Afraid and Trusting

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."  Ps. 56:3, NIV

We got some devastating news this week.  One of our family members is facing a scary health crisis.  When I meet these types of challenges, my first intention is to meet the crisis with faith.  But I must admit that, at times, something inside me sinks.  I feel like retreating rather than attacking.  I feel like tucking and running.

Have you ever struggled with these types of spiritual conflicts?  There is almost a schizophrenia or two-mindedness. A war between the spirit man and the natural. A conflict between fear and faith; doubt and belief.

I wish I were one of those "super Christians" who always is on spiritually.  But, alas, I am just a flesh and blood believer.  Sometimes I feel weak.  Intimidated.  Other times, I feel invincible.  Revved up and bullet-proof.

As I fought to gain traction in my faith response, I realized that something in me was disappointed that God had not averted this crisis from us.  I wanted deliverance.  Protection.  But instead, He provided a "walk through."  A situation that will require us to lean on Him.  Listen more closely.  Something to stretch our faith and challenge our comfort. 

Then the question came to mind.  If God only kept us from trouble, what kind of witness would we have?  What kind of followers would He have?  Probably droves of people signing on for an easy, cheap, rendition of discipleship.  A protection plan sans the required devotion.

That is the not the kind of weak, wimpy, followers that God is seeking.  He is seeking ordinary men and women like the young David, who amidst bullying, ridicule and rejection, arose to slay a giant.  With one smooth stone.  And the Rock of Ages!

He is seeking women like Esther, who will rise up, "for such a time as this."  He is seeking people like Paul and Silas who will preach and proclaim even if it means imprisonment or death.

He is seeking those who will dare to follow him in radical obedience.  Overcoming faith.  Blind trust.  Oh, God, that I would rise to the challenge!

Dear Lord, I need you.  I pray that you will cause my spirit man to rise up in confidence and strength.  Forgive me for accepting defeat, when you purchased victory.  Sanctity my thoughts, my mind, my faith.  I make a choice to believe in You and to wait on your deliverance.  I admit I am afraid.  But while I am, I WILL trust in you.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

 

© Sherri Evans Ministries 2015. All rights reserved. Used by permission. For booking schedule and information: sherrievans@sherrievansministries.com

Don't Be Afraid, Just Believe

 

 

    

Luke 8:49-50

 

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more."

50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

NIV

You have been there, just as I have.    Life has dealt you pain, grief, sickness or discouragement.  Gathering your courage, you begin to seek the Lord for a breakthrough.  When all of a sudden... the situation gets even worse!

 

In the passage today, Jesus was on His  way to heal Jairus's daughter when He is diverted by a woman with an issue of blood.  She boldly approaches Jesus and grabs hold of his garment- and His power.  Instantly she is healed.  And Jesus is arrested. "Who touched me?" He demanded to know.  Then He begins a dialogue with the healed lady.  All to the detriment of Jairus' daughter.  While He stands there, taking care of the needs of this lady, Jairus' daughter died.

 

Jairus was there first.  He already had Jesus' attention.  Jesus had agreed to go to his home with him.  It appeared the miracle was on its way!  And then, there was a delay.  And the situation went from bad to worse.  What do you do when life seems to be a progression of bad reports?  Broken dreams?  Infirmity?

 

I love Jesus.  O, how I love Him!  But this passage makes me love Him even more.  How heroic that He can be in the middle of a miracle for one person, and recognize the discouragement in another.  He turns immediately and encourages Jairus' faith, "Don't be afraid, just believe..."

 

Sometimes  as we stand praying, in the very presence of Jesus, our life can take a sharp downward turn.  It is hard to wrap our minds around it.  It  is hard to understand why He allows things, especially things that we are praying about already.  It is hurtful when it appears He is answering everyone  else's prayers, but our own.  It is hard to be in need and see another rejoicing.  But it is what God expects of us.

 

Jairus' situation was dire indeed.  Hopeless, in fact.  But that is never the end of the story with God.  What are you facing today?  "Don't be afraid, just believe."  Don't be afraid, just believe...

 

No situation taxes the power of God.  He  strength and ability is without limit.  When you are in a battle, believe.  When the warfare increases, believe.  When your dream has died, believe!  Jesus cares about you and your situation.  He has not forgotten.  He will come through for you.  He will take care of you, either with a miracle, or with an infusion of grace.   Squelch your fear.  Do not speak your doubt.  Choose instead to summon the strength one more time to believe.

