Fear? Courage is Spoken

In a culture that screams "self-sufficiency" I find myself in the most "insufficient" physical position of my half- century life.  At this point I am continuously looking up to hear God!  Not a bad place to be.  In so doing I am amazed at how often He speaks and how "loudly".  Having heard the story, in different variations through out my life, someone asking for direction from God and he keeps sending signs but they can't see them...I am seeing the signs.

Confirmation of His spoken word seems to jump from every angle of my life.  While re-designing an old mirror I went to purchase words to apply to my new decor.  One word was "Celebrate" while the other was "Courage". I tried hard to convince everyone that "Celebrate" was to be on the mirror....all votes were "Courage".

I started to hear past memorized scripture run through my head on "Courage".  I wanted to deny these direction signs, because with them I began to "fear".  Why was God speaking these words...I was just starting to breath again...what was in store?

My husband's job is unstable again.  He has been traveling to provide for our family, which means I am in transition...AGAIN!  I am seeing that at age 49 I don't transition easily.

So with a stubborn backbone I sat down and picked up my summer reading that I had put off.  "Fearless" by Max Lucado.  Each chapter has jumped from the pages....each day ending in tears and prayer before God. Many of his suggestions I have been doing...reading biographies on other lives - just finished DL Moody.  Another confirmation that God was speaking - encouraging me along this journey.

Today reading was "Fear of Overwhelming Challenges".  He states my challenges.  He uses the story of Jesus and the disciples in the boat during the storm.  His exultation from the scriptures were that during the storms (we all have them) we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and not the storm.  Not the clouds I see coming my way, not the wind I feel telling me something is coming, not the whisper of the enemy causing me to fear...but look to Jesus.

"Don't be afraid," he said, "Take courage I am here". Matt. 14: 27

The disciples never imagined Jesus to come to them in the storm that was beating them up...but they looked up and He was walking on water, through the storm toward them.

The Lord is near. Phil. 4:5

You are in me and I am in you. John 14:20

I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matt. 28: 20

Nothing can ever separate you from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our  fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. Rom. 8:38

Quote from the book - "We cannot go where God is not. Look over your shoulder; that's God following you.  Look into the storm; that's Christ coming toward you."

Peter asked Jesus to command him to come - Peter stepped out of the boat, in the midst of the storm.....and he walked on water.

"We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it" Heb. 2:1

As Max Lucado states -"Feed your fears, and your faith will starve, Feed your faith, and your fears will."

"Storms are not an option, but fear is."

He is speaking clearly.   I have to stop and take it all in.  This earthly life isn't providing "security"....the 401K is gone, the house, the life insurance, the health insurance, the savings, the job security - but I don't need to look to the circumstances that surround me.  I know the one who calms the storms and I look to Him...like Peter, I can walk on water while staring at His face, it is when I look to the storm that I begin to sink.

I pray for courage during all of our storms.  May we all look to the one who calms the storms and may we live fearless.