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Starr Ayers

Fearful to Fearless: Don’t Interfere

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“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 6:31, NIV

From Genesis to Revelation, God exhorts believers not to be afraid. Join me this week as we venture to be fearless in a world packed with reasons to fear.

 

Don’t Interfere

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

Joshua 1:9, NIV

home-page-and-services-er-er-signI’ll never understand the fascination some people have with scary things such as haunted houses, chilling movies, skydiving, and thrill rides. Aren’t there enough things in life capable of scaring us without seeking more? The days in which we live are volatile enough―simply reading the morning headlines can cause us to shake in our shoes.

Yesterday, I shared the events of a morning when an early-morning phone call alerted me that my sister had been rushed to the hospital.

The results of the tests the hospital ran were encouraging. My sister had experienced some arterial fibrillation but had no other signs of heart issues. The hospital released her after several hours and referred her to a cardiologist for a follow-up visit.  Today, she is doing well. Her irregular heartbeat was possibly related to overexertion, exhaustion, and dehydration.

My heart palpitations, on the other hand, were due to limited information, overreaction, and unfounded fear. My response was a common one, but my fear drove me to jump to irrational conclusions and caused me unwarranted stress. The ER nurse wasn’t blocking my path when I tried to get to my sister because there was something he didn’t want me to see—he was simply trying to protect me and keep me from interfering with the testing process.

Last week, I faced some inconclusive test results of my own and was scheduled for a repeat X-ray. As anxiety began to creep into the corners of my mind, God brought back to me the events and emotions I’d experienced regarding my sister. His words to me were, Don’t interfere with the process. I know what I’m doing. Allow me to do my job. Trust me. Don’t enter fear!

When the information we have is limited, entering into fear is easy to do. We overreact to the bits of knowledge we do have and imagine the worst.  As with Joshua in today’s focal verse, God told me not to fear. He assured me of his presence and instructed me to trust him. In the end, my test results turned out well.

Knowing that God is with us in the midst of our trials helps us put things in proper perspective. Perhaps we experience roadblocks that interfere with our peace because there’s something else He wants us to see. Our trial may be part of His testing process. It may be how He chooses to slow us down so we will grow in our faith. Our interference could cause us to miss His point. Ultimately, it could cause us to miss Him.

If you are facing the unknown and struggling with fear, surrender your fears to God. Trust in Him. He knows what He’s doing. Do Not Enter Fear!

Starr

Fearful to Fearless: Roadblocks to Peace

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“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 6:31, NIV

From Genesis to Revelation, God exhorts believers not to be afraid. Join me this week as we venture to be fearless in a world packed with reasons to fear.

 

Roadblocks to Peace

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

John 16:33, NIV

A telephone ringing at 2:15 in the morning is never a good thing.

Ambulance-Lights-Gavin-HylandClumsily snatching the handset from its cradle, my husband blurted “Hello” while I tried to discern the panic-stricken voice on the other end of the line. It was my niece. My sister was being transported to the hospital by ambulance. There was an issue with her heart.

Fifteen minutes later, I was on the road to the hospital twenty miles away. In a tunnel of darkness illuminated only by my headlights, I was gripped with fear. I begged God to grant me His peace, but my thoughts continued to outrun my high beams, filling my mind with worst-case scenarios. I worked to redirect my thinking, but this Bible study leader, this writer of devotions couldn’t pull up a single verse of Scripture. Desperate to hear God’s voice, I knew I had to make a concerted effort to relax my body and calm my thoughts. I took several deep breaths and talked myself down. Soon, I heard: I will never leave you or forsake you.

“I know that, Lord, but I need more than that. I need to know my sister will be okay.”

I continued to listen for His words. These came: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5–6, KJV).

“I’m trying, Lord. I’m trying.”

I wanted to pray for God’s will in the situation, but I was afraid of what that would be. The reality was, I wanted what I wanted.

When I arrived at the emergency room, the receptionist directed me to Room 10. I could see it on the opposite side of the nurse’s station. The door of the room was open, and a nurse stood with her back to me at the foot of the bed. She was blocking my view of my sister.

As I rushed around the desk, a male nurse stepped into the middle of the aisle, keeping me from going any farther. I feared the worst. My heart raced. I looked straight into his eyes, trying to read his expression.

“What’s the matter?” I blurted.

“Everything’s okay. Her vitals are good. The technician is taking an X-ray, and I don’t want you to interfere.”

Sheesh! Be still my heart.

Tomorrow I’ll conclude my story, but first: how do you respond to unwelcome roadblocks that hold you hostage in the darkness?

If you’re struggling now with fear, make a deliberate effort to calm your spirit and listen for God’s voice. He wants to protect us from unwarranted fears. Open His Word and ask Him to speak to you about your situation. Tomorrow, I’ll share God’s words to me regarding this dark night of my soul.

Starr

Armchair Advice for a Significant Life: Prewashed Genes

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English proverbs are short, concise sayings that express traditional truths. Many of them, religious and metaphorical in nature, offer sound, uplifting advice and consist of repetitive consonant sounds that make remembering them effortless. This week, we’ll focus on five traditional armchair convictions that connect with scriptural truths and encourage virtuous living.

 

Prewashed Genes

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9, NIV

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

“Go wash your hands for dinner,” I told my daughter.

No response.

“Go! Wash your hands for dinner.”

Child_washing_handsAt my second directive, she huffed and said, “I just washed them yesterday.”

Her argument was logical – to her. We may chuckle at this childish thinking, but we can be guilty of the same rationale – especially in regard to sin.

Today‘s proverb originates from Francis Bacon’s annotation, “Cleanliness of the body was ever deemed to proceed from a due reverence to God.” A respect for God and our bodies as the temple of His Holy Spirit will result in our desire to maintain the cleanliness of our bodies as well our souls.

Have you ever thought that because you asked Jesus to cleanse your heart of sin yesterday, you don’t need to ask for forgiveness again today? Doesn’t it only make sense, if my past, present, and future sins are forgiven when I receive Christ as my Savior, that I shouldn’t need to continue to ask for forgiveness? I’m prewashed, aren’t I?

Today’s text reveals the unfathomable truth that yes indeed, God forgives all of our sin the moment we receive Christ as our Savior. When we become children of God, we receive our heavenly Father’s DNA and an eternal inheritance. God removes the “For Sale” sign on our home in heaven and erects a “Sold” sign in its place. Our eternal home is secure and becomes our real estate from that moment forward.

Our future sin, then, doesn’t change our relationship with God—but it does break our fellowship. If we desire to grow in our relationship with him, it’s necessary to confess our sins as soon as we become aware of them. We confess them not to maintain salvation, but to restore fellowship with our Father.

HEARTSeveral years ago, I experienced physical symptoms that caused my doctors to think I might have a heart blockage. When an EKG and a stress test didn’t rule out that possibility, my doctors determined it was necessary to perform a heart catheterization. The procedure revealed I had no blockages; my veins and arteries were clean.

Later, as I thanked God for the clean results of the procedure, I heard him whisper, “They looked inside your heart and found it clean. Can I?”

After my daughter had washed her hands, I said, “Let me see your hands.”

She lifted her hands―palms up, then palms down.

“Okay. They’re clean. Now, you can sit down at the table.”

If we follow God’s daily directive to cleanse our hearts as well as our hands, we can take our rightful place at his table and enjoy his fellowship once more.

Time to wash up!

Blessings,

Starr