 

Jairus' believed and received his daughter back from the dead.  God is watching over the situations that concerns you and is speaking life into them.  All is not lost, child of God, just believe.

 

 

Dear Lord, help me to not be paralyzed by fear and discouragement.  Increase my faith.  Embolden me to believe as I wait to see your miraculous works on my behalf.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

Mastering Fear

 

 

Mark 4:35-41

 

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"*  41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

NKJV

Why are you so fearful? Is it because you are uncertain about your future?  Is -it because you are running all of the worst-case scenarios in your mind?  Is it financial concerns that leaves you shaking in your shoes?

According to today's verse it appears that fear is caused by a lack of faith.  Ouch!  That stings, but nevertheless contains a "helping" truth.  When we are afraid we are out of faith and are trying to steer our own lives. Fear is a common affliction of humanity. There are times we all find  ourselves in a fearful  situation.   The Lord allows us to have that emotion for good purposes at times.  It keeps us from leaping from tall buildings, or grabbing a cast iron skillet barehanded from out of the oven.  Fear helps to keep us in safe parameters within this application.

But beyond the healthy, life-preserving fear, is an ugly monster- a dark spirit, really- that the enemy uses to box a child of God in.  He  uses it to keep them from stepping out in faith when the Lord  calls them.  Fear keeps us from praying faith-filled prayers. Fear  keeps us from walking in the Lord's peace.  The Bible is plain that "God has not given us a spirit of fear."  So  when that spirit comes, we must know  it is not from God and we must resist it.

No matter how I grow in my faith, fear is a constant foe to overcome.   We have to learn to cast down the fearful thoughts that the enemy plants in our minds.  We have to bring these thoughts into captivity and make them obedient to Christ- what He says and what He has promised.   And yes,  at times,  we have to follow the advice of Joyce Meyer and "do it afraid."  What this means is that our knees can still knock, but we do not allow it to prevent us from doing what we feel we should.   We go ahead and volunteer for a ministry, we step out and go back to college, and  we share our testimony with that neighbor.   As we step out around the fear boundary, we push it further back in our lives.  Every time we stand against fear, it loses a little bit of its hold on us.

Some people allow fear to become so prevalent in their lives that they cease to truly live.   They stay in their house.  They avoid social situations.  They are eaten up with all kinds of fears and phobias.  Child of God, that is not His plan for your life!

"Even the wind and sea obey him," even nature has more sense than we do sometimes!  The natural elements know Who is God and we must do the same.   We cannot allow fear to hem us in.  We must pull against that yoke and choose, instead, a life of faith and belief.

Dear Lord, I do not want fear to have a stronghold in my life.  Break it off of me.  Teach me how to resist fear and choose faith.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

 

 

Don't You Care?

 

 

Mark 4:35-41

 

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"*  41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

NKJV

 

Our relationship with God can sometimes be complicated.  Not on His side, of course, but on our side.  We have a hard time understanding His sovereignty.  We see Him as the One who  should protect us from life, shield us from pain, and deliver us quickly. And certainly He does all of these things.  But there are things that He permits to come our way.  And yes, sometimes from the human perspective, it appears that He is asleep in our boat.

I guess that is why I so often relate to these poor, wind-battered apostles.  They are walking with Jesus, they are following Him to the best of their ability.  They are in the same boat with Him and going in the same direction.  So how can He sleep when they are facing certain death?

These are the types of questions we will ponder until we reach the other side, and all answers are known.  When we are with Him in heaven, in His fullness, we will have no more confusion, no more unanswered questions.  So what do we do until then?

I am not sure that there was anything wrong with them waking Christ up to ask for his help.  But the way that they did it presents a problem, they asked, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"   We must never doubt that He loves us and cares about us more than we will ever know.  We can never forget what He endured at Calvary and why He did it.  His love allowed Him to die a sacrificial death for us, mere sinners.  So our question should instead be, "Jesus!  I need you!  I am in trouble!"  He wanted them- and us- to ask Him to meet their needs.  The fact that He was not presently acting, did not negate His love and providential care for them.  It was a faith-stretcher.  Nothing more.  As soon as they called on Him, albeit in a faithless manner, He took care of them.

What are you facing today?  What is causing you fear and  frustration?  Look  to Jesus.  He is  your  Source of help and strength.  When you cannot see His activity, when it seems He has forgotten you, do not give up!  Don't be like the disciples in this passage who lost all faith at the first obstacle.   Sometimes He just wants us to ask and keep on asking.

