You may have heard it said that the fear of something is often as bad or worse than the thing itself; Like a child worrying about getting a shot at the doctor’s office, or the fear of speaking or performing in front of a crowd; Fearing the difficult professional exam, driver’s test, or flying checkride. The fear can sometimes immobilize us from thinking or doing anything.

It is interesting how David writes Psalm 34:4. “I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” He doesn’t say that God prevented the bad things from happening; He says God freed him from his fears. We don’t know why God allows some bad things to happen to us, but knowing that he will take away the fear is a blessing in itself. It allows us to endure our struggles with peace, which can be an amazing witness to others.

Dear Lord, free us from the fears we have that prevent us from moving forward in faith. Help have the peace that comes when we do not have fear because we are putting our trust in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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In Bible days people didn’t have paper and pencil to write notes, or journals to jot down important facts and information. Important information was shared with others and these stories would be handed down from parents to children across generations. One other way that they remembered important events was to build altars and landmarks at the sites the events happened.

Joshua 4 tells the story of the Jews finally crossing the Jordan river after wandering in the desert for 40 years. God parts the river and the people walk across on dry land. In verses 2,3 God tells them, “Tell the twelve men chosen for a special task, one from each tribe, each to take a stone from where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan, and to carry them out and pile them up as a monument at the place where you camp tonight.” and verse 6,7 say, “We will use them to build a monument so that in the future, when your children ask, ‘What is this monument for?’ you can tell them, ‘It is to remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of God went across!’ The monument will be a permanent reminder to the people of Israel of this amazing miracle.”

Having the monument allowed the people to remember the powerful miracle God did and remind them to believe he is able to do miracles for them, again. In the same way, we should have a way to remember times and events when God did exceptional things for us; saving us or a loved one from a terrible accident, the unexpected “snow day” when we were not quite prepared for a test, a terrible medical diagnosis that turns out to be a just something simple. I keep a simple list of times things occurred that cannot be explained by natural causes, but these occurrences prevented disasters, or created tremendous opportunities. I occasionally review the list to remind myself that God is there looking out for me. You might find it helpful as well.

Dear Lord, help us remember those times that your hand was clearly guiding or protecting our lives, and reflect on those times when we need reinforcement of our faith in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Ravi Zacharias, a Christian speaker and author, said during one of his presentations, “Before this was a presentation to you (his audience,) it was an offering to God.”

This is a powerful way to look at our work, no matter what we do. God gave us the skills and talents we have, and using them to the best of our ability to provide service and value to others is giving an offering to God.

Paul writes in Colossians 3:23, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” And in Ephesians 2:10 he writes, ” For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Dear Lord, thank you for the gifts and talents you have given us. Help us remember that you gave them to us to glorify You and serve each other. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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I have to thank my new friend and bible study member, Tom, for telling me about the four C’s. He said growing up he was taught to avoid the four C’s. It is a great reminder for all of us. The four C’s to avoid are; Criticizing, Complaining, Comparing, and Condemning.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:29 something similar, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

After avoiding the four C’s, we should then replace them with words that, as Paul tells us, are good, helpful and encouraging.

Dear Lord, It is very easy for us to speak before we think about the effects of our words. Help us remember the power of our words and make them good, helpful and encouraging to others, and ourselves. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Some people are born “Sales People,” they have no trouble spending lots of time trying to convince someone else of their idea, sell them their product, or in the case of Christianity, walk through the neighborhood knocking on doors telling people the Good News. Praise the Lord for those folks! For the rest of us, the idea of being “pushy” with our faith seems impolite and overbearing.

Good news for us introverts, the bible tells us that just living as a good example is witnessing. Among other passages, 1 Peter 2:12 says “live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he returns.” In 1 Peter 3:15 Peter writes ” always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks the reason for the hope you have.”

So one way to witness is to live as a good example and be prepared to talk about your hope and faith when you are asked.

Dear Lord, help us feel the immortal value of our hope in you and be anxious and prepared to share it with others when the opportunity arises. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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