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Saturday, January 31, 2009

Thurlow Switzer: Prayer as Spiritual Warfare


Prayer as Spiritual Warfare
Thurlow Switzer

Prayer is critical to the life of victory and essential to a life of holiness. Prayer is spending time with God and drawing near to Him. Prayer is allowing ourselves to be experientially rooted in Christ, abiding in the vine (John 15:1-3). Prayer is the intimate place in which a believer communes with God and nurture his or her soul.

The palmist clearly understood the power and necessity of prayer. Allow the words of scripture to speak for themselves.

“The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer” (Psalm 6:9).

”Hear a just cause, O LORD, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from your presence; let your eyes look on the things that are upright.” (Psalm 17:1, 2).

“The Lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42:8).

“Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your strength. Hear my prayer; O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with those who uphold my life” (Psalm 54:1-2,4).

“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide yourself from my supplication. Attend to me and hear me. I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked” (Psalm 55:1-2).

“Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From of the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will trust in the shelter of your wings” (Psalm 61:1-3).

“But certainly God has heard me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me!” (Psalm 66:19-20).

“But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of your mercy, hear me in the truth of your salvation” (Psalm 69:13).

“Bow down your ear, O Lord, hear me; for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am holy; you are my God; save your servant who trusts in you! Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry to you all daylong. Rejoice the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul” (Psalm 86:1-4).

“O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry, for my soul is full of troubles. Lord, I have called daily upon you; I have stretched out my hands to you” (Psalm 88:1-3, 9).

“Lord, I cry out to you; make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to you. Let my prayer be set before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (Ps 141:1-2).

“I cry out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. I cried out to you, O Lord; I said, ‘you are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.’ Attend to my cry!” (Psalm 141:1-2, 5-6).

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications! In your faithfulness answer me, and in you’re your righteousness. I muse on the work of your hands. I spread out my hands to you, my soul longs for you like a thirsty land” (Psalm 143:1, 5-6).

We need to embrace new seasons of prayer. Spend time with God and allow your heart to be nurtured, deepened and strengthened in the presence of God your heavenly father. Let us seek God as a faith-believing saints of God and see his work, wonder and grace expressed in our lives.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Jonathan Switzer: Dangerous! Jealous to be Thought Holy


Danger! Danger! Jealous to Be Thought Holy

When push comes to shove, many of us are inclined to shove back.

Inauguration day 2009. I left from my house at 7:45 and headed south on Rt. 15. Immediately, I got stuck in a traffic jam caused by two separate accidents within a half mile of each other right before Rt. 15 connected with my turn onto Rt. 340 S. After taking a good twenty minutes to get past the rubberneckers, I headed south another 15 minutes to the MARC train station at Point of Rocks, MD. I met my friends and we got on the train headed into Washington D.C.

Surprisingly, the train that was supposedly sold out was only half full. Apparently, the cold and 2 million people expected on the mall that day had scared off the other ticket holders.

Once we arrived at Union Station in Downtown D.C., we entered the crowds. My friend, who works in an office that overlooks the White House, deftly maneuvered our little group of four (his wife and mother were with us), down streets that would keep us out of the massive crowds. We walked the quarter mile or so from the train station through the cold January weather to his office. Once inside, we watched the inauguration with his fellow officemates in a warm corner office overlooking the White House and filled with great food and drink. Later that day, the inaugural parade was scheduled to go by right in front of the office windows.

I was reminded, with all of the crowds and my friend’s high powered office mates, how small one person is. Specifically, me. Having voted against the incoming president, I also was a bit on the outside politically that day.

I got to feeling a bit insecure and wondered if I should boldly express my convictions. Here was a chance to be a martyr for my political convictions. I was tempted to blow up my importance and act bigger than I was. Had I done so, I would have made a complete fool of myself. I would have also been acting like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.

The Pharisees felt crowded by Jesus’ great popularity with the crowds. Their jealousy of His spiritual authority and popularity was very similar to that of Korah who rebelled against Moses and Aaron, in the desert, just after the Exodus.

