When Fear Wants to Destroy You

 

For a few weeks, I have been experiencing anxiety and hopelessness. I have been facing one of the biggest trials in all my life. So, instead of running to Ben & Jerry, I have been spending a lot of time in my war room (home office). I usually start by listening to my worship playlist on YouTube. On one particular day my panic was off the charts. As I felt it rising within me, I kept trying to remember that God is with me and is blessed by the trust I put in Him to walk with me through this trial.

I know how I want things to go but I also know that I must submit to God’s will for my life. He knows what is best for me. So how do I submit to His will when all I want to do is panic? To run around and start making moves to rescue myself, making phone calls, etc. and thereby leaving God out of the situation. 

As I began writing in my journal, I began with prayer. I love writing to God, it helps me stay focused because I am so ADHD. I can tell you since starting to write this…I have held the cat, watched 2 videos, made toast, then another video about a sick hedgehog. OK, back to my story…as I was trying to focus on my journaling, suddenly, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. He put a scene from an Indiana Jones movie in my brain, and I knew I had to share it because it brought me so much comfort as I continue to deal with this trial.

 If you are able, hop over to “YouTube” and watch this short scene . Just put in the search box “Indiana Jones and his walk of faith”. To me, it conveyed what I was feeling at that time. The fear you see in Indy is a match to my fear.

In the scene, Indy is running through an ancient Egyptian cave to help his father who has been captured by bad people. Indy can hear his father calling out to him for help. As Indy runs through the cave, he is faced with obvious traps meant to kill him. Fortunately, he has found an old Egyptian book that contains riddles, puzzles, etc. that will show the reader how to solve each obstacle. The problem is that the book is written in hieroglyphics, so he must decipher the clues to get through this massive cave. At this point in the story, Indy has come to a very deep and wide cavern. He sees no way to get to the other side. It’s too wide to jump across and there doesn’t seem to be a rope or bridge. So, he refers to the book of Egyptian hieroglyphic clues. Amazingly, it shows a man at the edge of the very cavern that Indy is standing at. As he deciphers the clue, it shows an Egyptian man taking a big, exaggerated step out and over the cavern. It looks like a trust walk x1000. So, to rescue his father, he must step out in faith, just as the ancient Egyptian is doing in the book. Indy, filled with terror, fear and anxiety, but he needs to act, one way or another. As his father continues to call out to him for help, Indy does exactly what the Egyptian does and takes the big, exaggerated step out over the cavern. To Indy’s surprise and relief, it worked! The makers of the cave designed a bridge that could not be seen because it had been painted to blend into the rocks.  Now Indy can get across and of course he saves his father.

 As I watched this clip, I could see the terror in Indy’s face. Now I haven’t faced death like what Indy was facing, but I have faced a huge problem that I could not see how I was going to resolve it.

As I watched the scene unfold, I felt so much peace that I had to stop and write about it and share. I want to share my story because I don’t think I am the only one who is dealing with daily issues that are frightening to us. For example, as I contemplate the act of buying eggs, a little hamburger and maybe some butter, it seems that, first, I need to take out a loan. Though I am kidding, in a way, I am not.

So why would this movie clip give me so much peace? Because just as Indy referred to his playbook to get through the cave, it is the same with our Bibles. I/You must open God’s Word to get the knowledge and comfort that God wants us to have. Did you know that the phrase “Do not fear…” is mentioned 365 times throughout the Bible. Think about it…that gives you a daily reminder for the whole year. Hmmm, was that a coincidence? I don’t think so.

In these days, when it comes down to it, we all fear something every day. Whether it’s finances, health issues, family problems, the holidays, your job, your marriage, your kids, addiction, physical/emotional trauma and the list could go on and on. But here’s the beauty, God promises that when the storms come (not if but when), He wants to walk with us and to protect us. Recently, my sister sent me a “meme” that said God does not always remove the storm but walks with us through the storm. So, don’t be afraid, just run into His arms and He will provide protection for you.

Bottomline, God will never fail you. He will never abandon you.  From what I see in the Scriptures, all you need to do is ask Him for help. My dear friends, keep me in your prayers as I face my storm, and I would love to pray for you and any storms that you are in or ones that are coming down the road.  DM me and I will add you to my prayer journal and of course it stays private.  Here are 2 verses that I have in my memory verse pack:

Isaiah 41:10

            Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

 

Hebrews 13:5b

“be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

So just as Indy had to keep referring to the little playbook, make plans to study your playbook (the Bible) because your Heavenly Father is calling out to you. Thankfully, God’s Word is not written in a hieroglyphic format, or in clues, or in a secret language or in a puzzle format. What God says in His Book, is what it says and means. Now to you I say, go forth and live in the peace that God is offering you. God’s Word says:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

Please leave your email address in the comments if you would like to receive my future devotionals and freebee stuff. Today, I am including 4 memory verse cards to help you store them in your heart. I can’t stress the importance of hiding God’s Word in your heart so that when a fear threatens  to overtake you, you will have the Holy Spirit reminding you with the truth. So don’t be afraid and don’t be discouraged because God wants to ALWAYS be by your side and to help you when life get tough.