Dear Lord, help me today to be a person who clings to faith in hard times rather than falling into doubt.  I ask that you come on the scene today in the situation of ___ and protect me,  defend  me and calm me.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

Courage!

   

 

"Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God , your God, is with you every step you take." Josh 1:9 (Message)

 

I wonder how many months, days and years I have wasted dreading my future.  Dreading a change I do not want.  Dreading work that I do not enjoy.  Dreading a perceived problem or stressor.  Precious time that I can never get back!

 

As Joshua was preparing to go in and claim the Promised Land that his predecessor, Moses, had told him about, he had plenty of reason to fear.  Lots of room to dread.  He had very real enemies before him.  But that was no reason - according to God- to shrink back in dread or fear.  Instead, the Lord commands him to have strength and courage.  Joshua was to avoid timidity and discouragement.  God knew the battles he faced, but he also knew the victory and blessing that he would receive.

 

If you are facing a situation that is uncertain to you.  Take these verses. Make them your own.  Pray over your situation, and watch God  show up to fight on your behalf!

 

Dear Lord, please grant me strength and courage.  Help me to walk in boldness rather than timidity.  Help me to be hopeful  rather than discouraged.  Thank you that you make each step  with me and  watch over me so  carefully.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Never Anonymous

    

 

43 But now, thus says the Lord , who created you, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

  You are Mine."  Isa 43:1 (NKJV)

 

 

You know that awkward moment.  You run into someone whose face you faintly recognize, but you cannot place a name with a face.  When, horror of horrors (!), they call you by name.  Then comes the ethical conundrum.  Do you do the honest (but rude) thing and acknowledge that although they cared enough to remember your name, you did not?  Or... do you play along, instead, and tell them how great it is to see them.  Maybe referring to them generically-  "Good to see you, girl!"  "Take care, man!"

 

I have heard the experts' discussion of this problem.  Is it because we did not really care about meeting that person, so we fail to put them on the "hard drive" of our brain?  Is it because we are not really attending to what is being said, but rather, we are running a separate dialogue in our own minds thinking of what we intend to say next?  Maybe we are suffering from ADHD.  Regardless, our lack of remembering someone makes them feel small and insignificant to us.

 

When we had two kids, it was easy.  I called them "Justin" and "Brandon".  Their actual names.  But with the addition of the third child, Andrew,  came these hybrid names- "JustBrandon" and "Brandrew".  It seems I can never call the right name.   Sometimes the boys take it in stride, other times they find it offensive.  (My own parents don't even know my name?!) I am so thankful that God knows my name!  Especially since he has A LOT of kids!

 

Brother, Sister, God knows your name!  He  made you.  He formed you for a purpose.  He loves you.  He is invested in you.  You are His.  Doesn't that make you feel loved and cherished?  You are of great significance to him.

 

Why should we fear what men can say or do to us, when our Creator says, "Sherri, don't be afraid."  "Tim, don't worry.  I am with you."  He is mindful of us and all that pertains to us.  He will not forget or fall asleep at the wheel.  God is in control of your life.  You are His  dear child,  and He will not forget your name.
 

Dear Lord, thank you that you care so much about every detail of my life... Thank you that I matter to you, and that you care about my every concern.  I love you, Lord.   In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

 

 

It's Sin

 

 

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.   Rom 14:23 (NKJV)

 

To eat or not to eat- that was the question.  This passage is about people whose conscience would not allow them to eat food sacrificed to idols. Whereas, other people recognized that idols were nothing and had no problem eating the food.  Freedom vs. respect of others was the issue.

 

But the part I want to focus on today is the second part, "For whatever is not from faith is sin."  If I look at this verse alone- what a sinner I am!  How many things do I do out of fear?  Out of habit?  Out of obligation?  Out of personal lust or greed?  This passage starts dealing with where we live.  This is "Christian sin"- if there is such a thing!  This passage deals with the attitude of the heart and mind.  This goes beyond outward acts and cuts directly to our motives.

 

I have walked with the Lord all of my life. I have made many choices based in faith.  But lots of times, I will confess, I have made choices off the top of my head.  I remember when I started catching the vision that I should include God in my decision-making.  I had decided I needed a new laptop for my business.  But it was going to be over $400.  I remembering lying in our bedroom floor asking God if it was the right decision.  Why?  Because I was unsure about accruing debt to get it, and we certainly did not have that much extra lying around.  To be honest, I have bought cars with less prayer than I did with the laptop!  But once I felt a peace about it, I was able to move forward in faith.  And I did so knowing that I had sought the Lord's direction.

