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John 14:27 (ESV) Rev. 19:11 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) Romans 8:38-39 Ephesians 6:10-20 Peace – Isaiah 26:3 (ESV) Confidence – 2 Timothy 1:7 Joy – Psalm 94:19 Trust – Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Strength – Isaiah 41:10 ((ESV) Nearness of God – Psalm 73:28 (ESV)
Some thoughts: Romans 13:1 (God is the establisher of governments.) Philippians 4:6-7 (Do not be anxious about anything. Pray to God -- while also remembering to give thanks to Him -- and He will grant you peace.) Philippians 3:20 (The ultimate citizenship of every Christian is in heaven.) Revelation 19:16 (Jesus rules over every form of human government.) Philippians 3:13-14 (The primary focus and hope of Christians -- any earthly events notwithstanding -- should be on an eternity in God's presence.) Psalm 39:6-7 (Our ultimate hope is in the LORD.) Proverbs 16:33 (God is in control of even the most seemingly trivial events.) 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (Christians are commanded to pray for the nation and its leaders (including the choosing of those leaders).) Psalm 33:12 (Make sure of your own commitment to Christ as part of maintaining God's blessing on this nation.)
I humbly submit these for approaching storms, threats or shenanigans. Remembering always to courageously give a good account of yourselves; for on this stage we are but a vapor. (Psalms 39:5) (2 Samuel 10:11) Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him. (Psalms 46:2) Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, (Psalms 108:13) With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes. (Psalms 112:7) He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. (Proverbs 17:22) A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 22:3) The prudent see danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it, (Proverbs 24:10) If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. (Isaiah 35:4) Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you. (Isaiah 41:13) For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you." (Jeremiah 31:13) Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow (Luke 12:35) Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, (1 Corinthians 7:23) You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. (1 Corinthians 14:40) But all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 16:13) Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (2 Corinthians 4:1) Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 5:5) He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (Galatians 5:7) You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Ephesians 4:25) Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. (2 Timothy 1:7) for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (Hebrews 13:6) So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" "I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." ~Thomas Jefferson "A people who choose security over liberty will receive neither, nor deserve neither" ~ Ben Franklin "It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." ~Emiliano Zapata In the Lord's freedom and mercy............warrior on
I think there are two points to make. First - there is ALWAYS something lurking in the world that we can have anxiety over. Anxiety is trying to react to imagined circumstances in the future. It causes our humanity to shrink and we end up weaker. With anxiety we are asking, “Am I going to be enough” to handle the future? If you have God, then the answer is yes. We counter our fears by increasing our courage. Fear or anxiety will always be present but we can increase our courage by observing ourselves move through difficult times with God. Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Joshua 1:7 - when facing the uncertainty of the Promised Land God reminds Joshua to "be strong and courageous." Besides increasing our courage so that we can withstand what’s ahead, we need to be aware of our ability to project catastrophe into the future where there may not be any. I'm reminded of the book, "Hinds Feet on High Places" by Hannah Hurnard. (Habakkuk 3:19) - The story is an extended allegory of our walk with God. The main character is called "Much-afraid." The Shepherd represents Jesus. At one point the Shepherd says to "Much-Afraid" - "Be strong, yes, be strong, and fear not...Much-Afraid, don't ever allow yourself to begin trying to picture what it will be like. Believe me, when you get to the places you dread you will find that they are as different as possible from what you have imagined...if you ever let Craven Fear begin painting a picture on the screen of your imagination, you will walk with fear and trembling and agony, where no fear is." (pg. 132). Our main task is to remain in the present. We can draw our focus – moment by moment on the presence of God. We can invite the full force of God’s goodness into these moments. The more we project our imagination toward the future - the more our joy is robbed from us in the present. God is with us. "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).
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