 

God bless you and Merry Christmas, LaDonna

My Hoosier Check

 

Hello, my friends, I want to share with you what a great and glorious God we have. This pic is from my prayer journal, and it has great meaning to me as I record my prayers, the events in my life and the many thoughts I have swirling in my mind. Not that long ago, my sister and I were praying together. We claim the verse found in Matthew 18:19, it says "that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them". That day, I was feeling sad because it is such a struggle in terms of my finances. These days buying groceries seems like a luxury. So as my sister and I began lifting our prayers, she prayed for my struggles. Her words were something like this, "Lord please let LaDonna walk out to her mailbox today and let there be a check of some sort that could pull her out of her sadness." I tell you the truth that I went out to my mailbox that very same day and a check was there for me and one for Gabby! They were from the State of Indiana and the letter included with the checks explained that they had a surplus of funds that fiscal year and wanted to give back to us Hoosiers. MY MIND WAS BLOWN AWAY! So, of course, I praised God and promised to let those in my circle of influence know that our heavenly Father really does honor our prayers, especially when we agree with other believers.

So the picture above is from my prayer journal. It has become a daily habit of mine (ok, almost every day), I like to create an “art” page along with an explanation in my journal that captures what God has done in my life. This artwork is my tribute to God and His unbelievable love for me. He heard my cry for help and rescued me. What are you feeling sad about today? Take that sadness to God and watch for a miracle. Also, who is someone in your life that you trust to pray with every day or every other day? Make a commitment with them to pray together every day, every other day, once a week. God's word doesn't put a time limit or other restrictions or requirements on your prayers. Just do it.

My sister and I live in Arkansas, just few miles apart but our daily prayer time is with a face time platform. We can easily pop online, armed with our coffee, in our pajamas and invite God to join us. It's so cool. Let me know in the comments or DM me if there is anything we can pray for. BUT don't just lean into me, get going on with your own little prayer group. I know that a year from today, if you do this, you are going to have a huge list of ways that God showed up and showed out. Loretta and I already have a huge list. I don't say this to brag, please hear my heart, I share this journal entry to give you hope in this very dark world. Or maybe there is someone that you are close with that needs to hear this. Prayer works!

There Is Help for the Hopeless

Today as I was up going about my morning routines, there was a song playing in the background by one of my favorite Christian bands, Third Day. The song is called “Cry Out to Jesus”. Go to YouTube and put in "Third Day Cry out to Jesus" when you have time, listen to it.

In the song, the singer lists all kinds of problems, struggles and worries that we might face. Obviously, there are millions of other situations but if he addressed all of those he would have the longest song ever made. Now back to my point. Basically, all we need to do, when faced with problems is cry out to Jesus. How easy is that? But wait, you might say, “don’t I need to stop sinning and become perfect?” “Wouldn’t I need to stop cussing, smoking, drinking, etc. to even come near to Jesus?” “Also, wouldn’t I need to go to church because that’s the place to pray and then God would be pleased with me?” “Only then would He help me with my problems, right?” The simple answer is NO! NO! NO!

As I study Scripture, I find that the words in this great song are the TRUTH! Though there are many verses I would like to high light, I'll start with this one:

“So, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

I could speak to so many components of this verse because there are a multitude of insights but I will bring one to you. It says that “let us come boldly” and “there we will find His mercy and we will find grace”. God is telling us that we can come to Him with our problems and He will help us. There are no requirements, no "if you do this or you need to do that…". God is saying, “come to me and I will help”. The end. That’s it! Now don’t get me wrong, obviously, we can’t approach the Almighty God without some humility and respect. But usually, when we are facing a devastating problem, when we feel like we are at the end of our rope, when we are feeling so low that we can’t get out of bed and we are desperate for some help, humility before God is not a problem. But if you’re not at this point but still need help, I suggest you go the Heavenly Father with some humility or you might want to rethink that life insurance policy, etc.

Beloved, I don’t know what your struggle is today but mine feels enormous. There really is no other option for me but to cry out to Jesus. And so, with boldness, I will take all of it to Him and rest in the knowledge that God wants to help us. So, when He says to cry out to Him, He is not lying. Matter of fact, in the New Testament, you find Jesus addressing this very subject:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11: 28-30 (NLT)


For many of you, as of right now, it’s your only option, so take your problems to Him and see what happens. What have you got to lose? But remember, taking our problems to God is like throwing them in a lake with a sign on it that says, “Absolutely no fishing!” So, once you give it to Him, don’t take it back. Wait on Him and His help. Scripture says:

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 (NLT)


I know it’s hard to wait because most of us want to take control of our situation and solve it. But, God wants us to approach Him with our difficulties. I know that when my daughter is struggling with a problem, I want her to come to me. I don’t want her to deal with it on her own. I love that she looks to me for help. Whether, its help with homework, a need for shoes, or a hug because something has hurt her feelings, I want to be there for her. I would go to the ends of the earth to provide for her in her time of need. That, my friends, is how it is with our Heavenly Father. He wants to be a good Father to us. I love this next passage of Scripture and try to hang on to its concept when I am caught in a difficult situation:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So, if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." Matthew 7: 7-10

So, whatever it is that you are struggling with today, go to you Heavenly Father and ask for help. When you ask for help, what does the above verse say? They will receive, they will find, the door will be opened and they will be given good gifts. He is there waiting for you to cry out to Him. These past couple of weeks have been so hard for us. But every day God has proven over and over that He provides.

If you want to mention a struggle (you can name it or not) and would like for me to pray for you…I promise I will. In the comments section, just type “Please pray for me.” Also, if you would like to ask any questions about what I’ve written, leave your question in the comments section and as always, if you don’t know whether you are in God’s family and would like to know more about that, let me know. I would be happy to help you with that step.

I love you!
LaDonna