Category Archives: Fear & Doubt

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May 30, 2017

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Church & Worship, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Fruit of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Obedience, Salvation: A New You, Sharing Our Faith, Temptation & Sin

WOULD I? COULD I?

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. [Matthew 5:10 (NLT)]

As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died. [Acts 7:59-60 (NLT)]

old world wisconsinHis testimony enraged the Jewish high council and he was taken from the city and stoned to death. Stephen was the first of the Christian martyrs but clearly not the last. We’ve all been horror-stricken by the recent news from Egypt where ISIS thugs attacked Coptic Christians on their way to a remote monastery. According to witnesses, the men were told their lives would be spared if they recited the shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith. When they refused to do so, they were gunned down. Since December, more than 100 Coptic Christians have died in Egypt in four different attacks. On Palm Sunday, two of their churches were bombed leaving forty-four dead. It’s not easy being a Christian in Egypt.

Apparently, it’s not that easy in India, either. Last winter, Bartu Urawn and his wife were forced to stand all night in a freezing pond. When they refused to renounce their Christian faith after being immersed in the frigid water for seventeen hours, they were beaten. Although his wife survived, Urawn died as a result of the torture. A decade ago, Christianity was embraced by ten families in this remote Indian village. Unfortunately, in the years that followed, seven of those families caved into threats and returned to their indigenous tribal religion. The Urawns, however, remained faithful to Jesus.

After watching the news of the Egyptian attack last night, my husband asked how I would respond in a similar situation. I wondered. Would I choose to be a martyr? I’d like to think I would. Like the Urawns, could I endure hours of torture and still stay true to Christ? I’d like to think I could. What if, rather than saving my life, renouncing Christ meant I could keep my children from suffering torture or death? Now it’s getting harder to know the answer. Could I watch them suffer? How could I live with myself in either scenario? Perhaps I’d find an excuse for verbally abandoning Jesus by telling myself that they were just empty words from my mouth and my heart didn’t mean them. I’m not so sure God would see it that way and it doesn’t much sound like something Jesus would do. These are not easy questions and, hopefully, I’ll never be forced to ask them. Nevertheless, the uncertainty of my answers indicates the level of my faith and it’s nowhere near as strong as I thought it was. Jesus told us to pick up our crosses and follow him; let us never forget that the cross was an instrument of torture and He was walking to Calvary. We have been called to share in His suffering and persecution should not deter us.

Living here in the United States, we’re not likely to be threatened with torture or death for our Christian faith. We don’t risk our lives by reading the Bible or gathering in worship and prayer. Perhaps, rather than wondering if we would stand up to ISIS soldiers or an angry mob of non-believers, we should ask ourselves how well we stand up to the world in which we live. Although we may never have to choose between Jesus and our physical survival (or that of our loved ones), there are plenty of opportunities every day to forsake Him in far more subtle ways. If we’re not walking in His footsteps and led by His Holy Spirit, we’re denying Him. There’s more than one way to lose one’s soul.

 I will not deny Christ…I will continue to believe until my last breath. [Bartu Urawn]

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? [Matthew 16:24-26 (NLT)]

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May 24, 2017

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Peace of God, Salvation: A New You, Trusting God

HIS LAST LECTURE

I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. … I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. [John 16:1,33 (NLT)]

Blue JayThe “Last Lecture,” a tradition at many universities, is given by a professor as if it is the last one delivered in the speaker’s lifetime. Hoping to inspire the audience to become better versions of themselves, the lecturer usually reflects on his life’s journey and shares his hard-earned wisdom. New meaning was given to this tradition in 2007 when Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, gave what truly was his last lecture. Terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, he was dead less than a year after giving it.

In chapters 14 through 17, the Gospel of John records another last lecture. Having only a few hours left with the disciples and less than twenty-four hours to live, Jesus delivered it. As far as last lectures go, Jesus’ is no match for that of Randy Pausch. The professor addressed his prognosis of less than six months to live within the first minute. His audience knew they were hearing the words of a dying man but the disciples didn’t. Pausch explicitly stated what issues he wouldn’t tackle (cancer, his family, or spirituality and religion) and then clearly addressed his topic of achieving childhood dreams. There was no ambiguity in his speech and no one was confused when his lecture was over. Jesus’ words, however, must have seemed confusing to the disciples. He said their joy would overflow and then warned them they’d be persecuted; He said He was leaving but would still remain. If the disciples had known they were listening to a last lecture, they may have listened more carefully, asked more questions, and stayed awake in the garden that night.

