Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Fear

Thankfulness and the American Orphan

by

To most of us in America, Thanksgiving Day is all about three things: turkey, football and a day off. Quite honestly, I’m a big fan of all of those things. Unfortunately there are many for whom this day has no meaning. They have lost hope amid the struggles and trials of our modern society. They have become too bitter to be thankful for anything; they are simply in need. For those of us with Christ in our lives, we have something to give. We have hope for the future, and we have love. These gifts are not to be hoarded; they are to be given away.

I’ve been reading the book “Street Lives: An Oral History of Homeless Americans” recently. It’s a collection of firsthand accounts of living on the street. It is truly heartbreaking to read their stories. While the language and subject matter can be a bit rough at times, I encourage you to read this book or books like it. We are so isolated in our comfortable homes and neighborhoods. Few of us know what true hunger feels like. Even fewer know what it’s like to have no bed, no home and no hope. While there are many shelters that do a good work, there are far more that are abusive and even perpetuate the mindset that keeps people living in despair. The number of children and veterans among the population of the homeless is staggering. Many of the homeless have no family remaining, no place to turn for help and no one to love them. They are truly the orphans of America, regardless of their age.

As followers of Jesus we are called to care for the orphans. What are we doing to help? For most of us, helping involves giving to shelters and inner city ministries, and probably buying some groceries or meals for those in need. This is necessary and admirable, but it does not go far enough. Food for the belly is obviously important, but food for the soul is paramount. We need to feed more than their stomachs. We need to feed their hearts, their minds, and their self worth. We need to clothe them not only with blankets and coats, but with love. What can you do to help? What can I do? We must come together and do something about this crisis. Why? The answer is simply because Jesus said to do so; that is enough. We who choose to follow Christ have an obligation to do the things He did. As the orphans in need of love cry out to us, they convict us of that which we are not doing. None of us can end homelessness by ourselves. We can, however, love one person. Together we can solve the problem in our cities by determining that we will not tolerate the way homeless orphans are treated.

The love of God provides the love, strength and hope that we all need. There is enough for us to bask in and still have plenty in reserve to give away. I am thankful for the love of Christ. I am thankful that He saved me. I am thankful that I am not an orphan. Yet I am thankful for the orphans all around us, for they are opportunities to share the immeasurable love of Christ. We must put aside our fear, our prejudices and our preconceived notions; it’s time to reach out and love the orphans all around us. Put your arms around someone in need today, and rejoice in the opportunity to be able to do so. Be thankful for all you have, and then give others something to be thankful for as well.

Poison in the Well

by

There are things in all of our lives that we would rather not deal with.  We procrastinate or even outright ignore them in hopes they might somehow just disappear.  Confronting difficult circumstances or individuals is uncomfortable and quite messy.  Yet if we are to be able to fully manifest Christ to others, we need to get rid of what’s poisoning our own hearts.  Resentment, anger, guilt, whatever your issues might be, these all hinder us from living a life that looks like Christ.  This isn’t a 12 step program in a blog; the answers to the issues you face are as unique as the issues themselves.  There is, however, a common thread that weaves through any challenge we face:  We cannot be rid of a problem until we confront it.  Avoiding an issue only makes it bigger and its hold on us stronger.  Facing the issue breaks that hold and causes it to wilt before our very eyes.

The good news is that dealing with our so-called demons is almost always less painful than what we imagine.  For some reason we have been conditioned to always expect the worst possible result of confronting our fears.  Yes, I believe the dreaded F-word (‘fear’, for those who missed it!) is at the heart of all our struggles.  We put up with trials in our life because it’s simply easier than the alternative.  We allow friendships to die over some old argument because it’s easier than calling that person and talking about what has come between you.  We stay at a job we hate because it’s easier and safer than going to look for another.  Worst of all, we don’t tell someone about Christ because it’s much more comfortable to let someone else do it.

It all comes down to fear.   Fear poisons our hearts and prevents us from living in the power of Christ.  Fear cannot stand under the scrutiny of love.  What are you harboring inside?  What’s poisoning you?  What are you afraid of?  Have you forgotten that we serve the most powerful being in the universe?  Is having a difficult conversation beyond His power?  Is looking for a new job something He would not understand?  Is risking ridicule to tell someone about the love of Christ too great for the creator of love to overcome?  It’s foolish when we take the time to step back and examine our fears; our fear becomes incredibly irrational in the light of His love and power.

Dare we face our fears?  Dare we rely on Jesus to provide the strength we need?  Is your faith big enough to believe that His power is sufficient to overcome any fear you may have?  We need to stop letting the poison of fear fill our veins.  It’s time to stop ignoring the issues, start confronting the fears and letting the power of Christ flow through us to reach those in need.  There is no room for fear in a heart filled with love.  Confront your fear today, but do so in His power.  Talk to that person, take that step, and risk your comfort.  Christ did all this for us; our obligation is to respond in kind.

No Fear

by

There was no fear in Eden.  Humans lived among the wildlife and no one was afraid.  Man and woman lived naked together and there was no shame, no fear of acceptance.  The concept of fear did not exist, everything was good.  And in the midst of this environment God walked with man.

Fast forward to today.  Fear is rampant.  Animals flee in terror from humans, and humans in turn show both caution and fear to the beasts of the field.  Nakedness now comes in flavors of brazenness and embarrassment.  There is fear of acceptance.  In fact fear of acceptance leads some to hide away lest anyone should see and still others to give away what they rightfully own to those undeserving to receive it.  We fear a lack of money, a lack of food and worry over being able to afford shelter.  Fear is the great evil.  It paralyzes and it cheats us of our dreams.  Fear permeates the darkness and covers the light.  We are indeed a people infected by the curse of fear.

