Fear Not

7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

There is often nothing in this life which can paralyze someone more than their own fears.  Fears of confrontation, of social situations even fears of disease.  While some of our own fears may be well grounded and indeed keep us from doing something stupid, there are others which may be baseless.  It is these unfounded fears within us which we eventually will confront.  I know a good deal about fear, because I carry more than a few with me.  One fear which I have harbored for more than a few years is a fear of heights.  Now, this fear may have kept me from throwing myself off of a steep cliff or being reckless in some other way, but it also kept me from enjoying more than a few of lifes experiences.  Over the past few years I have come face to face with this fear during my hiking trips with my friend Dennis.  In the begining, the running joke was that I would often hug the inside part of a trail, as I felt it safer than walking on the edge.  Whether this was true or not is not the issue.  The issue is whether these fears of mine were well grounded or not.  The interesting thing is, the more often I walked a certain trail, the more comfortable and less fearful I became of that location.  With my eyes had seen and experienced what my inner senses once screamed was going to kill me.  Far from falling to my death, I lived to savor the enjoyment of our Lords creation.  The lesson Icame away with from this experience is that the more we face those fears which paralyze us, the more we may find that these fears themselves are baseless.  For his part, Dennis would often bring in our relationship with Christ Jesus into our struggles with fear.  With this I will agree.  For as the apostle Paul explains in the book of Timothy, our heavenly Father has not blessed us with a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind.  In other words, our fears are not from God.  Knowing this may help us in our battle with overcoming these fears.

25“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29“and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not larrayed like one of these.
Matthew 6: 25 - 29 NKJV

In Matthew 6 in Jesus' sermon on the mount we see Him address these fears of ours.  The fears which Jesus addressed must have been common among the people of His day for Him to use them as a example in this teaching.  The people must have had deep set fears of having enough to eat or even decent clothing.  That being said, I'm sure they often struggled with how it was that they would pay for such things.  These are common worries even in todays society.  We struggle, toil and wonder if we will have enough provisions to make it.  With our ears we have heard that our Lord will provide for His children, but in our hearts we have failed to believe.  Yes, I've been down that road as well.  My question is this, why would God promise to provide for us only to pull back on His word?  Why would Jesus make the same point of our Lords provision if it were not true?  Was He lying?  One thing I have learned may fly right in the face of modern day church teaching, but I believe that my heavenly Father rejoices in providing for my needs and does not do so simply on a reward basis.  For we are His children whom He loves, why would He not provide for His own?  It is exactly because of this reality why Jesus must have inquired on the Mount of Olives that day, "So why is it that you worry?"  Jesus was getting to the heart of the fears of those who were listening.  Whatever the fear is that is paralyzing us at the moment, we can be assured that we are not enduring it alone.  The very truth of Christ Jesus which Paul tells us in Galations 2:20 assures us that Christ Jesus shares our life with us.  I have never known Jesus to be afraid of many things.

~Scott~

Angels Rest trail at 1,600 feet ~ Fearless!

Of More Value Than They

29“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31“Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10: 29 - 31 NKJV

I ran across a video online the other day.  It seems some random guy had made a inspirational video using only a twenty dollar bill as a reference to our very worth to our heavenly Father.  For even if this bill were to be folded or torn in some way, it still holds its original value.  Of course, the value of the twenty dollar bill is well known and recognized as having come from a higher authority.  It is this authority which guarantees the value of this peice of paper to anyone who holds it.  So it is with our heavenly Fathers children, for we ourselves are given a priceless value which cannot be taken away.  Sin may stain us and life may scar us, but in the end it is the value which our heavenly Father places upon His children which we do well to remember.  The trouble with these motivational videos and speeches is that they eventually get lost in the fast pace of our everyday lives.  Yes, they sound good for a few hours, but time and again we may once again fall victim to feelings of inadequacy.  Of course, these feelings do not come from God, but from the accuser himself.  God makes it clear just what value He holds for His children in scripture time and again.  In Matthew 10, Christ Jesus makes the comparison of our Fathers thoughts for us in relation to two sparrows.  For if our Lord knows and cares for a bird as small as a sparrow, will He not much more care for His children?  If our Lord did not hold His children in such high esteem, would the very hairs of our heads be numbered?  Probably not.  Not only that, but Gods ultimate gift of His one and only Son testifies of His very love for us.

