than to torment GOD's children but we have to speak up and put him in his place in Jesus' Name. I'll be praying for your children's salvation and for the Blessings of the Lord to overtake you more abundantly this year than ever before!! (((HUGS)))
DeleteYour lovely anointed post brought tears to my eyes, TERESA. Thank you for writing it. I wonder how many times I have tied God's hands with my fear, which is the opposite of faith. And what's so strange is when I had that humongous tumor and had the "c" word thrown all around me I didn't give in to fear. And God came through for me mightily. It's the everyday trials and circumstances that don't seem to change that cause me to despair at times. The enemy likes to catch us when we are weak and tired and torment us.
ReplyDeleteI'm so praising God that the new chemo has not had any adverse reactions on Carlton this week! That was such wonderful news this morning!
DIANA I am so glad GOD gave me this...it is so easy to fall prey to fear and I have to admit I have lived in fear most of my life but with GOD's help NO MORE!! Thank you for the prayers for Carlton, he is exhausted tonight and in some pain but so far he hasn't had any of the horrible side effects they warned us about. GOD is so good!!
DeleteContinuing in prayer for Carlton and you!! Thanks for your inspiring post!
ReplyDeleteMuch love...Jackie
JACKIE thank you so much for the prayers, that's exactly what we need!
DeleteTeresa, THANK YOU for that very encouraging and inspirational post!! What a GREAT word that is you have shared and sooo necessary for us all to remind ourselves to remember these important words of our Lord! Fear is horrible! It's constricting and disabling, and as you said it is not from God, nor does He wish us to have it!! I have had God give me a supernatural peace before when I've been terribly afraid, but I'm learning that to grow in the Lord means to learn these things before we reach that place where fear takes us by its stronghold.
ReplyDeleteContinuing in prayer and thanks for Carlton's healing!! Love you all!
NOELA isn't the peace GOD gives so wonderful? It is so amazing when HE steps in and blesses with His presence and everything else, especially fear, falls away, never to be remembered. Love you sissy, thank you for the prayer!
DeleteThank you for such an inspiring post and Scriptures, Teresa!!
ReplyDeleteYour mention of the Children of Israel and their fear of the Red Sea parting is so indicative of us today, also. It is often easier to fear those things we can readily see rather than trust God for things we can't see. As our relationship with God deepens, our faith in Him grows and our fears lessen.
SO thrilled that Carlton isn't experiencing some of the expected side effects of the new chemo - continued prayers for his healing in God's timing and source. Love and hugs!!
Shared post!!
BONNIE it is so easy in our flesh to only see what's right before us, especially when Doctor's are telling you horrible things, but that's when GOD steps in and reminds you of His greatness and as He did to me last week, He will say TRUST ME. I have been praising Him more since then and telling Him no matter what the circumstances look like, no matter what satan will try to do to us, I WILL TRUST YOU!! I cannot imagine not having GOD in my life when bad things happen, I am so grateful that I had Christian parents that instilled the love of GOD in their children not just by telling us but by their actions too!
DeleteThank you for the prayers for Carlton, Praise GOD they are working and He isn't having those side effects. That was the reason the Lord was telling me to TRUST Him last week. I was crying and yes, being a little fearful about those side effects and that sweet voice spoke to me and said TRUST ME!! So when HE speaks you have to listen because HE always knows best!! Love you dear Bonnie!! (((HUGS)))
Excellent post! I will add you both to my prayer list. I, too, struggle with fear. I've finally reached that point you talk about of not letting satan's fears take hold in my heart. Oh, yeah, it's hard to keep that from happening but it's worth it and gets easier and easier. The one part I'm still having a hard time with is I *know* God will take care of us and it will all work out for the good, but I keep trying to figure out *how* and can't. This is why doubt and fear still have an open door into my heart and mind. So my new prayer is that the Lord help me to stop trying to figure it all out on my own.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder that we need not fear and must not let fear control us!
TAMMY I understand completely what you are talking about with trying to figure out how GOD can take care of me. Since Carlton has been sick and not able to work full time I have been doing the same thing. When our sons were born Carlton wanted me to stay home with them, so we have had a tight budget since then but GOD has helped us each month and during his time of sickness it has been incredible to watch GOD supply our needs. Carlton is in plumbing sales and is able to make commission along with his salary and during the past 7 months we have seen his commissions increase even with him not working as much... that my friend is truly GOD stepping in and blessing us! He doesn't need our puny attempts of helping Him figure out how to take care of us. He has known our names since before the foundation of the world and He has seen every part of our lives so He has already taken care of our needs in advance! What a Great and Mighty GOD He is!!
DeleteThank you for coming by Tammy and thank you so much for the prayers!! :-)