April 2024 – Welcome

Do Not Fear: Death – Week 5

Hosea 13:14
“I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?”

For many, death is the ultimate fear. Fear of dying too soon, dying alone, loved ones dying, or even just the idea of death in general. It is, after all, the greatest unknown. No one has ever been able to come back and tell us what to expect once you die. Or have they?

In the last few verses in Luke Chapter 8, we learn about Jarius. Jarius was a synagogue leader facing the greatest fear of a parent; the death of his twelve-year-old daughter. Jarius sought Jesus with the faith and belief that Jesus could heal his daughter and prevent her untimely death. It was urgent, yet the crowd continued to follow them slowing Jesus down. And then, Jesus takes the time to heal the woman suffering from bleeding that we discussed last week. Where was His sense of urgency? Didn’t he know how serious this was?

Then the news came, Jarius was too late in seeking healing. His daughter was dead so he felt like there was no need to bother Jesus anymore. Imagine that horrific feeling. Jarius was so close but now his fear had been substantiated. His daughter was gone. It was then that Jesus looked at Jarius and said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed” (v50). Believe? Believe what? She was dead, that’s it. The end.

Jesus knew death was not the end. Jesus knew the reason He came was to conquer sin and the punishment of death. He knew what His own death and miraculous resurrection would do for mankind. He knew the eternal life available through His redemptive work on the cross was finally here to rescue us. He is our resource for what to expect when you die.

The Bible has a lot to say about death. Death was the punishment for sin back in Genesis 3. Our sin made it impossible for us to be in relationship with a Holy God (Romans 6:23). For centuries, something had to die to cover the sins of man. The moment Jesus gave up His spirit on the cross, was the moment death was destroyed. Yes, our earthly bodies will decay and our time on earth will be finished but it is not the end for us. Because of Jesus, we do not have to fear death! What freedom we have from this fear!

This is amazing news, but I know death can still be hard. It can be tragic when lives are robbed through violence, it can be gut wrenching to watch loved ones’ bodies and minds decay because of age and disease, and it can be deeply lonely to lose the companionship of those that go before us. It is during these moments that we realize our need for redemption and can express our gratitude for Jesus.

I have recently been to two different funerals. One was for a man whose eternal fate was unknown. It was the saddest funeral I have ever attended. Then, later I attended a funeral for a woman whose faith was so great, her loved ones couldn’t help but celebrate her departure from earth. For her, death was a kindness. The woman’s faith was lived out in such a way that no one questioned where she would spend eternity. Her earthly life was plagued by illness and a failing body, but her family rejoiced in her being healed and made whole in Heaven.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

As Jesus told Jarius, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” This too can be our hope and the remedy for the fear of death. Death no longer has power over us. This is what we celebrate at Easter, our freedom from the fear of death! When we understand the hope and promise of Heaven, death loses its sting. We can even begin to look forward to the day our time on earth is done. When we no longer have pain, illness, tragedy, struggles and heartbreak. Paul expresses this radical perspective in Philippians. Life on earth gives us the opportunity to grow and experience the sanctifying power of Christ in our lives but death allows us to be freed from sin and in the perfect presence of our loving Father.

Do not fear. Death is really no big deal.

Philippians 1:21-24
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Do Not Fear: Sickness – Week 4

Psalm 91:4-6
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be our shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Sickness was not a fear of mine until I became a mom. Nothing will send a chill down my spine like the words “stomach virus”. One of the hardest things I have done was care for a three-year-old and a nursing baby while we all three had a stomach virus. Oh, and Matt was out of town. There are few terrors like the terror of a stomach bug wrecking your house and your plans. We had a few terrible days, but it was a short-term alignment that we all fully recovered from.