1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of aGod! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3: 1 - 2 NKJV

I've never really been a big fan of the motivational speaker circuit, it's just not my thing.  That does not mean that I don't occasionaly run into those situations where I myself feel unworthy, because I do.  However, in these situations it is not the high priced motivational speaker who brings me back to earth and makes me realize once again just how valuable I am.  No, this assurance comes from the knowledge of who I truly am.  For not only am I a son of the living God, but I live as Him each and every day.  The apostle Paul spoke of this fact in Galations 2 when he claimed that he himself no longer lived, but that Christ Jesus lived in him {Galations 2:20}.  A motivational speaker may speak to us of what WE need do in order to attain a sembelence of value in ourselves.  However, it is the free gift of Christ Jesus which is available to all cost free!  Once again, the error we make in believing that we ourselves can change is one perpetuated by satan himself.  For to believe that we ourselves are truly independent is the very same lie satan continues to believe even today.  Yet, we already know satans ultimate fate.  How can we be independent of He who created us?  Yet this is the lie many continue to believe.  Listen to any motivational speaker and what is the message which you get, that YOU can change!  I would love to see a motivational speaker who spoke of the fact that we need not change at all.  That our true value to our heavenly Father is one where we are not only sons, but heirs in Christ.  Wishfull thinking I'm afraid.  In the end, we need not wonder of what value we truly are.  For our heavenly Father has loved us enough to call us sons.  He has loved us enough to send His only Son to ensure our future in Him.  I don't need to line the pockets of some motivational guru to know this in my heart.

~Scott~

Where Fears Arise

~Death Waits In The Dark~

The insignia of the Armys 160th Special Operations Regiment

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf"

~George Orwell~

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form, and void; and darkness awas on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. bSo the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1: 1 - 5 NKJV

There is an old saying among us that it is always darkest before the dawn.  Of course, everyone knows that unless you're in Alaska in that certain time of year, that our days are sepeated by light and darkness.  As with the rest of creation, this came into being by Gods spoken word.  However, this is not why we feel that it is always darkest before the dawn.  For it is in these hours of twilight, when the hours of the day wane that we are most often to feel experience anxiety or fear.  Yes, many feel fear in the daylight hours also, but there is something about the darkness of night that encourages our fears.  Many admit to being afraid of the dark when they were younger, I'm on of them.  The dark of night, it seems, brings the unknown and unexpected to the doorstep of our thoughts.  Is it any wonder that horror movies are most often shown on tv late at night?  It is if we expect that suddenly our Lord has turned out the lights and gone to sleep.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Scripture tells us that God saw the light which he spoke into creation, and that "It was good."  How, then, can we associate something which our heavenly Father has created and declared good with our deepest fears.  I believe I know that answer to that.  See, with darkness comes the unknown and the unexpected.  That dark, abandoned house down the road looks more terrifying at night simply because we know not what is inside, but also because it's dark outside.  Fear grows and perpetuates in darkness, for with darkness comes the unknown.  However, as I have found out, many of the fears which I have had of the darkness of night have over time become unfounded.  Of course, that doesn't stop the occasional twinge of fear from rearing its ugly head in the night.