 

A lot of time I make decisions based on fear.  Other times I make decisions based on faith, but fear shows up to taunt me.  It is sometimes difficult to stay in faith when so many negative emotions wage war against our minds.

 

We cannot go wrong trusting God with whatever situation we find ourselves in.   He is faithful.  Therefore, we must be faith-full.

 

I have had some failed "faith projects"- things I have believed for that did not work out, things that left me bankrupt in my faith tank.  Some of them, 7 or 8 years later, I am still in a crisis of faith about (if I am honest with myself). It is not OK to let that remain within us.  We have to work through the doubt, the unbelief and the fear.  Faith has to be the spiritual gas that propels us through life.

 

Dear Lord, please forgive me for all the times that I made decisions based on my own desires, thoughts, opinions, fear or dread.  Please help me to discern your will and to step forward in faith.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

A special shout-out today to my mom, Judy Sullivan.  Today is her birthday and I just want to praise God for the gift she has always been to me! I love you, Mom! 

 

Sherri

The Companion

    

 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord  your God is with you wherever you go."  Josh 1:1-9 (NKJV )

 

 

Be honest.  Do you ever get weary of being strong and courageous?  Yep!  Me too.  Sometimes I fall into temptation to sit down and pout.  I give in to the desire to throw my weapon down and hide in fright. I don't feel strong, I feel weak and exposed.  I don't feel courageous, I feel frightened and timid.  At times like that, it is OK to just go with your feelings, right?

 

Obviously, this is one of those verses that negates our right to act on our feelings.  In fact, it is presented as a command!  Why can't the Lord just let us be who we are?  Because what He has for us is so much better than we can see or perceive when we are weak and weary.  But if we can just hold on to the good report.  If we can just believe the promise, we have such great and precious assurances that He will be with us; He will strengthen us; He will fight for us.

 

Usually, when I feel most lonely is when I feel most vulnerable.  But this verse assures me that I am never alone.   Jesus goes where no other human can go.  If you are  alone in a MRI machine, He is with you. There is no situation too dangerous or cramped for Him to keep you company.

 

Lord, it is  just one of those days.  I need you to show up and be Who you are.  I need Your strength, Your courage, Your presence.  Show Yourself mighty on my behalf.   In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

Sherri

 

Reckless Faith

 

    

 

"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You."  Ps 56:3 (NKJV)

 

He had felt this way before!  He was  thrilled, he was ecstatic, he felt dangerous and adventurous.  But this time was different.  This was a very big deal.  This was a challenge like none before.  He kept his gaze fixed upon the goal- he could not look down, around or away from his destination.  He swallowed hard, and slowly, he began to move his trembling, sandaled feet.  Just a little more...  finally he stepped over.  Slowly at first;  but then, he began to pick up speed and confidence.  And then... and then, came the loudest howling wind he had ever heard.  The waves of the sea towered over him.  And for a moment, a single moment, he took his eyes off of his destination... he quit looking at Jesus and he faced the object of his fear.  Immediately his foundation gave way and began to collapse beneath his feet.  The water that had held him so soundly before was once again liquefied.  He was going under. He would drown.  Unless... he then turned his now-bobbing head to Jesus and cried out, "Lord, save me!"

 

Ah, the Apostle Peter.  The only recorded human to ever walk on water; besides of course, Jesus Christ.  What a story he had to tell his grandkids!  I feel that any time the story was repeated, it was with increasing bravado about the walk of his life.  Hopefully, he also had enough humility to recount how Jesus had saved him just in the nick of time. 

 

We face stuff in life.  Scary things; intimidating things.  The voice of Jesus continues to cry out, "Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me."  (John 14:1)  Our minds and our fleshly nature wants to trust in the tangibles, the things we can control ourselves.  God is calling us to greater.  He wants to reach beyond what we can see, feel or understand.  "But I am afraid," you may say.  Me too!  Horrified even.  But today's verse puts it in perspective- when you are afraid, trust in God!  You are right, it is bigger than you.  The waves are, in fact, towering over you.  Trust on in faith!  Your ability to walk on water is rooted in nothing other than you trust in God.   Fix your eyes on Jesus, swallow your fear and do it afraid! 

 

I am out of the boat.  Care to join me?


Lord, I am leaving the safety of the ship.  You said, "Come,"  and here I come!  If you do not come through, I will go under.  Thank you that I can trust you to be greater than my fears.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

Sherri