Category: Fear - IRONSTRIKES

Sunday Meditation

5/4/2014

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Many of us struggle with fear. It is a very uncomfortable emotion. We would be happy to be rid of it. It causes our hearts to race, our focus of attention to narrow, and terrible possibilities to enter our minds. We wish we could banish fear from our hearts by sheer will power. We wish we could simply stop feeling afraid. Unfortunately fear is not dismissed so easily.

There is something about texts such as this one that leave us very uncomfortable. The words "do not fear" seem like a simple command. God says "do not fear". It looks like a simple imperative. Our job is simply to obey. But, we cannot seem to obey. No matter how hard we try not to be afraid, we cannot seem to make our fears go away.

The key to understanding texts of this kind is to see that when God says 'do not fear', it is not a simple imperative from an authority figure. The words "do not fear" are spoken as words of comfort. And they are followed by a specific promise of God's presence with us.

A loving parent speaks to a child who awakens from a nightmare with words such as, "Don't be afraid. I'm here with you. You are safe." This is not a rejection of the child's fears. It is not an instruction to do the impossible. It is, rather, a promise of protection. If a parent says only "Don't be afraid," then the child learns that the parent doesn't understand and the child feels unprotected. But if the parent says "Don't be afraid, I'm here with you," the child's needs are validated and the child is comforted by the parent's protection.

God comforts us in the way a loving parent comforts a frightened child. God says to us, "I know that you are afraid; but I also want you to know that I am here with you. I will not leave you. I will give you strength. I will give you help. I will hold you by the hand so that you will not fall".

You know, God,
how often I am afraid.
And you know the soil in which these fears have grown.
And you know how I have struggled to be free from fear.
Help me to draw courage today from your presence.
Be with me.
Give me strength.
Help me.
Uphold me with your hand.
Still my fears, God of all Comfort.
Still my fears with your powerful love.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

My Greatest Nightmare

3/8/2014

Tonight, I rolled around on the floor with my daughter and played Hide N’ Seek with my son. It was so much fun, and while we played we laughed and got to bond in a special way. As I was playing with them, I reflected on my greatest nightmare. Yes…that’s right…..my greatest nightmare. I know that sounds somewhat odd, but to be honest if you have followed this blog for any amount of time you already know I sometimes reflect on things that are unusual. So…my greatest nightmare? Allow me to explain.

8 years ago, a movie came 0ut that I could only watch a couple times. Some considered it somewhat of a dramatic comedy, but when I watch it this film scares me. The movie is called “Click”.

The premise of the story revolves around Adam Sandler’s character, Michael, who discovers a magic remote that controls his surrounding environment. He has the ability to pause, and fast forward time. When he is impatient he simply fast forwards time to a more desirable event. The problem is, this remote saves his preferences and begins to predict when he will use its powers. So, when it senses conflict it will automatically skip “scenes”. In the story, Michael, overuses this feature and finds himself snapping out of a trance nearly 20 years in the future. Michael had been on autopilot this whole time and, as a result, his marriage was over, and he doesn’t recall the childhood of his own kids.

I had a dream a few weeks ago that I woke up and my children were adults. I didn’t recognize them and they were indifferent toward me. It was a nightmare. It took me a long time to fall back asleep.

I desire to soak up this time as much as possible.

You have a lot to do on a regular basis. You have to go to work, finish your degree, save for retirement, and navigate life’s conflicts. If you are not careful…you may skip the most important things that life has to offer. Our desire is to be serious enough to gain credibility and work hard enough to eventually retire, but when can we slow down and be available for those around us? Pray hard that this nightmare doesn’t become your reality.

So…tonight I rolled around on the floor with my daughter and played Hide N’ Seek with my son. Not only because it was fun…..but I can’t afford to let Satan win.

This post was written by Rev DeCrastos. For the original post, go to: http://other-words.net/2014/02/28/my-greatest-nightmare/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Fighting an old friend

1/4/2014

Fear is an interesting force. It is something that can slow progress and halt our growth. It is something that everyone experiences from time to time. Why?

Why do we fear so many things?

We fear that the worst will happen, that one person will be mad, death, bankruptcy, and a laundry list of other things. Some even fear being afraid. Does this seem rational?

To us, in the moment, it seems very rational. I think there is something within everyone that activates when we experience fear that truly believes that we can change a potential outcome simply by being afraid. We know fear is not a great thing, and we really do not want to have it, but most people, when confronted about their fear will defend it with all they have. It is toxic. It steals our joy. It even sometimes manifests itself in physical illnesses.

But……it is familiar.

Let’s look at it honestly. Sometimes the worse case scenerio actually does happen. We are forced to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we do run out of money for bills, that one person exits our life, or everything falls apart. Then what?

