Fear. Faith. The Bible. God. Life...

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“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV).

MY REFLECTION:
I opened the door and they ran. 
White tails flying high as they leaped across the dirt road and into the woods. I watched them retreat and felt a pang of regret. Regret that I hadn’t sensed their presence before going for more coffee. Regret that I hadn’t been able to watch them from the window as they ate. Regret that my camera was charging instead of in my hand.
They had been standing near the fence line around Justin’s Hole, a family of four eating garden leftovers tossed there just for them. And they ran from the person feeding them. Their fear outweighed the enjoyment of an easy meal.
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I don’t know about y’all, but from time to time, fear cripples me. It makes me stop what I am doing and hold the sharp, noisy breath I jerked in. And then I have a choice to make: run or stand my ground; fight or flight; face or flee…can I tell you that God wants us to stand our ground? That He wants us to drop fear under our feet and stand on the promises of His word. Can I tell you that? Can I tell you that God lives within every believer and doesn’t want to share us? Not with fear. Not with anxiety. Not with Satan’s lies. He wants our faith in the Word to be stronger than these things. He wants our faith to push this junk out when it pops up. He wants us to know that He is the Great I Am. The God of life. The God of peace.
PICTURE THIS:
Sometimes I think that when it comes to God, we are a lot like those deer. We sense Him but don’t really trust Him. We believe He is good but when we are faced with fear we turn away.
Fear. That dirty four-lettered word. It has many faces. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the known. Fear of rejection. Fear of life…fear of death. Perhaps we run away from God because we don’t believe Jeremiah 29:11. But why is fear so easy to accept but faith in God such a scary concept?
I reckon, in all honesty, trusting a God we cannot see with our eyes is scary. Yet still we are told, time after time, to trust God, have faith…but what does that even mean? How can we trust a God we can’t see? Someone who is physically out of our reach? And what does putting faith in Him look like anyway? I don’t know about y’all, but for me, I constantly wonder if I’m doing this thing right. I want to have faith…but I plan. I want to trust God…but I worry. I want to turn my life over to Him…but I question His timing. I don’t want to give in to fear…but when anxiety overwhelms me I have to do something….
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…And then the Holy Spirit…
His still small voice whispers in my gut.
His peace washes over me.
Unexplained joy stirs my soul.
And I know it's Him. The Spirit of the Living God.
He surges forth with an unction, a determination, that helps me keep going…to overcome.
And then I know that I know I don’t have to see God with my eyes. To touch Him with my hand. To hear His voice with my ears. He isn’t that god. 
He is the God of manifestation.
Through His spirit, evidence of Him is everywhere. His presence can be felt, sensed, and seen only when we look for Him with our heart. Still, every once in a while, because He knows how we think, remembers how He built us, He will give us a moment in time where the beauty of this world is evidence of Him. A moment when the universe declares the I Am. 
FAST FORWARD TO 2016:
Jerry McGuire said in the movie: "We live in a cynical world" and I have to agree. People are looking for all kinds of ways to discredit the Christian faith. To denounce the existence of God. So it is time for us to be the light we are called to be. To live the life. To walk the talk. And to use the Bible for its intended purpose: To guide, educate, instruct, correct…to equip, empower, enlighten, and encourage. Use it to stop ungodly fear. I want to share a few verses with y’all on how to use the Bible against fear and doubt:
As a shield against fear: Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (NKJV).
As a sword to cut Satan’s fearful attack into shreds: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). 
As headgear by living Psalm 56:3: “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (NKJV).
I love this one in particular because David didn’t say if I am afraid…he said whenever. It will happen. It will. But when it does...the Word of God will go one better and trump it.
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Have a blessed weekend y'all
In Christ with love and compassion,

Coach Kelly
#YourLifeCoachingWV #BeyondTheMirror #WVStrong


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