I’d like to examine the similarities between Korah, the Pharisees and my inauguration day temptation. It is good for a little guy like me to remind myself of the important lessons to be learned about contentment and trusting God’s purposes.

Korah
Korah was Moses and Aaron’s cousin. All of them were in the Kohath clan of the Levite tribe. All of them left Egypt at the great Exodus together. God had heard their cry and rescued them.

So, when Moses became the great hero of the Exodus and leader of the nation as they headed into the desert, Korah might have felt pretty important. He was a first cousin of the champion of the nation, Moses himself!

Then, unfortunately, many of the Israelites turned wicked at Mt. Sinai and started to worship the golden calf. Korah, though, might have been right there with his cousin Aaron wondering if it was okay to worship the golden thing. Korah, as a Levite, very likely was one who strapped a sword to his side and started to slay Israelites with passion as a response to God’s judgment on the nation for their idolatry. His passion along with that of the rest of the Levites ended up winning them a special place in God’s favor.

As a result, God gave them responsibility for the tabernacle. They would get no inheritance in the Promised Land but rather, God would be their inheritance. They had willingly stood together for God when the nation turned wicked. They were very special indeed. God honored them highly.

Moses and Aaron, in response to God’s commands, set up the tabernacle and organized the tribes around it. The Levites, Korah’s tribe, were given to Aaron to help with the Tabernacle. The Kohathites, Korah’s clan, were specifically responsible for carrying all the articles of the Tabernacle. They actually got to carry the holy things whenever they moved.

So, the Kohath Levites were really important. Korah was one of them. So far, so good.

However, things continue to be a bit stressful out there in the desert.

Hard Times Come
About ten months later, the ten spies brought back a negative report about the Promised Land which led to all the people rebelling against God. As a result, God judged the nation and sentenced them to forty years wandering in the desert. No one alive would be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Their children would, but they would not. Murmurs began to circle of stoning Moses and Aaron.

Apparently, somewhere about this time, Korah began to get jealous.

Even though he was special, of the clan of Kohath, the tribe of Levi and one of those responsible for carrying the holy things of the tabernacle, he was still not actually allowed into the tabernacle.

That was reserved only for the most holy ones; for Aaron and his sons…and Moses.

At some point, after the ten-spy rebellion, Korah felt he had had enough. He gave in to his jealousy. The nation had lost the Promised Land. They were facing decades, the rest of their lives, in the desert. Sure, Moses and Aaron had led them out of Egypt with all the great signs and wonders, but now, their leadership seemed to be faltering. Perhaps, God needed a better leader like Korah talking to Him in the Holy Tent.

So, Korah rebelled against Moses and Aaron. He and those with him said, Num 16:3
"You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"

The reality is that Moses had not set himself above anyone. God had called and purified Moses and Aaron. They were simply obeying God’s commands. They were holy and played a special role, not because of any great perfection, but rather because of their humility to obey and serve God alone.

Korah, on the other hand, was being driven by jealousy. The result of his jealousy was that Korah was destroyed by fire from God’s presence. Those of his followers who refused to come to the entrance of the Tabernacle were swallowed up by the ground itself. The gold censers belonging to Korah and his 250 followers were hammered over the altar as an enduring warning against jealousy driven rebellion.

Then a plague broke out because the rest of the Israelites wanted to blame Moses and Aaron for the Korah tragedy. After 14 thousand plus died, God stopped the plague, in response to Moses and Aaron’s intercession, and set up a system to show who was God’s chosen for the priesthood. Aaron’s rod that budded was the result of that process.

All this happened because Korah gave in to jealousy. All because he wanted to be considered as important as Moses and Aaron. Korah’s jealousy, led him to rebellion, which led to his early and dramatic demise at the hand of a holy God.

