Fear the LORD Only

It's surreal, right?
This time we live in is completely foreign - alien! - to our sense of peace, hope, comfort, convenience, health… The list goes on and on of just how many challenges have eroded the security we once felt. 

It's surreal.
Even as a Christian that attempts to maintain while others around me scurry, hurry, shuffle and hurt, my mind cannot help but be distracted by the waves of panic.  Those waves are big.  Bigger than anything I've ever known. 

What waves? 

The waves of fear. 
Fear that injures.

Fear that cripples.

Fear that mortifies.

Fear that terrorizes.

Fear that terrifies.

Fear that confuses.

Fear that deceives.

Fear that squeezes.

Fear that breaks.

Fear that weathers.

Fear that darkens.

Fear that blasphemes.

Fear that taunts.

Fear that ridicules.

These waves crash into the supermarkets, drugstores, libraries, nursing homes, arenas, and schools. 
These waves leave no survivors. 
These waves cause massive hysteria.

These waves bring onslaughts of mania.

These waves break walls of security.

These waves press hard on faith.

What are we afraid of?

We're afraid of something we don't know. 
Something we have no control over.

Something swift, painful, stealthy and pervasive.

A virus.

Something that the medical field hasn't prepared for. 
Something our brains haven't prepared for.

Something our bodies are not ready for.

Something our homes are not ready for.

Let me get to the point more quickly as I can sense the light is dimming on the hope that we say we have in Jesus, as Christ followers. 
WE NEED ONLY FEAR GOD ALONE.

Because this swift and swiping medical phenomenon - though "novel" - is still not a surprise.  Though unknown and unprecedented, it's still known and controlled.  By God.

There is no sense in fearing something that can be created, controlled, killed, obliterated, instilled, and changed. 

The greater sense of fear, the Bible says, is due the One who has the power to "kill the body and the soul in hell." 

Is that supposed to be helpful, Deeds?

Actually, yes.  And refreshing.  And encouraging.

Proverbs 9:10

"The FEAR of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.  And knowledge of the HOLY ONE is understanding." 
If we know, trust and believe the One who we know made heaven and earth and everything in it, we have started on the wonderful course of obtaining wisdom and understanding of the One who has the power over all things, including BODY and soul.   

Look around you.

Look inside you.

Do you see fear of the Lord in our world?   
Do you see people living, reacting, responding, treating each other in understanding? In wisdom?
Do you see results of life, peace and hope?  
 

When we fear God, it means that we have entered into a relationship with Him wherein He remains the Sovereign, the Ruler, the Good, and the Wise over our lives.  Fearing Him means the fear of other things (Coronavirus included) diminishes the waves of confusion, hurt, crippling, anxiety, panic, stress, darkness and wandering.
The Proverbs are a great source of encouragement to choose "wisdom."  She, as the book puts it, is what gives you life, hope, joy, and the blessed produce of more wisdom!  When we gain wisdom, which the Bible says is totally available to us from God Himself, we gain more understanding of who God is!  Fear of God = wisdom = life!

The fear of God is the beginning of life.

The fear of God is the beginning of joy.

The fear of God is the beginning of hope.

The fear of God is the beginning of light.

The fear of God is the beginning of peace...

Fear the Lord only; trust Him in this messy time.

Fear the Lord only; bring Him into all your life's agendas, tasks, and concerns.

Fear the Lord only; begin thinking, acting, and speaking like Him.

You may hate me for this, but I am THANKFUL that the Lord is bigger than the virus, and He's allowed it to shake our world.  

Why?  

Because the sudden onset of this virus triggered an onset of prayer warriors from around the globe.  

Bands of Christians have come together to fall before the Lord and give Him honor and glory due His name.  

It has brought me to my knees in my own unbelief to lean more heavily on the provision and power of my Mighty God.

It has crushed walls of division, creating unity under the same hope of something better and brighter.
I have seen the church of God BE the church of God, extending beyond the boundaries of Sunday fellowship!

Tell me that this is the Satan's doing.

Absolutely not.  

The Satan will not get the credit for this.

My God who is above all holy and awesome, worthy of all fear and reverence, will receive the glory for even something like COVID-19!!

