Tag: "faith in God"

Overcoming the Spirit of Fear

Throughout the world most people have many problems and anxious concerns. These challenges and concerns can be best tackled by the beautiful words written long time ago by Apostle Paul. Paul wrote these words addressing them to his companion Timothy at a time when he was in great fear and he knew his days were numbered.

He referred to Timothy as his beloved son. He wrote,” For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:6-7)

All of us have experienced fear, but in varying degrees. Some people have been able to overcome it quickly while others are ensnared and pulled down so much that they are overwhelmed. Such fear could be fear of failure, fear of being lonely, fear of failing, uncertain about the future etc. Some people even carry loads of sins and would really want to be free but they fear changing their lifestyles.

Fear does not come from God, it comes from the devil who is the greatest enemy of truth and righteousness. Fear is the exact opposite of faith. Its effects are destructive and very deadly.

God has not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. These basic standards are the greatest remedies to cure fear. When we are weak and defeated, this verse gives us power. The power of the gospel, of truth, and faith comes back to us when we are able to cast out fear.

Christians must be strong enough to share their faith in God with non-believers. We should not fear to be mocked because of our firm belief in Jesus Christ or even shy away from our faith. There is this great power in us to overcome fear and ridicule.

When we walk in the truth and its light, we have nothing to fear. The authority that comes from living righteously makes us bold enough and be able to cast out fear. Faith is another element that makes us strong and gives us the courage to free ourselves from fear.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love.” Going back to this scripture once again, it also talks about love. The love we have for God and fellow men is what is talked about here. When we love God we do not have fear in our hearts. The power of love is so great that it overcomes self doubts and fears, endless worries and disappointments.

This scripture also tells us that God has given us a sound mind. That is a mind free from worry, confusion, and anxiety. When are minds are filled with these toxic emotions it is an indication that we are not walking in God’s spirit. It is up to us to eliminate or cast down every thought and imagine that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. That might mean meditating on uplifting scriptures, casting out the spirit of fear, or replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.

God promises to give us a peace that passes all understanding, but that means we must keep our eyes on him always. The scriptures say, “I will keep thee in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me.” The enemy may bombard you will all types of thoughts to steal your peace and joy, keep you from operating in love, or creating an unsound mind, but God has given us promises and provision to live a peaceful, loving, and holy life right here and now.

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Check out the Christian Meditation Perfect Love Casts Out Fear. Rhonda Jones is the author of 22 Christian meditation and affirmation Cds, Visit The Christian Meditator for CDs that promote peace, joy, & intimacy with God.


Jul 03, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

Ask and Believe Then Leave the Results to God

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer,” declares Matthew 21:22. Many Christians are aware of a type of prosperity Christianity that tells us if we have enough faith, we can receive from God whatever we desire. Such terms as “name it and claim it” depict that all we have to do it express our desires to God and He is just standing by to fulfill our every wimp and want.

God does want us to trust and put our faith in Him for everything we need; however, it’s just as important that when we ask, we give God the room to answer our prayers in the best way he sees fit. Often, in our limited understanding, we may ask for things according to our flesh and not the will of God for our lives. The Bibles says that we may not receive from God because we are asking amiss or out of our own lust. When God said he will give us the desires of our heart, he is also saying that he will plant the desires as well. The more in alignment we are with God’s spirit, the less we will ask for things contrary to God’s will for us. Have you ever asked God for something and once you got it, you wished you hadn’t- that job that you hated or that boyfriend or girlfriend that broke your heart? Waiting on God is more for our good and protection and never God’s way of punishing or torturing us.

When it comes to asking God to fulfill our desires it is also important that we surrender these affections to the Lord. Our motto should be, “if it’s not good enough for God, then it’s not good enough for us.” But in addition to giving God freewill to bless us in his own way and timing, it is equally as important that we leave the results to Him.

Leaving the results to God means detaching from the outcome of what we are requesting. That means once we ask, we let go and let God. We don’t try to make it happen. We don’t look for it under every nook and cranny. We don’t help God out or continue to pray and pray for its manifestation. Instead, we detach from the outcome knowing that God is in complete control and that we can trust him to do what is best both now and in the future. It means waiting on God with faith and expectancy knowing that God is working out all things for your highest good.