Aaron’s rod that budded was and is a powerful reminder to all. We must not let jealousy, the desire to be thought of as holy without doing things God’s way, get out of hand.

Jealousy
Jealousy, lust and covetousness are always the desire to have something that someone else has, but to have it without paying the proper price for it. Jealousy and covetousness are basically a lazy, and therefore unacceptable, effort to be holy.

I want a nice car to drive around, but I don’t want to work hard enough and save enough to get one. I want a nice house with a big yard, but don’t want to work hard enough and save enough to get it. I want a different wife, but am not willing to do what’s necessary to properly love the one I have. I want to be respected at work, but I am not willing to work on my character to be worthy of respect. I want to be considered holy by the church and saints but am not willing to submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart.

Cain and Abel also represent this classic struggle. One did what was right, sacrificed a lamb, and the other one did what he wanted to do and brought vegetables and fruit. One was accepted and the other was not.

As a result, Cain got jealous and killed Abel.

How is it that Abel, who did what was right, ended up suffering as though he was the one that did wrong? Jealousy had led Cain to let sin master him. Death was the result.

Jealousy, lust and covetousness are dangerous and very powerful motivators. They skew our perspective and drive intense and evil actions. James 4:1-3 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

When we want something but can’t get it, that is when we need to pay careful attention to our attitudes. If we do not, we will allow a covetous attitude to slip into our heart. Then, instead of taking our desire to God in prayer, we will be tempted to take matters into our own hands, eventually excusing sin in order to get what we want.

Similarly, consider Eve in the garden. The serpent had just focused her attention on the forbidden fruit. He had made it seem very desirable. Did Eve go to God about it and ask if she could have it? No. Instead, her desire turned covetous and she chose to disobey God and take it on her own. Her covetous action was sin and brought death to all mankind.

The exact same thing happened with Cain and Korah.

Cain wanted to be accepted. He was jealous that Abel got accepted. Did he go to God and ask what would help him to be accepted? No. Instead, his desire turned covetous and he killed Abel in order to feel better.

Korah was jealous of Moses and Aaron’s special position before God. Did he go to God and ask how he could be closer to God? No. Instead, his jealousy created a rebellion and thousands died.

Going to God to Ask/Talk
We need to ask God when we want something. We need to deal with God. We need to quit avoiding the issue and deal directly with God. He will tell us what needs to be done and how to do it. He will provide the grace necessary to do what’s right. He will accurately confront our bad attitudes. He alone is able to do so.

Until we turn to God, until we let Him change our attitudes, our mind will naturally veer toward jealousy, lust and covetousness and lead us to bitterness, hate and resentment. When that happens, lying, cheating, stealing and even murder are not far behind.

So, often I am the cause of conflicts. Though, I want to place the blame on others, my attitudes are the cause.

Like the Pharisees
This description of Jealousy accurately describes the Pharisaical approach to righteousness. They did not want to do it God’s way, but their own. They did not want to deal with the Temple. They had closed the door to the Kingdom of Heaven and the Key of Knowledge. They had not entered themselves and would not let others enter.

As a result, they wanted to kill Jesus. Just like Cain and just like Korah. They had to pull down someone else in order to feel good about their own lives.

Conclusion
When I left Washington on the metro to go home, I was back among my equals. The train going down was for those with more money who wanted a special seat. I was on that train because of my friend’s generosity and invitation.

So, as the metro thundered through the tunnel, the intercom periodically identifying each new stop, I was reminded that God has a purpose for me, just as I am. He could have made me a high-powered lawyer influencing the great issues of the day in Washington, D.C..

But He didn’t.

I was born the third son of a 2nd generation preacher who came from farmers in the finger lake region of New York. I didn’t go to Harvard, Yale or Cambridge.

None of those facts limit God’s ability to use my obedience and faith for great things in His Kingdom. I don’t need to try to jealously pull others down in order to make myself more important in God’s plan. I don’t need to be insecure and give in to bad attitudes.

Rather, I can choose to be content with the role God has given me.

