Sunday Devotions - Be Fearless!

For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

Fear seems to lay everywhere, or at least the potential for fear is everywhere. I read in the news a woman died from teh water at her dentist's office. Carcinogens that cause cancer seems to be everywhere; in what we eat and where we live. Droughts. Unemployment. Wars. The possibility of personal failure, illness, grief, disasters. If I allowed myself to dwell upon all the things that strike fear in my heart, well, my blood pressure would be through the roof at least. 

I found this quote the other day on Pinterest. 

I'm not sure if "do not be afraid" is really written 365 times, but I wouldn't doubt it. Psalm 27:1 and 23:4, Isaiah 41:13, Exodus 14:13, Deuteronomy 31:6, Luke 1:30 and 2:10, Hebrews 13:6, John 14:27. 

Do not be afraid...be fearless!! What good does fear or worry do us anyway? Nothing at all. Be Fearless!! 

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us strength and courage and fearlessness! You are with us every hour of every day. We have nothing to fear, ever, with you by our side. Amen!! 

Sunday Devotions - Strength in Sickness

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. - Isaiah 40:28-31

Last weekend I missed posting my usual Sunday devotions because the week prior my family was battling a nasty stomach bug. While this particular sickness knocked me down for a couple days, my kids bounced back much quicker. I wish I had a child's energy! 

As I think of my older friends and relatives, who are fighting illness and diseases like cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's,  I realize that sickness is a part of getting older. No matter how healthy of a life I lead this body won't last forever. Sometimes the thought of growing older and the possibility of serious illnesses can be disheartening. But God never gets sick; God never grows weak.

Being sick is no fun and battling a serious illness can be devastating to our spirit. But we don't have to fight alone. If we put our faith and hope in the Lord our strength will be renewed! Even if our sickness takes our physical bodies, our faith in God will provide us spiritual strength forever! 

Dear Heavenly Father, Our physical bodies are fighting battles, some more serious than others. Lord help us heal our spirits first and foremost and then help us heal our bodies. Amen. 

Sunday Devotions - "Wait upon the Lord."

They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.  ISAIAH 40:31

This plaque, with the verse Isaiah 40:31, was a wedding gift given to us from my grandmother. It is one of the first things I make sure gets put up on my walls when we move. The last few weeks have been stressful. DR has been in Kansas and I've been on my own juggling the last minute moving details, my own daily tasks and all the things DR does around the house; like mowing the yard. Even though there is a lot to do preparing to move, there are some days where I just feel as though we are waiting....and waiting....and waiting. It can be frustrating and emotionally draining. There are days I wonder how much longer I can wait before we finally get all this moving stuff DONE!

When I am at my most frustrated and pushed to my limits it is this verse that keeps me going with strength and joy. God is always with us. No matter the obstacle. No matter how hard or how far. When we wait with the Lord he gives us the strength we need. The strength of eagles! The strength to run as far as we have to run and never growing weary. We can never have that kind of strength on our own.

And yes, God gives us the strength (and patience) to wait! For me, waiting is more of an obstacle than doing...something, anything! I don't like to sit still. (I just heard my entire family's heads shake in unison!) But God has a purpose in waiting so I will wait...and God will be here to help me bear it.

Dear God, Thank you for giving us the amazing strength to face our most difficult obstacles; whatever they may be. Thank you for waiting with me Lord! Amen.