2 Timothy 1:7
God does not give me a spirit of fear and timidity. His Spirit is full of power, love and self-control. (my paraphrase)
I am often reminded of this truth from God's Word when I come face to face with my fears. In my last post, I talked about facing my fears with music and performing. That's one of the big ones. The above verse has come into play for all of my fears - the big and the small.
I keep learning an important lesson when it comes to "conquering" fear in my life. Whenever I am tempted to act based on my fears, it is important that I call into question my focus. You see, when it is all about me - how I will appear, what others might think, what is in it for me - then my focus is misplaced. I need to change my thinking and attention. Make it less about me and more about God.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-3
It is in these fearful moments, I need to remember that God has gifted me with specific talents and abilities to serve Him and to serve others. It's not about making comparisons, or over-, or under-inflating my ego. I just need to be who the Lord calls me to be, be brave and strong in Him, and let Him work through my strengths and my weaknesses.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
To conquer fear, I need to trust in God and trust in how He created me to be. It's simple, but certainly not always easy.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
I continue to find the strength to fight my fears (and you name it, I think I have been fearful about almost everything at some point in my life) through God's Word and through prayer. I have also found these inspirational songs help lift me up in moments of weakness (see videos below). I pray you will look to God for strength to fight your battles, and will be brave and bold through Him and for Him.
I keep learning an important lesson when it comes to "conquering" fear in my life. Whenever I am tempted to act based on my fears, it is important that I call into question my focus. You see, when it is all about me - how I will appear, what others might think, what is in it for me - then my focus is misplaced. I need to change my thinking and attention. Make it less about me and more about God.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-3
It is in these fearful moments, I need to remember that God has gifted me with specific talents and abilities to serve Him and to serve others. It's not about making comparisons, or over-, or under-inflating my ego. I just need to be who the Lord calls me to be, be brave and strong in Him, and let Him work through my strengths and my weaknesses.
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
To conquer fear, I need to trust in God and trust in how He created me to be. It's simple, but certainly not always easy.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6
I continue to find the strength to fight my fears (and you name it, I think I have been fearful about almost everything at some point in my life) through God's Word and through prayer. I have also found these inspirational songs help lift me up in moments of weakness (see videos below). I pray you will look to God for strength to fight your battles, and will be brave and bold through Him and for Him.
Read All About It by Emeli Sande