One of Korah’s distant grandsons wrote Ps 84:10-11, “10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

Though Korah didn’t get it, his distant grandsons did. God withholds NOTHING from those whose walk is blameless. Jealousy is simply unnecessary with God. Instead of wishing that I was living someone else’ life, I have great reason to be content with mine and seek God’s will for me.

In the words of Gandalf, “that’s his path, not yours.”

That day, as I walked out of the metro and climbed into the waiting Honda minivan, I was greeted by my four boys and smiling wife. The warmth of their love was palpable. The closeness of their excitement contrasted with the massive crowds in D.C. Though the van was full, it was not crowded. I was with my family. This was my path.

If I ever need anything more, I’ll go to God with my request. After he helps my attitude to be right, I know He will do what is best for me.

Deborah Switzer: Genuine Light


GENUINE LIGHT

My favorite part of the morning is when I finally get dressed. Being fully clothed gives me the opportunity to open up the blinds on both of my bedroom windows and let the sun come shining in. I look forward to it daily. I pull the string and lift up my blinds as high as I can possibly raise them. Then I quickly dart over to my light switch and turn off the overhead light. For some reason I find great invigoration from natural light flooding the room for the rest of my morning routine. I enjoy turning off the GE electric bulbs and allowing the radiance and warmth of the sun to light my morning.

The other morning I was particularly pleased as a shaft of the sun’s light shone directly onto my cup of coffee resting on the dresser. As I turned from the window, I saw this gentle billow of smoke rising from my mug -- a feature that was previously hidden from my eyes in the shadows of the unnatural light of my room. It made me feel warm all over on such a cold day. (And as an avid coffee fan, I found that my love for the beverage grew three times that day!)

As I started to sip my hot cinnamon coffee, I felt the Lord quietly whisper to my heart. He started to express in my spirit the joy He took in my relishing the natural light. There really is only one True Light, and His name is Jesus. He doesn’t want to settle for unnatural counterfeits that only cause a fluorescent glow in our lives. He wants us to reflect the glory of His all-natural, radiant and beaming light – the effervescence of His love.

We don’t ever have to be satisfied with the artificial, but so often in our lives we settle for it. We know we lack God’s manifest presence in our lives, but we are too busy, tired, discouraged, or lazy to open up the blinds and allow His light in. We settle for a quick time in His Word, and although we know we have not yet been changed by “the word made flesh,” we continue on throughout our day, allowing the Light of the World to be reduced to a mere light bulb. It is almost as if we can see the genuine light shining through the corners of the blinds, but we can’t quite manage to open them up and let Him in.

At times, it can feel like opening the blinds is too much work. I specifically remember a time when I was sick, and I kept the shades closed. It felt so oppressive and dark in the room, and allowed me to wallow in my weakness. It required mental, physical, and spiritual effort on my part to open up the shades and allow the sun to shine on my misery. To a degree, the sun hurt my eyes; but the atmosphere changed and made room for my recovery.

I know the times I have let the genuine light of Christ shine in my life instead of the artificial. After spending time with Him, I truly feel His love and genuine change or growth occur in my life. It is as if Genesis 1 has occurred in my living room. God said, “Let there be light [in Deborah]” and THERE WAS LIGHT! God’s true light broke through my darkness and changed me into His image. At times His Word has become a “light unto my path.” Its richness and its truth have flooded my soul and shown me the way to go. And at times in prayer, I have known that the Light of the World has entered my world and transformed me by His grace.

The most remarkable truth about God’s genuine light, however, is that it frees me to be genuine as well. When I allow His true light to shine and don’t settle for the artificial, I am suddenly able to be who He has created me to be. I no longer am David trying on Saul’s armor, but rather I am a fearless David who can conquer the giant. His authenticity allows me to be authentic; His truth allows me to be truthful; and His grace allows me to be gracious!