7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1: 7 NKJV

The United States Armys 160th Special Operations Regiment has a unique and special mission.  This unit was created in the aftermath of Operation Eagle Claw, the failed United States rescue mission of Iranian hostages in 1980.  As American equipment lay burning in the Iranian desert, president Jimmy Carter the military to determine what went wrong.  As a result, the concept of a new aviation unit was born.  These are not your normal soldiers by any means, for their primary mission specialty is night combat.  Their motto "Death waits in the dark" testifies to the special mission for which these men are tasked.  With the advent of new night vision equipment, these special operations soldiers truly own the night.  It is ironic that these men wait to bring the fear of darkness upon those who would oppose our nation.  For not only do they fight with conventional weapons and aircraft, but they simply play on those deepest fears of darkness which many have experienced.  For those who choose combat with the United States, the cover of darkness is no longer a protection.  As believers, we ourselves have assurance that darkness shall not be a time of fear and anxiety for us.  In 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul assures us that our fears are not of God.  For our heavenly Father has not given His children a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind.  Indeed, our Lords spoken word has created that darkness which we so often find as a basis for our fears.  As with the rest of His creation, He has declared it good.

~Scott~

Believing The Unbelievble

Yoda ~ "Always with you it cannot be done, hear you nothing that I say?  You must unlearn what you have learned"

Luke ~ "Alright, I'll give it a try"

Yoda ~ NO!  Try not!  Do...or do not...there IS NO try!"

Once again the old Jedi master had taken Luke Skywalker to school, which was his job.  His apprentice grimaces at the prospect of trying to raise his starfighter from the waters of that Dagoba swamp.  To Luke this seems impossible, so he responds the only way he knows, with his human mind.  He does not see what his master sees, and he seems unwilling to accept it.  That is, until the 900 year old jedi master takes his apprentice to school once again.  In many ways, we can learn alot from the old master regarding our understanding of the truth of Christ Jesus found in Galations 2:20.  For as the jedi master instructs his young apprentice, "You must unlearn what you have learned."  One of the struggles for me in coming to the realization of the truth of Jesus was just that, I believed all which I had learned from one pulpit pounder or another.  What I had learned from one pastor after another was that there was a seperation between Jesus and myself.  Sure Christ had forgiven my sins through His death on the cross and had defeated death by rising three days later, but upon His resurection He had ascended into heaven to be at the right hand of the Father.  Jesus was in heaven and I was on my own here in this sinful world.  No teaching had revealed to me the truth that not only had Jesus risen from the grave, but that we live AS JESUS today.  The apostle Paul makes this clear in Galations 2:20 by claiming. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."  Our old man, our old sin nature, was crucified and put to death with Christ Jesus on the cross.  We are not sinners saved by Gods grace, but entirely new creations in Christ Jesus.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

It almost seems like a uphill struggle as we attempt to "unlearn" all which we have learned about Jesus.  However, in the end we are blessed with a deeper connection with Him.  This is the connection which Gods children had with Him at the begining, but which was abolished when Adam and Eve chose instead to follow the lie of satan.  This was the lie in which satan claimed that Eve could and indeed would be "Like God" if she would only eat from the tree which God had instructed her not to.  This lie, that they could be truly independent, was the same lie for which satan had himself believed when he believed that he could be more exalted than God.  For this he was expelled from heaven along with those who had rebelled with him.  For partaking in the very same lie, Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden to work the ground from which they came.  Instead of having intimate fellowship with God, they were now on the outside looking in.  It is the truth of Christ Jesus that restores our relationship with our heavenly Father that was damaged by satans lie of self independence.  The life which we live, we live in Christ Jesus.

Luke ~ "I don't believe it!"

Yoda ~ "THAT...is why you fail."

