Tuesday, September 29, 2009

God's Truth

Micah 7:8 "Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light."

I love the courage, confidence, and hope in these verses. I found this Scripture while experiencing panic attacks in 2005. Speaking the truth of these words out loud after a panic attack empowered me when I felt powerless or was tempted to give up hope that my attacks would ever stop. After I discovered that I could stop my panic attacks by praying Scripture during them, I realized even more the importance of speaking God's Truth in the face of fear. I used to think that if I just believed enough or hoped enough that nothing would go wrong in my life. Not true. What is true is that as long as I cling to Jesus, bow the knee to His sovereignty, and cooperate with Him, then He will bring me out of my difficulties with a surer knowledge of His presence in me, His love for me, and His mighty power available for me. With Him, I come out of my trials with much more than I had going into them. Praise the Lord!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Finding Freedom from Your Fears

Someone commented on one of my posts that they had read Finding Freedom from Your Fears by H. Norman Wright, so I thought I'd buy it and read it. It came in the mail this afternoon and already I have found something to share here.

"During your most intense bouts with fear, allow your mind to operate like an echo chamber. Instead of letting your fears reverberate within that chamber, let the words of Scripture continually echo--'fear not...fear not...fear not.'"

Recalling Scripture is like washing your mind with fresh faith and cleansing it from fear. I take my Scriptures like Isaiah 43:1-4 and Isaiah 41:10, as well as others, with me wherever I go. I have discovered that I still need them even though my last panic attack was in 2006. I praise God that I need His Word. My mind has been changed by it, my personality has been strengthened by it, and my life is worth living because of it.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

God Rejoices Over Us

"The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring [you] quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy." Zephaniah 3:17 (HCSB)

"God rejoices over you, though He knows your life is still in the process of becoming all that He has planned--though you are not yet what you will be when you step into His eternal presence. Until that time, He is shaping your life, conforming you to the image of His Son. Amid the uncertainty and pressures surrounding you, Jesus is at your side to strengthen and encourage you." Charles Stanley, Living the Extraordinary Life

P.S. I like the vision I get when I read that God is "a warrior who saves". Reminds me of Psalm 107:16 which says that God "breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron". To me that means that Jesus will stop at nothing to free us from spiritual bondage or captivity when we cry out to Him for forgiveness, restoration, and help.