Genuine light also allows us to see things we may not have seen before. Just as I saw the steam rising from my coffee that morning, so also we might see things rising from our hearts in His natural light. These things may be pleasant or ugly, but they are always things that need to be revealed. Perhaps God will discuss with me my unique way of speaking, and encourage me to continue in that gift. Or perhaps, He will gently remind me of my harshness and my need to repent to my spouse. No matter what the revelation, it can only be seen for what it truly is in the natural light of His love. Somehow, our strengths and our sins become distorted in the artificial light of the world; but in His light, we can see them for what they really are.

As I write this, I am still in my pajamas. I know I will have to go through half of my morning routine before I can open up the blinds in my bedroom. Still, I look forward to having “the light” shine in, not just in my room, but also in my heart. Make time today for the genuine. Don’t settle for merely flicking on the overhead lights of your spirit. For “if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another [authenticity], and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7)

Daniel Switzer, Ed.D.: Living in a Spirit of Power, of Love and of a Sound Mind (Not Fear)


Living in a Spirit of Power, of Love, and of a Sound Mind (Not Fear)

By Daniel L. Switzer, Ed.D.
Pastor, Northgate Community Church

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). With the downturn in the economy, there’s a lot of fear in our world today. Media reports abound regarding the recession, the housing crisis, retailers going out of business, and people losing their jobs. But with all of the reports out there, I want to encourage you as Christians—as Christ-ones—to not feed into the fear, but to live according to the Word of God, to live in the opposite of fear—to live in power, in love, and in a sound mind.

A Spirit of Power
First, as Christ-ones, we have been given a spirit of Power! We who are born again by the Spirit of God, we have Christ—we have power! We have inner might, inner strength, inner courage, inner power!

Psalm 138:3 says, “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted” (NIV). We need to remember to call upon the Lord. When life seems to be conspiring against you, call upon the Lord! When you’re hemmed in from all sides, get out, go on a walk, look up and call upon the Lord. And as this verse tells us, God will make you stouthearted! Sometimes, when we get hit by bad news, our hearts can just sink. It’s like taking a blow to the gut—you bend down and get a sinking feeling. Well, with Christ, we have a spirit of power that overcomes that sinking feeling. The Lord makes us stouthearted—He gives us big hearts to withstand even bad news.

Psalm 138:8 assures us that even in troubled times, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.” I think it’s neat that we serve a God who doesn’t just do things for us! Yes, he gives us the strength, but he doesn’t just do things for us. He’s like a Father who when his child has fallen, he picks him up, brushes him off, and says, “Now you get back out there. Get back out there in the game; get back out there in the neighborhood with your friends, get back out there in the fray, get back out there in the workplace, get back out there in the ministry I’ve called you to.” God involves us in His purpose. He wants to see us develop, to grow, to experience great purpose, great passion, great enthusiasm for life!

The Lord makes us stouthearted; he gives us power for the purpose he’s given us, for the life he’s called us to.

A Spirit of Love
Secondly, we’ve been given a spirit of love. We have been given a spirit of power, but we must use this power in love so as not to run roughshod over people. As we walk in God’s power—living Christ—God enables us to fan into flame the gift of love that He has given us!

I believe an antonym—an opposite of walking in fear—is walking in love! Fear and timidity—how are they different from love? Fear and timidity have to do with an inward focus, drawing into oneself, closing up shop, and closing the doors to one’s life. Walking in fear is not being giving, not being hospitable, hoarding one’s possessions, being greedy, and protecting myself and my possessions.

In the great classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” when the main character George Bailey had just gotten married and was about to go on his honeymoon with his bride, there is a run on the bank during the great stock market crash. George Bailey runs over to the Bailey Building and Loan and feverishly tries to convince the people not to take all of their money out of the bank at once. With the people being filled with fear, he has a hard time convincing them. They wanted their money now. Well, when things looked desperate with no money to dole out, his wife spoke up, with her honeymoon cash in her hand and said, “I’ve got $2,000 dollars here” (the money for their honeymoon). Mr. Bailey and his wife were willing to walk in the gift of love and not be greedy like the Scrooge of the town, Mr. Potter; they were willing to share with others, and the Building and Loan made it through the crisis.