I have been very fortunate to have never had a long-term health issue. However, five years ago I began to have problems similar to the woman in Luke chapter eight. Thankfully, my health issue was treated after several months, and I experienced a full recovery. It was during those months of waiting for a cure that gave me more compassion and understanding for the woman seeking healing from Jesus. In Luke 8:40-48, a woman had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. Though she sought medical treatment, she was never cured, and her issue became worse. As a Jewish woman under Levitical law, this health crisis was also a social crisis. She was considered unclean and could not worship or socialize in her community.

If you have ever suffered from a long-term health issue, you know the pain is more than physical. It affects every part of your life. It can drain your finances as you seek medical treatment or are unable to work. It can cause depression and anxiety feeling isolated from your “normal” life of friends and family. All this physical, mental, and emotional pain can affect you spiritually as well. You may not have the energy or physical ability to attend weekly worship at your church and be a part of small groups, the pain can cloud your ability to find comfort in God’s Word, and it can feel like God is distant and detached from your struggle. Our faith can become weakened and shrink down to almost nothing.

This story of healing the hemorrhaging woman is a testimony to what Jesus can do with weakened faith. The woman was risking a lot by going to see Jesus who was surrounded by a large mass of people. She snuck into the crowd with an almost superstitious hope to touch the hem of his clothes. She had a small glimmer of faith that if by simply touching Him, she could experience the healing she had heard He was capable of. It was a mere ounce of faith that led her to Jesus’ feet, and it was at His feet that she received instant and completed healing.

Unfortunately, sickness is a part of life on this earth. Sometimes it’s a fast and furious 24-hour stomach bug, sometimes it’s a month’s long battle with cancer, and sometimes it is a life long physical affliction that doesn’t receive healing on this side of heaven. Even though this is our reality, it is not something we have to fear. Sickness may weaken us in every possible way, but all we must do is come to the feet of Jesus. In our weakest moments, He provides for all our needs. It is at His feet we find refuge from all the pain we experience on earth.

Paul shared his own experience with this in 2 Corinthians as he explained that he asked for relief from “a thorn in his flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:6-7). We don’t know what this was, but we know it tormented him and he specifically asked three times for it to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:8). God’s response to Paul was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

It is in weakness that we recognize our need for God. It can be in times of sickness, doubt, and pain that we experience the love, faithfulness, and protection of God our Father. Therefore, do not fear sickness. Rather trust that God will be everything you need when moments of weakness and trails come. Just like Paul, we can rest and say, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Do Not Fear: Evil – Week 3

Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Evil can be terrifying. The one movie I saw growing up that kept me awake at night was the original The Exorcist. When I think of demon possession, this movie is what I imagine. Evil experiences, demon possession, and spiritual battles are not things many of us are comfortable making a part of our daily, polite conversations. However, evil is all around us whether we want to acknowledge it or not. Spiritual warfare is real and the enemy is ruthlessly after our hearts and minds.

In the story of the demon-possessed man in Luke 8:26-39, a legion (meaning thousands) of demons possessed a man that caused him to be cast from society to live among the graves. Regardless of how he was restrained, the towns people felt powerless to his strength and were unable to control him. But, we see how Jesus, our example of how to live here on earth, handled evil. He confronted it, called it by name, and used His authority to expel it from His presence.

It can be easy for this story to feel like an ancient problem, but I see the same pattern happening in our society today. Evil is uncomfortable, scary, and we don’t want it in our everyday lives. We shield ourselves from the obvious symptoms of evil by avoiding the “bad” neighborhoods, schools, and people.

Viewing evil as something to be afraid of and to avoid at all costs can be so dangerous for the heart of a Christian. We have an enemy and his evil schemes are real. It doesn’t always look like demon-possessed insanity running wild in a graveyard. “Satan is a thief that robs people of everything good and tries to destroy them” (Wiersbe). He does this covertly by challenging our faith and belief. It can be as simple as manipulation, doubt, or a lie whispered in our thoughts. He can use a simple disagreement to sow seeds of discord in marriages, friendships, and churches. The enemy can use the shiny things of this world to distract our hearts from the promises of eternity and our call as followers of Jesus.

