Struggling With Fear

“Fear not!” is the most repeated command in the Bible. Fear is no doubt one of many  problems that people are struggling with today.  It began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned and hid themselves from the Lord. The Lord called out for Adam, and Adam replied, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself" Genesis 3:10. 

Everyone has fears and doubts for a variety of reasons. We must always be considerate of the doubts and fears of others. Our own fears may seem rational but the fears of others don't always make sense to us.  

For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ Isaiah 41:13

 This is a picture of a necklace that I bought in 2009.

Making Decisions With Prayer

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established. 

My husband and I pray together daily and separately about any and all decisions in our life. Some are big decisions and some are not very significant but that is how I know God's will for my own life. Usually God brings us ultimately to the same decision and really how often does any married couple agree on anything? 

That is how I know it is God working in both our lives and the key to those decisions is prayer. Rarely does my husband decide differently than I do. If that should happen, I will usually follow his decision because I believe God can make a wrong decision right. These are the moments that I have to trust God no matter how I may feel. Easy to say but not always easy to do.
 

Usually my husband and I will not make a final decision on something of significance until we are both in agreement. It may take a few weeks but if we continue to pray we can see how God blends our hearts together in the same direction. We have managed to do this for several years now and find that no decision has been left unanswered by our Heavenly Father.
 

We both know how difficult it is to agree on what color to paint a room or something as simple as what to watch on tv. So when God works on our hearts to come to the same conclusion we know without a doubt that it can only be God!

Few things in life transform your character like making a commitment to pray together!

A picture of St. Andrews in Tangier Morocco taken by my 

father in the late 1950's or early 1960's.

A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, 
   and a season for every activity under the heaven...   

Solomon describes in chapter 3 the cycles of life: sowing & reaping; weeping & laughing, mourning & dancing; gaining & losing; silence & speaking; loving & hating.....so how do we handle these cycles? Do we only respond well or with gratitude when they are the ones that we want? Or do we trust God in ALL of them? 

 

God is in control of all that happens to us, good and bad. So what is our response to Him in everything?  I think we have a tendency to love God when it is all good but then angry or hate God when things are bad. Like our children do when they don't get their way or have to do something they don't care to do. One moment our kids are thrilled with us because we are taking them to the mall but the next moment they are hating us for asking them to clean their room. 

 

I have learned so much about my relationship with God from watching my children respond to me as their mother and I know where they get it from.....their father! HA, I wish.....no I have to take responsibility here; unfortunately, they follow my example!

God's plans for your life far exceed the circumstances of your day! 

                                                                                                                              Louie Giglio