Find Courage in His Presence
đĽ Find Courage in His Presence đŞ
What do you do when fear creeps in?
đś Do you ignore it, pretending it doesnât exist?
đââď¸ Do you play it safe, avoiding anything that might make you feel afraid?
â¸ď¸ Do you freeze, paralyzed by the weight of uncertainty?
đ Or have you learned to stand firm, press through, and move ahead despite fear?
Many people hide their fear behind rationalizations. Instead of admitting theyâre afraid to ride the roller coaster, đ˘ speak in public đ¤, or confront a difficult person đĄ, they convince themselves they simply donât want to. This way of thinking often leads to a smaller, more limited life.
Others have felt fear so often that theyâll do anything to avoid it. And some become completely stuck, unable to move forward at all. Weâve all been there at some point.
đ So how do we break free from fear?
Fear thrives in uncertainty, in the endless "what ifs" that paint negative possibilities. It is an emotional playground đ for the enemy, designed to keep us stuck....
Itâs Good to be Alive and Present
 Are you truly able to live in the present? Many of us struggle with this.
Some people feel trapped by their past. They carry unhealed wounds from being hurt by others, or regrets over their own mistakes burden them and they canât forgive themselves enough to move forward.
Healing from the past starts with confessing (agreeing with God) concerning our wrongs and accepting forgiveness in our souls. It also involves forgiving others before Godâreleasing the âdebtsâ we feel like people owe us. This work isnât always easy, and it may require support from a trusted friend or spiritual leader, but it is ALWAYS possible. A resource that may help is Total Forgiveness by R.T. Kendall.
Others obsess about their future. Some get so caught up in their dreams that they lose focus on today, while others are paralyzed by worry about what might go wrong.
Yet, Jesus reminds us that worry adds nothing to our lives (Matthew 6:25-34).
Peter urges us to cast our anxieties on Jesus, who cares deeply fo...
How Are You As A Connector?
Some time ago, while on a walk in a park, I was noticing different kinds of connections between mothers and their toddlers as they strolled along.
Some moms had their coffee cups in hand and their child in tow. Their eyes were glazed over as if in a daze. They were with their child, but at that moment they werenât âwithâ anybody.
Some were texting and checking the internet. They were somewhere else in their minds and focus.
Others were doting over their children, overloading them with words, tones, object lessons and tactile experiences. These ladies were MOMs âthey were âWITHâ their children.
How are you as a connector?
Are you passive and somewhat disconnected?
Are you distracted, often thinking about other things while relating to people?
Are you overborne, smothering others and making it hard for them to breathe emotionally, psychologically, intellectually or physically?
Or, are you able to simply be present with those God brings into your life?
Jesus âAppointed twelve--de...
Take Hold of Your Future
What are your plans for the future? Is there anything you want to accomplish or become? Is there anywhere you want to go or anything you want to do?
Have you given much thought to what God may have planned for you? He prophesied through Jeremiah that He knew the plans He had for the people of Israel. (Jeremiah 29:11) And, He knows His plans for you too. For, âYou are Godâs handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do.â(Ephesians 2:10) He has things planned for your future.
The apostle Paul wrote near the end of his ministry that he was pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ had taken hold of him (Philippians 3:12) God wants us (like Paul) to lean and press into the purposes for which Christ has taken hold of our lives.
We may imagine that Christ takes hold of us to accomplish His work, but God has more than work in store for us. He is primarily after relationship and wholeness. He saved us - He wants us to walk with Him ...
Power for Kingdom Living
If you want to experience Godâs presence, if you want to understand His ways and counsel, and if you want to live in His power, you are going to need the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit. For some this statement sounds boring and theological. For others it might be off-putting, and sound too âcharismatic.â For yet others, it is intriguing and enticing. For everyone â itâs true.Â
Only the Holy Spirit can reveal, communicate and empower the Kingdom of God in and through you.
The book of Luke makes it clear that Jesus did His ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was/is the Son of God â fully God. And, He was/is the Son of man â fully human. He lived and experienced life just like we do â Jesus was fully human. However, He was also anointed (enabled) by the Holy Spirit to experience, understand and live in the Power of the Kingdom of God.Â
âGod anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and He went around doing good and healing all who were under the ...
Are You Aware?
Why do people become friends or get married? Usually they want to be with each other and enjoy one anotherâs company. When I was courting my wife, I wanted to be with her all the time â nothing else compared. This is a shadow of Godâs created order.
God created you, and He likes you, and He wants to be with you. That is why He formed and fashioned you. (You may want to take some time and let this sink into your soul â it is bedrock understanding for deep, experiential identity.)
If God created you in order to enjoy you, it follows that you will enjoy life and be most satisfied when you are aware of and are enjoying His presence, too. Unfortunately, our attention is prone to wander! We may go long periods of time without even thinking of God, let alone experiencing His presence. We can easily become distracted by others, worries, concerns, or our own obsessions.
What do we do when we realize that we have, for all practical purposes, been living apart from God? Some feel guilty, and h...
Adventure With God
Do you like to be alone? Some have difficulty knowing what to do with themselves without others around â or without some form of input or entertainment. We know this is an increasing problem in our culture. If this is a significant problem for you also, I have good news for you today. You donât need to ever be completely alone!
After God created Adam, God said, âIt is not good for man to be alone.â (Genesis 2:18)Â It seems that the image of God in human beings involves community. We were created to flourish in good and healthy relationships with others and with God, just as God enjoys community within the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
âIn the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.â (John 1:1-2)
âNo one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.â (John 1:18)
Psalm 23 is one of the most known, recognized and ins...
Are You Anxious?
We have been created by God. He fashioned our personhood and our personalities. He knows what makes us tick. He not only knows how we think, He knows what we think before we do. His presence is always around us and, if we know Him, we experience the Holy Spiritâs presence within us.  (Psalm 139)
God knows our future, and He has prepared paths, encounters, provisions and purposes for us. (Ephesians 2:10) There is no need to worry â it adds nothing but distress to your life. (Matthew 6:25-34) There is no value is anxiety; it wars against our faith and our sense of trust in God. Unfortunately, the enemy somehow convinces many people that worry and anxiety are forms of taking responsibility â that they demonstrate trustworthiness by being worried and obsessively concerned about what might go wrong in the future.
Letâs take a moment and let Godâs salvation from faithless living sink deeply into our souls, affecting our feelings and our perception of the future. We donât need to hype ou...
How Do You Start Your Day?
How do you start your day? Do you awaken to the blast of an alarm that catapults you from your subconscious state? Do you consider what must be done that day and simply do what you can to get yourself moving on the right path? Do you start your day alone in your head? Or on your phone?
Or, do you start your day seeking and acknowledging Godâs presence? This may sound like a religious/Sunday school question that has an obvious âright answer,â but press past the conceptual and consider your actual, consistent experience.
When describing His relationship with His Father Jesus said,
âThe One who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.â (John 8:29)
Jesus did not live His life alone; He lived it with the Father. He maintained this connected relationship by doing the things He sensed the Father wanted.
Jesus went on to say,
âIf you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.â (John...