"Trust in the LORD with all of your heart, and lean not on your OWN understanding.  In ALL of your ways, acknowledge HIM and HE will make your paths straight."  That's a promise from Proverbs 3:5-6.

It is your life!

Much love,

Deeds

PS -
God is good.
God is in control.

God is sovereign.

Whom (what) shall I fear?

Need Wisdom?

James is one of my favorite books in the Bible.  It has such straightforward, practical advice.  I'm not sure about you, but I like it all spelled out for me.  I love it when the answer is right in front of my face.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love digging in His Word for truth and information.  I love reading to gain knowledge about who God is and what His character is like.  

There are times when I just don't know what to do or where to turn in situations.  Anyone else ever been there?  I'm sure we all have at one point or another.  In the first chapter of James, he tells us all we have to do is ask God.

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.  He will not rebuke you for asking."  James 1:5  

The word "ask" in the Greek can be defined as "to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require." 

Wow. When I want to know something do I crave the answer?  Better yet, do I crave to hear God's wisdom?  Do I require His knowledge?  Or do I ask five different friends before I even think about going to the Lord? 

 

Did you read the all of verse 5?  James tells us that not only will God give us wisdom, He is generous and He doesn't rebuke us for asking.  He doesn't say "that's a stupid question!"  He gives us what we ask for...what we crave for.

In this season of choosing to truly abide with my Lord, my heart is craving Him and his knowledge more and more.  I desire to hear from Him.  My heart's cry is to get to the point that every fiber of my being requires that I hear from God.

I know my God is a generous God and He will give me wisdom.  I just have to ASK.  

Where are you today?  Are you hungry for His knowledge?  


Art behind the story:

I was excited to use some of the bold patterns and alphas that Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps has in their collection for this page.  For the background, I started out with some acrylic paints and built a pattern of color.  I added flowers and branches from the  Itty Bitty Blossoms set.  The words were stamped with Happy Alpha and Script Outline Alpha.  I stamped the arrows from the Send Me set on card stock, colored them, and then fussy cut.  

Pray this post encourages you!

Until next time,

Gayle
Patio Ponderings

Juggling It All

In these crazy busy days in which we live we often find ourselves juggling everything. Work. School. Church. Soccer. Small group. Date night. Not to mention, where do we fit in the regular demands of life such as laundry, dishes, and grocery shopping? I haven’t even brought up cleaning. What about time for ministry? Meeting with those we are mentoring? There just aren’t enough hours in the day and the week!

How do we fit it all in and do it all well? 

Through the years, I’ve been blessed to have Godly women pour in to my life. The nuggets of wisdom I learned from them have truly helped me in the area of schedules, calendars, and priorities.


When I start by laying my calendar before me with my Bible and asking God what He would have me do, then it all seems to fit much easier.

“The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭32:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

He tells us that He will guide us along the best pathway, but how do we know which one that is?   We ask Him. 

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isn’t that the sweetest? We don’t have to wandering around wondering about how to fill our days and with what. All we have to do is ask. Then listen. And obey.

As I plan my calendar out for upcoming events, studies, blog posts and trips, I pray. I ask God what He would have me be involved in. I ask Him to help me prioritize. Mostly I ask Him when for me to say “no.” 

One of the pieces of wisdom I learned from a dear friend was “not every need is your call.” I don’t have to fix all things all the time. Anyone else a “fixer” out there? 

Do I still get overbooked and try to do too much?  Do I get so busy I don’t do things well? Yes, I’m not perfect. But, things go much better when I ask God first, listen to Him, and then plan accordingly. 

My word of the year is “intentional.” For me, a big part of this was making sure all I do is for His glory, not mine. When I ask Him to guide me, it goes much smoother.

Art behind the story:

Since keeping a planner for me is necessary, I might as well make it fun. Right? When I start each month, I pull out all my Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps and mix and match depending on the month’s events. I like to stamp some directly in the calendar. Making die cuts is a another way way to add dimension and character.

Show me your planner spreads and how you use all the fun Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps!

Until next time,

Gayle
Patio Ponderings