With Jesus, we can stop the enemy in His tracks because our God is bigger than the enemy. Just as Jesus did with the legion of demons, we can confront the evil, deception, and distraction and cast it from our presence. We do not have to fear our evil enemy because the power of the Almighty God dwells within us. With the mention of Jesus’ name, demons are commanded to submit and obey. In the midst of His presence, the demons were fearful and begged Jesus for mercy (Luke 8:31). As children of God, we have the authority to cast evil from our presence and stand firm on the truth. We do not need to hide or avoid this reality. Understanding the spiritual battle around us, equips us to fight it better.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul explains the tools we are given to fight our enemy and protect ourselves from evil.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

How are you letting the fear of evil rob you of the freedom we have in Christ? Whose voice is telling you who you are? Are you meditating on the truth or dwelling on the shame of your past? Remember that nothing, not even evil, can separate us from the love of God. Gear up and put your enemy in his place!

Do Not Fear: The Storm – Week 2

Luke 8:25
“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

The weather can make or break a day. Here in Alabama, we are in the midst of the most perfect weather, cool in the mornings and comfortable during the day with lots of sunshine. We will get this for a couple of weeks before the oppressive heat and humidity return for at least six months. This weekend we have so many outdoor plans including baseball and an outdoor wedding, but the forecast seems to indicate that it will all be affected by rain. There are times when the weather can even cause catastrophic damage to property or lives, doing more than ruining our day.

The opening of Luke chapter eight begins with Jesus teaching His followers the parable of the Sower. Then in verse 22, Jesus instructed His twelve disciples to get in a boat and cross a lake. Jesus fell asleep and a great storm threatened to overtake the boat they were in. The storm came out of nowhere and the disciples were terrified.

How easily we can relate to this situation. We are being obedient, a major life storm comes out of nowhere, and it feels like Jesus is on a break. We may panic, withdraw, or take life into our own hands because of our fear. Our faith can be shaken or even dismissed. We look at our circumstances and can only see the storm raging instead of looking to Jesus who is right there in the boat with us.

It can be so easy to give the disciples grief over their lack of faith. They had been following Jesus for a while and witnessed amazing miracles of healing and heard His teaching of hope and promise, and yet still let fear overshadow their faith in trusting what Jesus could do. Don’t we do the same thing? We can have amazing experiences of miraculous provisions, healing, and experiences in the presence of God, but moments later something unexpected comes along that levels us and we cry out in desperation, “Jesus, wake up! Don’t you care about me?”

In Warren W. Wiersbe’s commentary on Luke chapter eight, he says, “Faith is not believing in spite of circumstances; it is obeying in spite of feelings and consequences. The disciples looked around and saw danger, they looked within and saw fear; but they failed to look up by faith and see God”. We are to trust God no matter our circumstances, feelings, or the consequences of following Him. When we let fear become our focus, it prevents us from focusing on the One who is guiding us.

Isaiah 43:2 tells us:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Notice it doesn’t say you won’t walk through waters, rivers, or fire. It says, WHEN you do, He will be with you guiding and protecting you.

No matter how faithful and obedient we may be, we still live in a world plagued by sin. Storms happen, plans fail, people leave, and life can become a mess, but we are promised God’s presence and protection. We are commanded to not fear or be anxious because He is merely a breath away in prayer with the future already figured out. Though things may come out of nowhere for us, they aren’t a surprise for God that will catch Him unprepared or ill equipped. He is always with us giving us exactly what we need for that day. Therefore, we can rest secure in the promise that we do not have to fear the storm.

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Do Not Fear: What are you so afraid of? Week 1

Romans 8:15 
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Fear is given to us to make us aware of danger or harm, but there are the more common moments of experiencing fear that we create for ourselves. It can be deep, dark, and debilitating. It can consume us and overtake at any given moment. Fear can be strong and overpowering and if we do not appropriately guard our hearts against such fear, it can rob us of the freedom Christ died to give us making us slaves to it.

