Did you hear it’s coming back!!!!! And they say that it’s boiling now!!!! And that meat you’ve been buying at that particular store/restaurant is not really meat (surprise-it tasted like that 20 years ago too). That doctor’s meeting is unnerving………And the list and the beat goes on….
Forward Friday is our end of summer reminder that even though the drumbeats of fear are about to kick up if they haven’t begun already, we have a choice in the matter...
Are we going to walk and live fearfully or are we going to choose the other word, also beginning with the letter F; a word called Faith? Living with faith helps us have the ability to walk and live free in the face of Fear!
So let’s walk into this season, with a mindset that will carry us forward with progress that makes a difference! And as always, there’s Good News Medicine at the end!
Let’s Get Into This!
So, there is a steady bump up in the words, “A New Variant” is coming… Seems like there is an effort to get people scared again… strange... it used to be called flu season………..
We now hear the words, “Global Boiling” …… I didn’t know that the Annual Corn Boil has gone global…..
Recently coming back from vacation on the highway, I couldn’t help but notice the many signs for medical treatment that focused not on getting people healthy but getting people scared to the point that they would have to use the medical services because well, you are or will be sick…
No mention of taking proactive measures to get health and stay healthy….
The point in all of this is not that it’s just one thing; it’s the idea or spirit of fear that seemingly pervades so much of our society fabric and instead of reactions to counterbalance the fear, many fall into the trap and get stuck… and many don’t even know how they got there in the first place….
I don’t watch horror or scary movies because first off, I’m a chicken... There … I said it……
Most importantly, in my case in the past, the fear factor determined how I would process and think for a few days after the movie, and I didn’t like how that made my mind work.
So…. I stopped and because one of the drawbacks or detriments to fear is the illusion of whatever the issues are that fear generates are real, those deceptions/tricks dissipated.
I’ve been thinking about some tried and true advice that has helped me when it comes to fear and especially in this climate.
A climate where Fear makes governments, companies, businesses, even places where one would think cared about people lots and lots of money… And power… because causing people to be afraid creates the possibility for manipulation to create power grabs of freedom, the ability to clearly think etc..
I had a political science professor back in the day for a year. He had to be one of the most liberal thinking professors I had ever had but…….one of the best I ever had.
As he said, “His job was not to teach us what to think but to teach us how to think” and he also said, “Most people do not go beneath the surface of what’s being said or done so it’s easy to fool, cajole, intimidate people into compliance on most issues.”
Interesting that the Bible also says that people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge/understanding/wisdom….
So what do we do to help combat the ever-present Fearmongering that exists so we can live free and that our life is marked by progress……..
Here are but a few Good Medicine Ideas….
Pray—Sounds Old Fashioned But…It Works…
To Pray is more than a drab, ritualistic quota of getting those requests in. It’s the prospect to talk to God about the worries, cares and give him the opportunity to help us through them.
Philippians 4:6-7 says Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let requests and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
What’s crazy is that even with this good medicine, we sometimes think we can handle all the cares, worries, fear but it’s a wonderful thing when we can take a load off our backs and put it on the one who who handle it all.
Take It Easy-Slow Down
Typically, I’m not a slow down type and I’m not always graceful internally when someone says it to me but when I think about it, in this nutty, crazy world we live in, slowing down, shifting our minds into a lower gear is many times exactly what we need.
Slowing the pace, not just when the Fear Factor shows up but working to put a different pace to our lives. Psalms 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God!”
In a crazy, jacked up, speed is the way world where to relax is almost a foreign entity, it’s even more important to make time to create some calmness which means we deliberately practice stillness.
Even for but a few minutes in our day, to have a quiet place, and a comfortable spot to relax, to be still so we can actually begin to hear God’s voice through the noise of life…. Because we slowed down enough to listen… and be in the place to listen…
What’s Good!!!!
This saying was from some years ago that people would say but it makes perfect sense when it comes when wanting to have freedom from fear.
Philippians 4:8 says, Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
What thoughts are rolling through our minds when fear knocks: more often than not, there is very little that is positive that we’re being encouraged to think like.”
It’s not enough to just stop worrying; it’s a directional, purposeful action to begin to learn, to practice thinking different.
I am daily working at thanking God for all the blessings in my life; even when everything in me wants to go negative.
We had some interesting car issues while on vacation and the first inclination is to do a “Woe Is Me” type of deal… But I remembered the many blessings in my life, the fact that we were safe when things could have gone sideways and while there are things to be dealt with, moving forward is the only way to go.
Our Tribe Matters…Connections
It really matters who we walk with in this life; so many times, the company we keep has some direct correlation to how we handle fear, faith, freedom, and progress…
Who builds us up?
Who will say a word at the right time when we need it?
Who will lovingly give us another angle to look at when we start seemingly slipping into the fear abyss?
While we all need “solitude” moments, we were never meant to walk this road of life alone.
The Bible even says that in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “So encourage each other and build each other up.”
Tribe relationships are nurturing, helpful, expressed encouragement, supportive. Even Ecclesiastes 4:10, “if one person falls, the other can reach out and help” But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.
We are people who need each other every day, especially when worry/fear threatens to take over.
Besides all the other ideas mentioned, when fear comes knocking, lean in on those relationships that matter to get some encouragement to fight against the fear attacks.
The crazy thing is, these helpful ideas can be so easily ignored, dismissed or neglected but in the face of fear, freedom needs to flex it’s muscles so that we can grow stronger when fear rears its head.
“So, let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9, NLT).
The Things I Think:
So, sometimes, we think that God is a Schizophrenic father that puts us in bad situations or causes the fear and then wants to help us out of it.
Nothing could be further than the truth and at another time, we’re going to look further at the notion that God is a good father.
When Moses died, Joshua became the leader who was going to lead Israel into the Promised land.
This was not going to be a simple task or a walk in the park so to speak. Life will have challenges at various points but here is God talking to Joshua and telling him 3 times to be strong and courageous.
The verses speak for themselves.
Joshua 1:6-9 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Be persistent, don’t give up, recognize that fear is meant to twist us around, scratch beneath the surface when the noise comes around the corner, pray because it matters and does work, slow down, look for the good and work at growing the relationships that build and encourage us!!
Progress says to point my feet in the faith direction; trust you will join me!
Dave
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