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!

Dancing With God

Dancing With God

I absolutely love watching Dancing with the Stars with my daughter Gabby.  We love to watch and re-watch  certain dancers (which drives my husband crazy)and of course critique all the wrong moves, etc.  We do this because we are such great dancers ourselves...NOT!  One season in particular featured NFL football star Hines Ward.  In the finale he made a dramatic statement, he said "Kim (his dancing pro) was so patient with me, she took an ex-football player, who never danced a step and guided me to be a winner."  This reminded me of a passage of scripture...Psalm 23.  I love this chapter of Psalms.  I love the comparison of us to sheep, being cared for and directed by our Shepherd, the Lord Almighty.

I am reading a book called "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.  His book is so incredible that I am now reading it for the 3rd time (sometimes it takes that many times to sink in). Mr. Keller writes from an incredible viewpoint, he was an actual sheep ranch owner in Africa for many, many years until God called him into full time ministry.  So as he, verse by verse, breaks down the passage, he speaks from first hand knowledge.

One jewel he pointed out in his book was that God guides us with His rod and His staff. He said that God aptly compared us to sheep as they are stupid, stubborn, hard to work with, etc so the shepherd must carry a rod and staff (Psalm 23:4).  This is to keep the sheep in line, to guide them and teach them for instance where the good grass is and where the poisonous grass is. The shepherd often has to prod the sheep to the place where they can get the best water or even safety. It is because of his rod and staff that they feel safe with him.

Christ calls us his sheep and that gives me so much comfort. I know that God is with me to guide me and prod me to live a life that is His will. He wants us to have a life of abundance, a life of peace and a life of harmony and so much more, but that means we need to submit to Him and stay close to Him and His word so that we can be guided and prodded.  It is almost impossible to guide and direct a sheep from a distance.  The shepherd must walk beside his sheep in order to take care of them.  Left on their own will surely lead to their demise.

Soooo...are you staying in the word daily, what are your priorities in life in terms of spiritual growth. Don't stray from the shepherd, stay close to Him. Maybe you need a few good wackes...wait a minute...that's the devil. Our Shepherd is a loving shepherd who gently takes care of us with love, compassion, sympathy, etc.

Also, just like Hines had to submit everyday to his teacher Kim so that she could guide him toward weekly success and ultimately to win the mirror ball trophy, we have to submit to God daily. God wants us to dance with him, let him be your guide, your teacher.  Each of us is promised in essence our own "mirror ball trophy" and it is waiting in heaven for you. So get busy, open that Bible and stay close to your heavenly Shepherd.

War Strategies

The other night as I was battling another night of insomnia, I turned on the TV. Searching through the channels a movie caught my eye, "We Were Soldiers". I am an old war movie buff as I spent many a Saturday as a young girl watching these with my dad. So, I spent the next hour and half learning about this Vietnam battle that was the beginning of one of America's greatest tragedies. The interesting point that caught my attention in this movie was the fact that this was a true story, and that the colonel Hal Moore (played by Mel Gibson) was a solid leader. When they arrived in Vietnam, he and his battalion, a mere 395 American soldiers were given an impossible task...to take a mountain that had an unknown number

of Vietnamese soldiers on it, within it and around it. As they were dropped at the landing zone, they learned that a whole battalion of Vietnamese soldiers were waiting for the Americans to arrive...a battalion of 4,000 soldiers. After 3 days of intense battle, the Vietnamese soldiers were defeated and sadly the Colonel Hal Moore lost 80 of his men, but he and his battalion were the victors.

When one thinks about this battle, one has to wonder at the incredible odds that faced the American battalion. It reminds me of David and Goliath. The little shepherd boy facing the huge Philistine with only a sling and a smooth stone. And yet victory was David's.

Lately I have been studying about shepherds and their role as owners/managers of their sheep. A good shepherd has to defend his sheep and therefore has to become an expert at using things like a club, staff and sling shot. He has to know his enemies, the ways of the lions, coyotes, and dogs that want to come in the night and steal his sheep. And in the same way, Colonel Hal Moore not only knew his enemy but was a deep study of wars and battles of the past. He studied the battle plans, and maneuvers that led to victories and defeats. And it was because of his diligence to be an avid student, that he was able to lead his men to victory.

In watching this movie, I was inspired to see the similarities in terms of my spiritual life. If I am to go out into battle everyday fighting the evil one, I must be prepared.

1 Peter 5:8

⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Dear ones, every day we must get up, no matter what the day holds, and prepare for battle. We must cover ourselves in God's Word and shoring ourselves up in prayer. Each day as we go out into the world, Satan is just waiting and watching for opportunities to attack us. As the above verse states, he is on the prowl. Satan's hope is that as he waits and watches God's sheep, that a weaker one, a rebellious one who wanders off or a wounded one will become his next meal. We must keep our relationship with Christ fresh and ever-growing so that we will never fall and become Satan's next victim.

It was interesting to me that the night before Colonel Hal Moore was to be deployed, he could not sleep so he used this time to once again open his textbooks on battles in history and study the techniques that worked and those that didn't. Instead of losing himself in TV, medicating himself with alcohol, or whatever, he chose to use this time to prepare for battle even more. In the same way, we must never let ourselves go into everyday life without preparing ourselves for battle, especially if we know that we have got to take a huge mountain that day. This is especially true as we have so many time wasters in terms of social media, streaming shows and movies, etc.

So, remember, the devil is always on the prowl. Just as you get up and put on your makeup, put on your clothes, shave, brush your teeth, etc. Remember to take time to put on your armor of God. Never let it be said that you were a casualty of the devil's war. Let it be known that you are a fierce warrior, ready at all times to take on whatever the devil throws your way.

Ephesians 6:10-12

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Beloved, don't underestimate the power of knowledge, strategy and especially the power of God, His Word and His Holy Spirit. Tap into this fail-safe victory over the evil one.

Blessings to all,

LaDonna