It has been almost a year since we have overcome a major family crisis and celebrated the restoration of our marriage. There were several months we all had to adjust to reunification, walk through daily grace and forgiveness, and be exposed to selfish patterns that had taken root in our hearts. After the first of this year, for about six weeks, I was basking in the joy of a peaceful home and happy marriage. Then, without warning, fear overshadowed my heart like never before.

It was so confusing! We were no longer in crisis. The hard part was over. Healing and health were budding its fruits. Where was this fear coming from?

Fear can take many forms. Here are some examples of what I was feeling: anxious, worried, nervous, insecure, intimidated, overwhelmed, frantic, flustered, and mistrustful. There are several emotions and words we may use to express how we feel, but the root of them all is fear. It felt like I had fallen into a pit of quicksand and the harder I tried to climb my way out of the mental black hole, the more it sucked me in with a fresh horror of “what if”.

What I have learned over the last several years was how our bodies are designed to respond to fear. As mentioned earlier, fear is given to us to make us aware of danger or harm so our bodies respond to fear to protect us. It is rare that we will find ourselves in the woods forging for food and happening upon a bear that threatens our life. However, we will experience more common fears of this life, like triggers from past traumas, anxiety, insecurity, or mistrust. When those fears set in, our bodies will respond the same as if a bear is about to eat us for lunch. The four most common responses to fear are fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.

The basics of these responses are common knowledge, but we can allow them to manifest within us in different ways. Fight can look like taking control, acting out, going into fix it mode, or broadcasting your problems to anyone who will listen. Flight can manifest as avoidance, distracting yourself, withdrawing, and denial (hello hours of mindless scrolling). Freezing can look like shutting down, ignoring, or isolating. And my most recent discovery is fawning, and it can look like people pleasing, pacifying, minimizing, or rationalizing. Does any of this sound familiar? I must admit, I have recognized a combination of these in how I respond to fear at any given moment.

Even knowing all this, when fear hit me earlier this year, I was still struggling to pull myself out of the quicksand. I was finally in a good place and the enemy used fear to distract me from admiring and enjoying the good that God had done in our lives. It took days of intentional time in God’s Word, prayer, and worshipping for the cloud to clear. However, God used that time to grow my faith and pull me closer to Him. It was so impactful that I knew I would have to share it. I took the time during Lent to study and journal my experience of what God showed me as I battled this fear, and I am so grateful I can share it with you over the next several weeks. Together we will look at Luke Chapter Eight and see how Jesus conquered our fears of storms, evil, sickness, and death.

If fear is something you have also faced and battled, I pray this series encourages you that you are not alone. No matter where we are in our faith journey or the season of life we are walking through, we all experience fear, worry, and insecurity. But the good news is that we have the Holy Spirit to walk us through with bold confidence that is not of our own strength. He never leaves or abandons His children. He is the Great Shepherd that walks with us through the valley.

I used a journaling exercise my counselor gave me several years ago that helped me fight the overwhelming fear I faced. This exercise has helped me so many times before and I want to share it in hopes it can help and encourage you. Write down all your fears, worries, and insecurities, then let the Holy Spirit guide you through His word to reveal the Truth. Use the search feature in your Bible app or topical concordance in the back of your Bible to help you search for verses that relate to your fear.

Here are some of my personal examples:

Fear vs. Truth

Abandonment and loneliness – I am never alone, God is my comfort and friend (Deuteronomy 31:6-8, Psalm 23:4)
Loss of control – God is in control, not me (Isaiah 55:8-9, Hebrews 11)
Things not going my way – God is faithful and trustworthy (Jeremiah 29:11-13, Philippians 4:6-9, 2 Corinthians 4:18)
Pain and suffering – suffering is temporary, and Jesus is my sympathetic High Priest (James 1:2-5, Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 4:14-16)
Loss of approval & acceptance by others – His approval and acceptance is enough (Hebrews 13:6, Philippians 3:20-21)