~Scott~

A Relationship Of Convenience

16Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Goodd Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17So He said to him, e“Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’‘You shall not commit adultery,’‘You shall not steal,’‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept gfrom my youth. What do I still lack?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Matthew 19: 16 - 22 NKJV

There have been many times in which I have felt like that rich young man, knowing Jesus and desiring His presence yet choosing instead that which gratifies my flesh.  This is sometimes the relationship of our own choosing, our convenient relationshp with Christ Jesus.  For at times we would much rather have Jesus on the sidelines, ready to come to our defense if and when we should need Him.  Of course, this reeks of independent thinking.  We convince ourselves that we are somehow independent of our creator and that He's only there to dig us out of any and all messy situations our "Independence" may get us into.  Think of this in terms of a physical relationship which you may be in.  Imagine being in a relationship with someone who only relied on you for financial help and emotional support.  How would you feel about that relationship?  For myself, personaly, I would not tolerate such a union for very long.  Yet, that is exactly where I have found myself more often than not in my relationship with my Lord and Savior.  I would okay with God in the background as I went about my life on my own.  However, as soon as something went haywire, as it always does, the first words out of my mouth would be "Help me God!"  Now, for His part, God has always been there for me even when I wasn't there for Him.  My own pride, impatience and false belief in independence have at times beeen more of a barrier to me than any other sin.  One of our discussion points in our group has more often than not centered on our false belief that are ourselves independent beings.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, when we place Christ in the background only to be called on if and when we need Him, we are only demonstrating our own hypocracy.  For if we were truly independent, would we even need Christ for anything at all?  I'll go one further, is our current relationship with Jesus one based on our own needs or our desire to know Him?  Is our relationship with Him one of convenience or one of necessity?  Do we desire Him, or just His help in trouble?

18And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Matthew 8: 18 - 22 NKJV

Make no mistake, Jesus delights on being our helper and when we call on Him, but He also delights when we make Him our one and all and place our trust in Him only.  There is a reason that Proverbs tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding."  For this blind trust, this leap of faith will ultimately bring us into a blessed relationship with Christ.  In this relationship we no longer see Jesus as simply a provider and protector, but as someone we come to willingly because we desire to be in His presence.  It is no longer a relationship of convenience but one of love and adoration.  My friends, what is God but...love.  He who loved us first. He who loved us enough to become sin on our behalf that we might live with Him...that love.  That doesn't mean that if we are currently in a relationship of convenience with Jesus that He will ignore us, that is not who He is.  No, despite our own stubborn false idea of independence, Christ will continue to love and cherish us as His own.  He will just do so from the background, waiting for us to call on Him...again.  Our Lords love and compassion for  us will not allow Him to abandon His children.  On the contrary, it is our own foolish belief in our own independence which will widen the gap between ourselves and Christ.  Hist true love will never abandon or throw us away.

~Scott~

When There Is No God

1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12In their hands they shall cbear you up, Lest you ddash your foot against a stone. 13You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16With flong life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”
Psalm 91 NKJV

I read a Wayne Jacobsen post recently that got me thinking of some of the experiences I've had and of how I have often wondered just where my heavenly Father was in my most troubling times.  The post recounted how we, as christians, can and should be an anchor of encouragement and kindness to those who are going through tough circumstances in their lives.  How do we say "The right thing" to someone who is in trouble or hurting?  This has always been a challange for me, as I was raised with the ideal that in order to understand someones circumstances I need to walk that mile in their shoes.  How is it I could understand anothers pain if I myself didn't understand that pain they were feeling.  I've always believed that one of the worst things we can do as christians is to throw bible verses at someone who is truly hurting inside.  For I have been in that situation before and it did very little to make me comfortable thank you very much.  To me, simply quoting scripture to someone who is hurting is a impersonal approach to helping another.  In our hearts we may feel as if we are helping that other person as best we can, but all we may be doing is increasing their agony and lonliness.  I don't believe this is done intentionaly, but by the heart that truly wants to reach out and help.  However, we ourselves may not know the best way to comfort someone.  As I said, how is it that I can understand what someone is going through unless I understand their situation?