Although Jesus told them not to let their hearts be troubled, there would have been fewer troubled hearts if the disciples had truly understood that He’d rise again. Jesus knew how the story would end but they didn’t! Yet, it wouldn’t have taken much faith or trust if they’d known what Sunday morning would bring. How could Jesus distill three years’ worth of teaching into one speech? What could He say that would keep them strong while He hung on the cross and then lay in a tomb for three days? Jesus told them just enough to hold them over until His return, sort of like tossing them life jackets but leaving them in the stormy sea. They had enough to stay afloat but needed to have faith that a rescue ship would arrive.

There are similarities in the two lectures. In spite of its title, Pausch’s speech wasn’t about achieving dreams; like Jesus’ lecture, it was about how to lead our lives—about love, teamwork, perseverance, faith and trust. The second similarity is that Pausch’s lecture wasn’t just for his audience; like that of Jesus, it was for his children. Knowing His words would not end with the eleven men in the room,  Jesus concluded with a prayer for future believers. Those words were for His children, the generations of new believers that would come to Him through the ages.

What we learn from Jesus’ last lecture is simple: we don’t have to know the future to have faith in God but we do have to have faith in God to face the future with untroubled hearts.

Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. … I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. [John 17:13-14, 20-21 (NLT)]

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May 19, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

dragonfly - Halloween pennant“We can’t attack those people! They’re too strong for us! … The land we explored is one that devours those who live there. All the people we saw there are very tall. … We felt as small as grasshoppers, and that’s how we must have looked to them.” [Numbers 13:31-33 (GW)]

I vividly remember one audition at summer theater camp. It was for the part of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. Before trying out, I decided to size up my opposition—the other girls vying for the role. I sat there in the darkened theatre and started comparing myself with every girl who auditioned. Although one girl’s audition was outstanding, I still thought I had a good chance for Juliet until I heard people whispering about her. Apparently, she’d been the understudy for the role of Helen Keller in the Broadway production of The Miracle Worker. Sure that I could never win the lead against someone with her impressive resume, I lost all confidence and never auditioned. Someone else got the role and I never again had the opportunity to play Juliet.

I was like the Israelite scouts who were sent to spy out the Promised Land. Although they brought back fruit and spoke of the land’s fertility, they referred to the land’s inhabitants as giants and of themselves as mere grasshoppers. Once they’d seen their opponents, the scouts perceived the Canaanites as victorious predators and the Israelites as crushed prey. They lost the war before they’d even picked up a spear.

Standing at the border of a land described as flowing with milk and honey, the Israelites lost faith both in themselves and God; they refused to enter the land God had promised to them. Like me, those scouts failed to understand that theirs was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. God wasn’t going to give them another chance to enter the Promised Land. Afraid of the battle and the challenges ahead of them, the Israelites lost their blessing. It was forty more years before that opportunity came again, not to them, but to the next generation.

Although I’m not likely to battle giants in Canaan, there have been times, like that audition, when I’ve felt as small and ineffectual as a grasshopper. Would I have gotten that role if I’d auditioned? Maybe, maybe not, but I missed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to find out. God-given opportunities are meant to be taken, not to be passed by or ignored, even when we have formidable opponents or intimidating challenges. We can picture ourselves as children of God, strong, resilient, and ready to step forward in faith or we can picture ourselves as grasshoppers, just waiting to be eaten by a bird or squashed under foot by giants.

