Tag Archives: fear

The Greatest Psychology Phil 4:4-7

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“The Greatest Psychology.” Phil 4:4-7

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NASB)

Anxiety or anxiousness can come from a variety of causes… health, family conflict, financial worries, job-related stresses or many others but most of these stresses will have something to do with people or relationships, whether they be our kids, mates, parents, friends, relatives, work-mates, employees, employers, customers…even strangers.

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A lot of stress, anxiety, worry, concern, fear and depression is connected to the fear of NOT being able to control or influence the people and relationships around us. This was no different within the early church history, as well. In Ephesians 4 we read about a seemingly serious conflict between two gals, Euodia and Synecthe, both of whom Paul feels very strongly about as co-workers in the faith, which leads Paul to wax eloquent on the way to Spiritually dissolve stress and anxiety. How?   Continue reading →

Exodus 14:1 While You Keep Silent 3-1-15

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©1998-2015
Fellowship
Life of Moses
Lesson 23
While You Keep Silent…
Ex 14:1ff
3.1.15

Introduction… Ever had your back up against the wall or against the sea with no retreat in sight? Ever felt like you might have been put there unfairly by the Almighty’s providence—like this is NOT FAIR, God? I did everything I was supposed to do or what I felt led to do or thought was right, and yet here I am smack up against the eight ball and about to be run over? Not a fun feeling to have, is it?

How did you handle it? Did you cry, run, scream, groan, pout, numb out? How did it eventually turn out? Was it as bad as you thought? Did you live? Are you still alive? Did God see you through? What did his deliverance ultimately look like? Looking back, did you see perhaps that God had a greater, perhaps even more unpredictable and paradoxical plan or purpose that you could have never dreamed of?

In this story, God tells Israel to make a seemingly wrong turn—a wrong turn that puts the nation at great peril and causes its members to think that they were right to begin with in questioning the wisdom of God’s plan as expressed by Moses. It would seem that much like Israel, we want our salvation fully laid out with no unexpected twists and turns, even if the twists and turns save us from a far greater future danger.

One confusing, questionable turn that God has a far greater purpose for. Threat does not equal destruction, or at least our destruction, but rather evil’s. Our response to the overwhelming threat–to NOT fear, but to trust, be confidently still or silent and watch God go to work. Trust in God is a magnificent state of mind by which to sustain all of life’s many unexpected and overwhelming threats. In fact, trust is God’s great equalizer. Try it. Trust enough to be still in the midst of a great threat…

Your Servant,
Joe
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