We’ve been given a spirit of love—which is the opposite of fear. Love is an outward focus, thinking of others. It’s giving of oneself and one’s gifts. It’s being hospitable and opening the doors of your life to others. It’s not being overly protective with an attitude of “I got to protect what’s mine” but sharing the gift of love with others. Love is being very generous toward others—knowing that everything we have is from God anyway, and we cannot outgive Him.

In the Bible, the friendship of Jonathan and David illustrates this love. Jonathan, the son of King Saul, could have been very protective of what was his. He was the heir to the throne of his father. He very easily could have seen David as a competitor. He could have been jealous, greedy for what should have been his. But Jonathan didn’t respond that way. He loved David. He didn’t hold back in fear, but gave to David in love. 1 Samuel 20:17 says that Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

A Spirit of a Sound Mind
Thirdly, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He’s given us a spirit of a sound mind. As Christ-ones, we have the gift of a sound mind! Walking in fear is the antithesis of walking in a sound mind. A sound mind is the opposite of a mind tormented by fear.

Acts 2 shares how David saw the Lord always before him. Thus, when he faced Goliath he was not shaken by fear; instead, he had a sound mind for the task that lay before him. Likewise, when we are faced with the Goliaths in our life, we need to see the Lord always before us!

Instead of a split mind dominated by fear and worry, we have a whole mind that is sound. As Christ-ones, we have been given a mind that is healthy, at peace, and complete.

A sound mind is very important. We should not underestimate this gift God has given us, and we need to protect it. When people are not of a sound mind, they’re skittish, constantly wondering what’s going to happen to them—living in fear. God doesn’t want that for us. He’s given us a sound mind.

Along with this sound mind comes a spirit of self-discipline. The NIV’s translation of 2 Timothy 1:7 says we’ve been given a spirit “of self-discipline.” There’s a little saying that I kept in my office for many years: “Through discipline comes freedom.” Walking in discipline brings freedom which counteracts the paralysis of fear. Walking in freedom is the antithesis of walking in fear.

Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
Self-discipline enables us to take proactive steps to be the person God call us to be—in every area—in the use of our time, with our finances, in our priorities, in growing as a servant of God.

Self-discipline is giving the first fruits of God’s provision in our lives back to Him—it’s trusting God’s economy for our life! The very act of giving that first ten percent to the Lord is a faith-action that builds godly discipline into the rest of our life.

Self-discipline is living within our means financially. I was recently talking with a brother who this past year got completely out of debt. It was cause for rejoicing! That’s freedom. “Through discipline comes freedom!”—and it counteracts fear!

Self-discipline enables us to have a strong work ethic—to get to work on time, to be faithful, and to be a person who works with consistency and is committed to excellence. Proverbs 14:23 says, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Studies show that there is much down time in work settings—the lack of productivity is an issue in the workplace.

Self-discipline enables us to discipline ourselves—to not have to be disciplined by our boss. It enables us to give an honest day’s work and be a valuable team member in our place of employment. It enables us to not be just a “cog in the wheel” so to speak but to be purposeful as ones who add value in working wholeheartedly as unto the Lord. And God, who knows all things, sees our self-discipline and our work ethic. God sees everything, and promotion is from the Lord. And remember, God is always preparing us for our future and that future is one of more influence in the lives of others—an increased opportunity to be an example and share Christ with others!

I want to challenge you to not feed into the fear that is so prevalent in the news lately, but to walk in the opposites of fear—a spirit of power, of love, of a sound mind, and of self-discipline.
You have the power of Christ in you! You have the love of Christ toward others! You have the sound mind of Christ in you! And you have the self-discipline to be what Christ is calling you to be! That’s the Spirit God has given you. And God will bless that kind of life. You have nothing to fear!