We weren’t created this way.  We weren’t created to deal with these feelings.  We were created to wonder and awe and to love all that surrounds us.  We have been robbed.  We have been cheated of the life we were meant to live, of the life we so deeply desire to live.  But there is hope… love conquers fear.  Love is not only the great equalizer, it is the greatest conqueror.

Jesus came into a fearful world and set us free from the curse.  He offers each of us absolute freedom from the poison of fear.  The antidote is love and this love bleeds from our Savior.  He poured out his love on Calvary and we need only bow at the foot of that cross to be drenched in His love.  When we love, we cannot fear.  Love casts out fear as surely as Christ cast out demons.  Love conquers fear every time.

Of what are you fearful?  Do you fear losing your job, your spouse, your children or your sense of security?  I submit that when we fear we expose the fact that we do not have enough love in our lives.  The love I speak of is love we give.  As followers of Christ, we all have been given more love than we could ever need.  This is the very reason we are to give some away.  In Christ we have an endless supply so we can never give too much love away.  When we allow fear to reside within us, we are squeezing out the places reserved for love.  Fear proves we are inward focused, we are selfish.  Start giving love away.  Instead of worrying about your own job, see if you can help someone who has already lost theirs.  Instead of fearing for your security, reach out and comfort someone else.  Remember, love trumps fear every time.  We are given a Spirit of love, not of fear.  We were created to love, not fear.  Start living as the person you were created to be.

What Are You Waiting For?

by

I read another great Denis Waitley quote this week: “We spend too much energy worrying about the things we want to do but can’t, instead of concentrating on doing things we can do but don’t.”  Are you so busy waiting to do something huge for Christ that you miss the little things you could be doing each day?  Do you get frustrated when looking at the accomplishments of other Christians as compared to how you perceive your own effectiveness?  It’s time we reevaluate our purpose and start seizing the opportunities that are all around us.

Fretting over the things we want to do but can’t wastes time in two ways.  First, any time spent worrying is of absolutely no avail.  Nothing about a situation changes when we worry; the only change that may occur is a negative change in your health.  Worrying causes stress, and stress is a silent destroyer of health.  Second, the time we spend thinking of those things we can’t do steals time from those things we could and should be doing.  The energy given to worrying about things we can’t do simply masks the common malady of procrastination.  We have no idea how much time we have left on this earth, but I guarantee you that none of us has enough time to procrastinate for even a moment.  Time is ticking away from each of us and we have limited time to accomplish all that we can.

There are so many things we could be doing but we don’t.  Why?  One reason is a fear of failure.  We know we are capable of doing something, but what if we fail?  What if someone laughs at us?  Do we really want to face the One we call Lord and tell Him we would have done so much more for Him but we were afraid someone would laugh at us?  One way to overcome the fear of doing something is by imagining yourself before God when He asks what you did for Him.  Will we be able to recite a list of actions we took?  Will we be able to tell Him of how we stared down our reluctance, abandoned our fear of embarrassment and just went for it?  How much better would this feel than having to hang our heads in shame over caring more about what someone else thought than what Christ would think?

Another reason we don’t seize every opportunity is because we are afraid we actually might succeed.  If we are successful, that is going to mean more responsibility, more time out of our schedule, more weight on our shoulders.  God will not give us more than we are able to handle, and He will help us carry any responsibility.  In fact, He’ll make what we’re carrying seem light as a feather.  The joy we feel from doing things for Christ will far outlast any burdens we may have to bear.

What are you not doing that you should be doing?  What are you afraid of?  Stop wasting time thinking of what you want to be doing and instead refocus that energy into things you can be doing.  Make a list of three things you can do for Christ this week… write it down!  Additionally, write down something you’ve not done simply because of your fear.  Now write down one step you will take this week to begin facing that fear, one step that will move you toward accomplishing that task.  When we focus our energy on those things we can be doing, we will find less and less time available to worry about those things we can’t.

Faith vs. Fear

by

Denis Waitley said, “Success is a process that continues, not a status that you reach. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.”  I find this very applicable to the Christian life as well.  Living out our faith is a continual learning process.  We will never achieve a life lived perfectly.  While some might see that as a discouraging statement, I would say that if you do you are missing the point.  The whole point of the journey is not to arrive, but rather to walk, to strive, to live more like Jesus.

To be certain, we will fail, and we will fail often; but failure is a good thing!  Nothing has ever been accomplished without a good deal of failure preceding the accomplishment.  No one gets it right the first time, and every failure is simply an opportunity to learn something and be better for it.  Life is one long cycle of fall down, get up.  It’s our desire to get up over and over again that builds our character and strengthens our faith.  If we never fell, we would never need Christ.

Often we hold back from doing Kingdom work because we are afraid of failure.  The Bible says that if God is for us, who can be against us?  No matter what trial we face, God is bigger, stronger and more powerful.  What is there to fear?  Fear is evidence that Satan is alive and well, because it is he who whispers fear into our hearts.  We need to always press forward.  Life will come at us full force, but it is up to us to determine whether we simply will wait for it to hit us, or if we will rush headlong into whatever may come.

Life lived intentionally, a life where we race into the fray regardless of the outcome, is a life of adventure and excitement.  Living the Christian life in a purely reactive manner is not only ineffective but it is dull and ultimately life-less!  We need to engage our world, the people around us and those far away.  We need to demonstrate the love of Christ to everyone at all times.  When doing so results in our getting knocked down, we must have only one reaction:  get up and lean into life again; unbeaten, undeterred and unafraid.  Lean into life with the power of Christ and dare it to knock you down.  Faith and courage are built through enduring the storms.