Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27Fear holds us back because it lies to our hearts. It has both horizontal and vertical effects on our lives. It tells us that God is out to get us. It tells us that we are not safe in our relationships with other people (spouse, friends, church community). It holds us hostage from engaging completely with life.
God has promised peace. We have to pursue that peace in all aspects of our life.
{Let me pause for a second and say something important. I know that some of us, many of us have been hurt by people and circumstances. Those things are valid. I don't make light of those experiences. I know that scars embedded by other people and past experiences can run deep. What I want you to know is that God has the power to heal the deep places and renew our minds and spirits. If you haven't experienced healing from past hurts then fear may very well be a by-product of wounds that are still raw and open. Seek out someone you trust to share those hurts and seek out what God's Word and truth has to say about healing. God is gracious. He loves to heal the brokenhearted.}
There are three areas of my life that I have seen dramatically affected by fear; my relationship with God, relationships with others, and my pursuit of my dreams. The next three days will be spent looking at how fear infiltrates and affects those three areas.
Are there other areas of your life that you've seen affected by fear? What are they?
Tomorrow: Afraid of God
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