The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized within the lifetime of the opportunity. [Leonard Revenhill]

So don’t lose your confidence. It will bring you a great reward. You need endurance so that after you have done what God wants you to do, you can receive what he has promised. [Hebrews 10:35-36 (GW)

Blessed is the person who trusts the Lord. The Lord will be his confidence. [Jeremiah 17:7 (GW]

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May 3, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, God's Promises, Joy, Patience & Perseverance, Trusting God, Worry

THE DESIGNATED WORRIER

Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life; don’t for a minute lose sight of them. They’ll keep your soul alive and well, they’ll keep you fit and attractive. You’ll travel safely, you’ll neither tire nor trip. You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry, you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep. No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner, Because God will be right there with you; he’ll keep you safe and sound. [Proverbs 3:21-26 (MSG)]

upland gorillaI have a friend who worries. Her husband says that even when she has nothing about which to worry, she worries about whatever next could go wrong long before it possibly can. He added that having a “designated worrier” has made his life much easier—while she worries, he can relax and enjoy himself! His comment made me remember a trip we took to the Cayman Islands nearly forty years ago. We were accompanied by a worrying friend.

The morning of our departure, we awoke to several feet of unexpected snow. Although we’d allowed more than enough time to arrive at the airport in normal conditions, traffic was at a snail’s pace that morning. Our friend Josh would look from his watch to the speedometer and then announce by how many minutes we’d miss our plane’s departure. “At seven miles per hour, we’re precisely twenty-two-and-a-half minutes late!” he’d declare, only to modify his prediction when the traffic sped up or slowed down. Once at O’Hare, we discovered the weather had delayed our plane’s take-off and we had just a few minutes to get to the gate. As we checked luggage and ran through the airport, Josh continued to analyze by how many minutes we’d miss our flight. Fortunately, our plane was still at the gate and we managed to board. Josh then calculated how late we’d be for our next connection. When we arrived in Miami, however, our plane, also having been delayed by weather, was still at the gate and we again boarded in the nick of time. That’s when Josh started fretting about our luggage. He was sure it was never loaded in Chicago and, even if it was, it couldn’t have been transferred to the second plane before our speedy departure. Along with clothing, we’d packed a cooler of frozen steaks and Josh was certain that the meat, if it ever arrived, would be thawed and spoiled. This was back in the days long before TSA, airport security and luggage screening and planes occasionally were being hijacked to Cuba. Not satisfied with worrying about connections and luggage, Josh, apprehensive that we’d end up hijacked and in Cuba (without our luggage), began to nervously scrutinize every man as he boarded the plane.

We arrived at our destination, a little later than planned, with our luggage and without international incident. Unfortunately, Josh was a wreck and needed at least a day to chill out and “decompress” before he start enjoying his vacation. On the other hand, since he’d been our designated worrier, we’d slept on the flights and were ready to roll. He’d done the worrying while we enjoyed the ride!

While we can joke about having a designated worrier, what that anxiety does to the worrier is no laughing matter. Studies show that even slight distress and worry are linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke and can cut several years off one’s life expectancy. Simply put, the more disheartened and anxious we are, the sooner we’ll die. Moreover, even if we don’t die early, when we’re fretful, discouraged or worried, it’s highly unlikely we’ll truly enjoy the time with which we are blessed!

There was absolutely nothing that worrying could accomplish throughout our travel scenario—it couldn’t stop the snow, plow the roads, speed up traffic, hold the plane, load or transfer the baggage or even stop a hijacker. It was all in God’s hands—as is everything. While it’s nice to have a designated worrier to do our worrying, worry (whether ours or some else’s) is an insult to God. It means we don’t trust Him, we doubt His reliability and effectiveness, and we mistakenly believe that we, rather than He, are the ones in control.

It’s inevitable that our days will meet with mistakes, failures, oversights, barriers, disappointments, inconveniences, and complications. Jesus pretty much promised that. Nevertheless, He also promised that we’d never be alone as we faced each day. Rather than being the designated worrier, perhaps we could try being the designated prayer warrior!

Worry and faith are mutually exclusive. [Karol Ladd, from “The Power of a Positive Mom”]

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. [Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)]

P.S. Fortunately, Josh has changed through the years. He doesn’t worry about anything and prays about everything; he’s gone from designated worrier to pray warrior! Praise God!

