Do Not Be Afraid

Something else really struck me today.
Many of you know I've been struggling with health issues and going through various amounts of testing with different doctors and such. When you're going through things like this, issues with your health or with your kids, or your spouse or parents, your mind can really play tricks on you if you let it. That's why it's so important where your focus is. Is your focus on yourself and your circumstances, or is your focus on God and others?? When your focus is on yourself, it's easy to become fearful of all the 'what ifs'. Lately, I've had some 'what if?' moments, But I thank God for prayer and the power of His strength in me to overcome those fearful moments.

A verse I read today really struck me on top of other studies that I've been working on and sharing with you today on my blog. I just finished sharing in a previous post about having a 'fear of God'. This kind of ties in with that. Psalm 112:7-8 "{Those who fear the Lord} do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumpantly." Another favorite is Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. The Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
( www.searchgodsword.org )
I absolutely love that verse! It's become a daily verse with me - I also sing the song - it's on one of the kids' CDs.

So, it doesn't matter what comes my way, I don't need to be afraid because God is watching over me. He already knows the outcome of all these tests and He knows where I will be in the years to come. He will be watching over me and He will be with me because He has promised that He will never leave me or forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5). In all my hurts, my struggles and my temptations, there is no more wonderful a promise than this. No matter where I go, God goes with me! This verse is like Jesus saying to me "I want to be with you; I gave myself to you; I gave myself for you. Do you really think I would ever forsake you?" No, he never would. It's in my own fears and my sins that I pull myself away from God, putting a wall between us and putting distance between us - it's never Him leaving me. He's always there, right there, patiently waiting for me to take His hand through this all. He's just a prayer away. When I call to Him, He will hear me and answer me. What encouragement - what a promise!!

You know, we need times like these to draw us closer to God. We need times of trials and testing to build our character and to stretch our faith. God knows what we need to draw closer to Him and fully rely and trust in Him. When life is going smooth and things are looking real well, we often tend to forget about God and He gets left on the wayside. God allows certain things to happen in our lives to teach us, correct us, draw us back to Him and also to show us how much He loves us. But through it all, the worst thing we could do is push Him away and not trust Him. He knows how it will all come about and He knows the blessings that will come out of it no matter how terrible the circumstance is. TRUST. That's all I need to do - that's all we all need to do. Just Trust Him.

God bless you!