But many Christians have a hard time letting go and detaching from their desired outcome. Maybe you’ve had your mind on something for a longtime and the thought of waiting for it any longer is more than you can bear. I believe that most of the worry, anxiety, and frustrations we experience, come from our inability to live without immediate expectation. When we expect something and it doesn’t happen it leaves us feeling empty, fearful, and depressed. But if we look at it a little closer, what we have actually done is created an idol out of the affection. We believe that the desire will bring a source of fulfillment or happiness to our lives. We believe this item, situation, or person, will make us or our life more complete.

The problem with this type of thinking is that we’ve lost our first love which is Christ. We’ve allowed deception or seduction to enter our minds as well as our hearts and led us away from the love of our Lord. We begin to believe that something other than God can plug up the gaps or holes in our life. Our attention has been pulled away from Christ and within, to seeking solace, contentment, and peace from the external or without.

When we can ask for something and leave the results to God while we wait in expectancy on the Lord, we are following Jesus’s command, to “seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” When the Lord is the object of our affection, nothing outside of us can take the Lord’s place and if God grants us with such things, it is more like the icing on the cake, an added blessing that God bestows upon us because he loves us so.

When we make our request made known to God, and then detach ourselves from the outcome, we can live in peace, joy, and contentment while waiting on God to work all things out for our highest good. When our thoughts begin to lead us astray, we must continue to bring them under the authority and word of God. We must continue to confess that we are complete in Christ and that we have everything we need.

Christ-centered meditation or meditating on the scriptures helps us to hide God’s word in our heart and to continually practice his presence. The Bible says that in God’s presence is fullness of joy. Isn’t it wonderful that we don’t have to search for joy in people, places, or things? We can find joy in the fullness of God and that fullness resides within us, within our own hearts.

Whatever you are asking or believing God for today, believe that you have received it and it will manifest as God’s best and you don’t have to think about it a second longer.

Jesus said I will keep thee in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me. Learn how to eliminate worry, negative thinking, & stress by meditating on the Lord. Listen to Christian meditation Cds that teach you how to control your thoughts and bring them under the kingdom of God. Learn how you can Detox Your Life in seven core areas today.


Jun 30, 2011 | 0 comments View Post

How Can I Build My Faith in God?

There are times when we feel that our lives are so off track, even though we are still walking with the Lord. We have the faith to believe that Jesus Christ came down from heaven, was born of a virgin, and walked among men. We believe that he bared our sins on the cross as he died. We also believe that our God and Father, resurrected Jesus with all power and that he sits at the right hand of his God interceding on our behalf to God. We believe that he is the redeemer of our souls, and yet we cannot believe Him for the simple day-to-day miracles.

We as Christians long deeply for a greater trust in God. We desire to grow in the Lord but our faith is weak, unsure, and unstable at times even though we want to believe. However, we do not have to long always; we can grow our faith in God. The word says, “Without faith it is impossible to please the Lord” Hebrews 11:39 (KJV). We must have faith to please the Lord, and like anything else we have to grow in our faith and most often it is a process. Learning the process is simply following what works for you in your life. Here are some basic steps for growing your faith in God, and learning how to trust the Lord at the same time.

Step One: Create a Faith Journal

Writing is a powerful way to build faith. Creating a faith journal is simple. Find a book with bound blank sheets of paper and begin to journal your weaknesses. Each time you write, be sure to include the date. Journal entries should include the areas where you are struggling to trust God. Write as often as you have doubts and include your prayers asking God to help you believe. Over time, when you return to read your entries, you will find that God has resolved many of the problems in your journal. You will find that God answered your prayers which will offer concrete proof what God has done and that he will do greater things in your life. When you begin to search for faith to trust God on greater levels, you can read how God has worked on your behalf in the past.

Step two: Devotional time

Devotional time is a very much needed in our lives to build our faith in God. Yes, many of us are busy and our spare time is limited in each day. Nevertheless, we must take time to spend with the Lord on a daily basis. Participating in daily devotion unto the Lord will keep your heart focused on God and the power in God. Start a daily devotion with a quiet or guided meditation, read scriptures on faith, and remember to attend your devotional services and Bible study at a church. When you feel doubtful or hopeless, grab hold of faith through your devotional time.