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April 7, 2017

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Attitudes & Behavior, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Grace & Love, God's Promises, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Trusting God

WHEN BELIEF BECOMES FAITH

trapeze
You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? [James 2:19-20 (NLT)]

When we visited our grandchildren in February, I had another opportunity to watch my granddaughter fly on the trapeze. As she practiced transferring from her fly bar into the catcher’s hands, I thought of promises. The catcher assured the flyers he’d catch them and they clearly believed him when they jumped off the platform, turned upside down and hung from their knees. Knowing his promise and believing it, however, isn’t enough to get someone from the fly bar into his hands. Once swinging through the air, my grand had to act on his promise by straightening her legs, flying off the bar and reaching into emptiness. In that moment, when she floated in the air between fly bar and catcher, her belief in the catcher became faith in him. The catcher can only make good on his promise when the flyer acts on it. Those flyers who professed to believe his words but never reached for him were left hanging upside down.

The word “promise” appears 364 times in my NLT Bible. Scholars usually say that God made more than 3,500 promises to man. In 1956, however, during his 27th reading of the Bible, Canadian schoolteacher Everett Storms catalogued 7,487 promises from God to mankind. Although I couldn’t even begin to list them all, I know that God promises provision, protection, direction, wisdom and a love that will never fail. He promises peace, forgiveness, an abundant life, salvation, Jesus’ 2nd coming, healing and eternal life. Nevertheless, even if I could recite every promise found in the Bible’s 31,173 verses and wholeheartedly professed my belief in each one of them, I still have not shown faith.

Faith requires action; it requires us to live our lives in reliance on each one of God’s glorious promises. It’s when we act on our belief, when we live our lives in dependence on God’s word, that faith is born. God can never make good on His promises if we never act on them! Of course, since my grand is still learning, she wears a safety harness in case her timing is off. When we take that leap of faith with God, however, we don’t need a harness—we can get it right the first time we do it. It’s always the right time to take our belief and act in faith on God. Without that leap of faith that propels us into God’s arms, however, we’re just hanging upside down from the fly bar!

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. [James 1:22-25 (NLT)]

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March 27, 2017

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Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Knowing Him, Nature, Trusting God, Worry

SPIDER WEBS

spider webs - corckscrew swampOh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! [Romans 11:33 (ESV)]

Last Friday, I wrote that I preferred visiting the enigmatic swamp to the impeccable Botanic Garden because it more closely resembles the confusion and disorder of this holy mess we call life. Nevertheless, hidden in its mystifying disarray of vines, trees, lichens, ferns and other assorted plants and animals, order can be found.

On certain days, when conditions are just right, beautiful orb spider webs can be seen in the early morning light. These amazing feats of engineering begin when a spider floats just one strand of silk on the wind to another surface. After securing the line, the spider crosses the “bridge,” reinforcing it as he goes and continues to drop and secure lines. Eventually, a nearly perfect circular web is constructed of numerous concentric circles with spokes going out from the center. A spider’s web can be anything from a few inches to six feet across. Ounce for ounce, spider silk is five to six times stronger than the same weight of steel. More elastic than rubber, it can stretch two to four times its length without breaking. Only a tenth the diameter of a human hair, a strand of spider silk long enough to circle the earth would weigh less than a bar of soap! I find it humbling that one diminutive eight-legged creature can construct a complex web from a thread we humans can’t even reproduce. There is nothing haphazard or chaotic about spiders and webs. Their amazing creations tell me that, unplanned as the swamp or our lives may seem, there is nothing random or haphazard about them—they are as much a part of God’s amazing and complex plan as are spider webs.

On most days, the spiders’ delicate webs are difficult to see; yet, even when they are indiscernible, I know they are there. God’s plan is much like that—sometimes it appears crystal clear and other times it seems undetectable. Nevertheless, there is a divine plan for each one of us! Whether or not I see their webs, I know the spiders are there and haven’t abandoned the swamp. Regardless of our perception of His plan, we can be sure that God is in control and won’t abandon us either. If we believe in the goodness of God, we must trust His plan (whether or not we understand or appreciate it). Like the spiders’ webs, it is intricate and sometimes difficult to discern. It is, however, a plan of strength, resilience and exquisite beauty.

God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass. [Westminister Confession of Faith]

In the infinite wisdom of the Lord of all the earth, each event falls with exact precision into its proper place in the unfolding of His divine plan. Nothing, however small, however strange, occurs without His ordering, or without its particular fitness for its place in the working out of His purpose; and the end of all shall be the manifestation of His glory, and the accumulation of His praise. [B.B. Warfield]

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)]

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