[This is the third in a series of four Friday posts on fear.] “You must be the bravest person I’ve seen,” the Ben Yehuda Plaza shopkeeper said as he totaled up my purchases in shekels. “After the bomb exploded last week, all the tourists fled …
Mentoring Series
From Accused to Peaceful
I was SO mad. The woman on the other end of the phone was telling me off, accusing me of things I hadn’t done…not letting me get a word in edgewise. Then she hung up on me! I was furious! I stomped around, cried a …
Nothing to Fear but Fear?
President Franklin Roosevelt in his first inaugural address in 1933 famously said that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” We know what he was trying to do—encourage people not to become paralyzed by their fears in that Great Depression era. (A …
Serenity, Please
Have you heard of the Serenity Prayer? Yes, that one: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.” Did you also know that there’s more to …
Terror by Night
[Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of articles on conquering fear that will appear in June.] Some of my earliest memories are of being afraid. My parents were military and liked to socialize at the officer’s club on base. They began leaving me …
Abandoned to God
”But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…” [2 Timothy 4:17] From this present generation have risen many reasons, excuses, accusations, and comfort zones for behavioral problems and dysfunction of all kinds. One of them is a sense of abandonment. Born into the family …
Unfailing Love
Being a Christian does not guarantee a life free from heartache, stress, or pain. As believers, it seems there can be feelings of shame in that admission which prevents us from sharing our emotional and spiritual wounds with one another. I’m here to tell you, …
Peace in the Midst of Suffering
We can have inner peace through suffering, which makes no human sense, when our minds are focused on God and His Word. We can use trying situations as an opportunity to teach our kids the solid foundation of peace, personally experiencing what they have heard …
Resting in His Sovereignty
The tendency for all of us want to control things is great. When we experience situations we cannot fix, make sense of, see any sign of relief from, or see any possible positive outcome from, we are called to trust in God’s sovereignty. It is …
Put off Worry / Put on Trust
Did you know that TRUSTING IN GOD in all circumstances is the third most emphasized character trait in the New Testament, behind the qualities of love and humility? This certainly implies that we all struggle with loving, being humble, and wanting to be in control of situations …