10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” 14How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bpreach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” 17So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10: 10 - 17 NKJV

I have always admired my friend Dennis for his ability to bring comfort to others who are hurting.  Perhaps his years in ministry have served him well in this area.  There have been more than a few situations in my own life when I have turned to him for guidance and comfort and have always been glad I did.  I believe that pastor is rare who can truly place themselves into the situation of someone who is hurting and bring comfort to them.  This is truly an area where I need experience.  Sure, there are a few paths I've walked where I can bring comfort to others who are experiencing the same difficulties I've had in my life.  For those who have lost a loved one or know the pain of growing up in a single parent household, these are shoes which I've walked in.  Does that mean that I have a heart for those who are enduring these situations?  Maybe, or maybe it's just that I already know and have experienced the pain t brings.  I've been the one who has been hurting inside and wondering why there is no God to help me.  Yes, I've felt that way as I'm sure many of us have.  How is it that we comfort someone where the pain in their heart is one where they feel abandoned a God who has promised to never leave them or forsake them?  Obviously, I know that these feelings are simply reactionary to our circumstances, but in the midst of our pain, they often come at us like a freight train.  Our hearts may cry out to God, but our flesh will wonder, "What God is there?"  The days after my mother passed were some of the darkest I've had.  I had watched her health falter and was with her in the hospital during her final days as well.  Not something I wanted.  However, as I went about making plans for her memorial I was struck by a message which I'm sure my heavenly Father meant for me.  I had known that one of my mothers favorite passages was Psalm 91, so it was a obvous to me that I should use it in her memory.  That passage which had comforted her so often, now comforted me in my time of need.

~Scott~

Thank you Dennis 

Our Broken Chains

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

There is a chorus from one of my favorite worship songs that I always enjoy.  This song, by Micheal W Smith has the chorus "My chains are gone, I've been set free."  Now, there are numerous passages in the word of how we have been but should no longer be in bondage to sin and our fleshly desires.  I agree that we, as our heavenly Fathers creation, have often fallen under that feeling that we are under compulsion to sin.  There have been many times, when I have fallen short, where I've felt that I was indeed in bondage.  For it seemed to me, as it was, that I was controlled by the behaviors which I truly wished to avoid.  I was a slave, chained to the desires of my flesh.  I've talked with enough believers who have echoed these thoughts, so I know I wasn't alone in my struggles.  Sure, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but as a slave obeys the orders of his master, it seemed I would continue to fall into that same behavior.  Time and again smacking myself in the head claiming, "I know better!"  I was indeed a slave.  However, as a slave dreams of eventual freedom, so it was that I wished for better times for myself.  This was not something I wanted to be remembered for.  One of my first clues that these chains of bondage were not what my heavenly Father had in mind for me was the truth that Christ Jesus had come to wash away the very sins it seemed I was in bondage to.  For if indeed Jesus had become sin on my behalf that I might have life, was I still in bondage?  Had my chains finaly been broken?  Had I finaly been set free?

1Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, b“Abba, Father!” 7Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Galations 4: 1 - 7 NKJV

In Romans 6, the apostle Paul stakes claim that it is Christ Jesus who broke those chains of bondage for us.  It is Jesus Himself who has set us free from the bondage of sin that "We should no longer be slaves of sin."  It is the man Christ Jesus who Himself became sin on our behalf that we would have our freedom {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Those chains I struggled with for so long have now been broken, I HAVE been set free!  This freedom didn't take a act of congress or a social action prostest, only the selfless act of one man.  Paul follows up his revelation of our broken chains from Romans by telling us that we who were once in bondage to our sin have now, through Christ Jesus, traded in our chains for the honor of being sons of the most high.  Not only sons, but heirs to our heavenly Father through Christ Jesus.  Not only have our chains of bondage been broken, but we who have accepted Christ Jesus now share in His inheritance.  We are no longer slaves, but sons.  Sons of the living God.  This realization came late in life for me, but was revealed to me in Gods fullness of time nonetheless.  There was no tool that could have broken those chains of mine, only the crucifiction of Christ Jesus.  The struggle I now deal with is accepting that my chains are indeed broken and that I need no longer live my life in bondage to something I am dead to.  This is the freedom we now have in Christ Jesus, my chains are gone, I've been set free!

~Scott~