Satan is your enemy and he uses a lot of different tools against you. One of his favorite tools to employ against Believers is fear, because he knows that if he can overcome your faith with fear, that he can leave you on the side of the road in a ditch, wondering what hit you???
At some point when we are just tiny children, fear begins to make its way into our lives. It may be the fear of being left behind, the fear of punishment or the fear of loud noises. Most of our childhood fears can be overcome with just the assurance and realization that we are not alone.
Live life long enough and your fears get bigger and you discover that there are some times that you cannot be anything but alone. Our fear becomes so much more than a feeling, it becomes a leaving, breathing enemy that often paralyzes us and leaves us helpless, afraid and defeated.
In order to overcome this tool of the enemy, we have to remember that we are never alone, because God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. The simple reminder that God is with us is often just the power we need to break out of the stronghold of fear.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” -Deuteronomy 31:8
Never allow fear to overcome your faith, instead place your faith in God and allow God and His love, strength and power to overcome any fear that the enemy happens to bring your way. In God, your faith will always overcome fear and lead you to blessing and victory…
It’s not politically correct now a days to talk about Jesus, but it will always be spiritually correct and spiritually correct is more important than any other kind of correctness we can ever achieve. It is possible to know about Jesus and not know Jesus. Knowing Jesus in a personal relationship is what makes the supernatural difference in our life that allows us to have life changing connection with our Creator.
I like to think of life divided into three major areas: Physical, Mental and Spiritual. If we ever hope to take the physical and mental to it’s greatest place, then it will be because we have first worked on developing and strengthening the spiritual part of our life with a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
This is why we should see Jesus not just as God’s Son and not just as a Savior, but also as a mentor and life coach. When we read the story of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, this is exactly what we see Jesus doing. Jesus is leading, mentoring, guiding, directing, training, teaching his disciple how to live and see life and eternity from a totally different perspective than the rest of the world.
I mean think about it for just a minute: A really good guy through the ministry of life coaching mentored twelve guys and a group of followers for three years and changed the world! The results of Jesus as a LIFE COACH still impact our lives today!
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. -1 John 4:9
What could Jesus do with your life if you allowed him to life coach and mentor you through his Church and Word? How would your life look different physically, mentally and spiritually, if you allow the supernatural power of Heaven to flow to and through you? Why do we insist on trying to do this thing called life in our own limited weakness, when we have failed over and over again trying it our way? When are you going to get ego and self out of the way, so that you can discover what really matters? Who could you be and who does God want you to be and will you allow yourself to get there with His help?
These are the questions that matter. These are the questions that will change your life. These are the questions that we need to use to challenge and investigate our way of living. When we ask and answer these questions honestly, then we will see our need to not just know about Jesus, but to know Jesus in a real and personal way. And when we know Jesus in a real and personal way, our life will begin to line up behind his leadership and in his leadership we will find the meaning and purpose that helps us to live a life that is filled with blessing and glory for God…
There all kinds of different things that come into our lives to do battle against us and try to rob us of all the good things we were created to benefit from and experience the blessings of. And out of all of those things, I believe one of the most destructive is worry. I think worry is is such a destructive enemy, because we underestimate it’s ability and power to do damage and often when we realize the damage it’s done, it’s too late to do much about it.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” -John 10:10
Worry Is The Real Enemy!
Worry is one of our greatest enemies, but it does not get to call the shots in our life, unless we empower it to do so. To defeat worry, we have to decide to not allow it any power in our lives. To overcome worry, we have to choose to trust something or someone else above worry. I would suggest that the One to trust is the One, Who created us, loves us and has a plan to bless us with an abundant life.
Worry Is Sneaky!
Worry sneaks into our life and begins to steal, kill and destroy! It steals our happiness, kills our joy and destroys our life. Often it is in, doing damage and wreaking havoc, before we know what has hit us. It often starts out as a legitimate concern, but then turns into a hideous and ugly monster that wants more and more real-estate in our life and living, Before you know it concern has turned into worry and worry is calling the shots.
Worry Is Only Interested In Itself!
If we are not careful, worry will actually take our life away from us! For worry to survive, it has to feed and it get’s it’s nourishment from the negatives in our life. The great tragedy is that often worry starts out as a very small thing, but before we know it, worry has morphed into something that takes control of our thoughts, influences our decisions in negative ways and causes us to actually lose seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months = life.
The Dangerous Game Of Worry!
Worry starts out making you think that it’s looking out for you, but then some where along the way, it slips into self preservation mode and our process become more about the survival of worry and less about looking our for ourselves. The result is that “our best life” had now drifted even farther away from us. We think that worry is harmless, but we know better! In a lot of ways, worry is like a drug that we get hooked on. Before you know it, you don’t think you can do life without it, but that is one of the greatest lies of the enemy, because the truth is: Most of the time worry is nothing, but a BIG DISTRACTION.
The time we waste worrying is time we lose trusting. Every minute spent in worry is a minute taken away from growing our faith and living a life that gives God glory. God has blessed us with this amazing gift called life. God has given us everything we need to enjoy His blessings that will flow to and through us, but worry causes us to miss out on this grand plan of God.
Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in it. If you are worried about something, then here are a few ideas to shake yourself free:
1.) Have A Conversation God! Remember that a good conversation involves talking and listening.
2.) Make A Plan! Do what you can and then let go of the rest and believe, have faith and trust in God. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it, if you will love and trust Him. Do your part, trust God and I promise you, He will do His…
3.) Live And Learn! Looking back on my life, I have discovered that so many of the things that I wasted time worrying about never happened. Out of the things that did happen, most of them were not near as bad as I convinced myself that they were going to be. And from everything bad that flowed my way, as I lived through it, I grew from it. I am a better person and I am enjoying life better today, because of everything I have been through.
One of the most simple and great reminders that keeps me on a good path is simply this: God’s Got A Plan And It’s To Bless Me!
Michael Joe Harvell 