Step Three: Obey God

Another necessary step to grow in faith is listening to what God has to say. When you are in line with what the Lord expects of you, then you can expect his promises to be fulfilled. There are many promises from the Lord in the Bible. However, each promise rests upon our actions and level of belief. When you are aligned with what God commands of us as his children, you can confidently rest in expectation that God will fulfill his promises. One promise from the Bible states, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7 (KJV)

Step four: Filter Your life

Let’s be honest, sometimes we need to filter a lot of junk out of our life that drains our faith. When we live a godly life, and walk with God, our faith will start to grow. When you walk with your entire mind focused on God and with a pure heart, you are bound to grow in faith. Our faith increase over time, and with time, it will start to spring up. However, that only comes when you have purified your heart. If you do not filter out the impurities in your life, like fear, doubt, negativity, and unbelief, it is hard to have faith in God. Instead of trusting God, we start to look at our circumstances. Just as we filter our water that it will be fresh to drink it, we need to filter a lot of the things we watch, and listen to that contaminate our spirit.

As we know, “Faith is the substance of things hope for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrew 11:1).We might not see faith, but have to know that faith is there. The scripture says we not going to see it, we just have to believe it. God sees our shortcoming, and he knows our weaknesses. He knows that our faith will grow as we mature in Him. At times God will even test our faith. The Bible says, (1 Peter 4:12): “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you”. We are going to be tested, and we need faith to carry us through it. That is why we have to grow in faith by devoting our time, obeying God, and filtering out our lives.

Learn about Guided Christian Meditation CDs and resources that will enhance your life and relationship with God. Are you ready to transform your life and live with more purpose and passion? Visit Detox Your Life Now and & Awaken Your Inner Spirit to learn about this 10-week Christian faith-based program.


Jun 27, 2011 | 0 comments View Post
How to Grow Your Faith in God

How to Grow Your Faith in God

There are times when we feel that our lives are so off track, even though we are still walking with the Lord. We have the faith to believe that Jesus Christ came down from heaven, was born of a virgin, and walked among men. We believe that he bared our sins on the cross as he died. We also believe that our God and Father, resurrected Jesus with all power and that he sits at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. We believe that he is the redeemer of our souls, and yet we cannot believe Him for the simple day-to-day miracles.

We as Christians long deeply for a greater trust in God. We desire to grow in the Lord but our faith is weak, unsure, and unstable at times even though we want to believe. However, we do not have to long always; we can grow our faith in God. The word says, “Without faith it is impossible to please the Lord” Hebrews 11:39 (KJV). We must have faith to please the Lord, and like anything else we have to grow in our faith and most often it is a process. Learning the process is simply following what works for you in your life. Here are some basic steps for growing your faith in God, and learning how to trust the Lord at the same time.


Oct 13, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

How Far Will You Trust God?

Today as I was cutting my lawn, God spoke to my spirit. He said, “How far will you go to trust me?”

If you are in the land of the living, from time to time you are going to face challenges.  At times they are few and far between, for other times it’s like an avalanche of problems overtake us.  I began thinking about several years ago when I lived in Dallas and was going through a very difficult time financially. For awhile I allowed worry and fear to grip most of my waking hours.  I kept thinking that I may become homeless and lose everything I had. Then I began to play the “what if” game.


Aug 15, 2009 | 1 comment View Post

Living without Fear Means Walking in Faith

I think if I was standing in the presence of God and he would grant me “one” request as I fulfill my days on the earth, I would ask, “Lord, grant me the ability to live my life free from fear.  Fear of what you might ask.

 

Fear of failure

Fear of loss

Fear of looking stupid

Fear of saying the wrong thing

Fear of taking risks

Fear of lack or poverty

Fear of disease or bad health

Fear of accidents or injury

Fear of making the wrong decision

Fear of the future

Fear of losing loved ones

Fear of not getting my needs met

 

Fear of ANYTHING that robs me of living with God’s PEACE, JOY, and CONTENTMENT every minute of everyday.

 

Now looking at that list you might think, Wow, she’s just a fireball of fear.  But that simply isn’t true.   I think if we’re being honest we all suffer from feelings of fear every now and then; some of us more frequently than others.


Jun 18, 2009 | 3 comments View Post
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