Some, out of fear, will give up altogther…thinking that inactivity will solve their problems. The fact is this only perpetuates a fearful spirit. If you think about it, many of the terrible things that we are going through right now have more to do with fearing the worst and actually experiencing the worst. Those that choose to learn from what happened realize that God can produce fruit from their struggle.

When we put our faith in God, it is on His resources that we rely. This means, fear of a potential outcome is not a right we can claim because it is not us that has the responsibility of coming through. God uses us, guides us, and fills us with His spirit for a reason. So that we do not have to rely on what we have to make sure things happen the way they should.

Let’s not be afraid anymore. Even if it is not going to be okay…..it will be okay. That family member you lost, the money you can’t get back, the person who has walked out…….God will use this to grow you and build your testimony. It doesn’t mean He caused it to see you suffer, but He can use anything for His glorious outcome.

This post was written by Rev DeCrastos. For the original post, go to: http://other-words.net/2013/12/28/fighting-an-old-friend/

Is this the man who shook the earth?

11/12/2013

Indeed, part of God's victory over the enemy of our souls, which we will be invited to take part in, will be an open mocking of Satan and his forces in view of all the peoples of the earth along with the angelic hosts. We are given a picture of the enemy's defeat, which is the culmination of Act III of the Sacred Romance, by Isaiah: Those who see you stare at you [Satan], they ponder your fate: "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?"

"You're the one we've been scared of all this time? You're the one we've been believing?" we will ask incredulously. And we will turn and walk away in the embrace of the Prince, never to speak Satan's name again. But in the meantime, our adversary will continue to use our Message of the Arrows, along with doubts about the goodness of the Prince, to lure us to spend our lives with less-wild lovers than God.

This post was written by John Eldredge. It is taken from his book, The Sacred Romance.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Am I a subtle racist?

11/4/2013

I saw this guy walking down the street and I reached over and locked my passenger door. I had taken this route many times but for some reason, I sensed that I needed to be extra careful. I was a good ½ block behind him and as I drove up next to him, he looked over at me and I noticed that he was an African-American.

I initially didn’t think anything of my behavior, but later as I was reflecting on my day, I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to me about my behavior. “Why did you lock the door? You weren’t in any danger. That young man wasn’t posing any threat.”

I thought about what I did. How did I know that the young man was African-American? And why was my automatic response to lock my passenger door? As much as I would like to think that I am open-minded and not prejudiced, it was apparent that my fear of people who aren’t like me runs deep.

Recently, I was privileged to speak with a bright, articulate, young African-American male and I told him about my experience. His response was that he notices that people do that to him. “I get on an elevator and white women clutch their purses, like I’m some kinda thief. It’s really irritating. I dress professionally, keep good care of myself and am friendly but I get those kinds of reactions. It’s irritating and a bit angering.” With this young male was a young African-American female. She said that we were too hard on ourselves, that in both of those situations she would have acted as I did and how the ladies on the elevator did. She stated that it had more to do with being a female than fearing someone’s race. “I make sure that my purse is not on the front seat and my doors are locked when I am driving thru a place that has people walking, it doesn’t matter what their race or ethnicity is.”

Ok. Maybe we can excuse a woman doing those things but it doesn’t answer the nagging in my soul of why did I lock my door? It wasn’t locked earlier when there were people walking but when I saw this particular man, I did lock my door. I don’t remember thinking, “there’s an African-American male, I better lock my door so that I could be safe.”

Somewhere, buried deep within my subconscious, my mind perceived a threat and I wonder if my mind perceived that the threat was an African-American male. That’s the question I can’t answer. I don’t want the answer to be that I am subtly a racist but it makes me wonder.

I so much want all my actions towards others to be like Christ. So, in my conversation with the Holy Spirit, all I could say was, “I don’t know why I locked the door, but LORD, please purify me. Reveal to me my sin of racism. Cleanse me from anything that would represent oppression, fear, racism, elitism help me to be a holy representative of You."

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Being on center stage

11/2/2013

The things that have happened to us often suggest that the real script of the play we're all living in is "God is indifferent" rather than "God is love." Deep down in our hearts, in the place where the story is formed, this experience of God as indifferent drives us to write our own scripts. Job apparently lived with this anxiety about God even before his tribulations descended upon him, as evidenced by his exclamation from the ashes of his home and his life: "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me" (Job 3:25, emphasis added).

Job was a God-fearing man and yet something in him suspected that faith in God did not necessarily translate into peace and safety. Of course, Job had no inkling of the discussion going on in heaven between God and Satan. It was a debate over whether the foundation of God's kingdom was based on genuine love or power. And astonishingly, God was placing the perception of his own integrity as well as the reputation of his whole kingdom on the genuineness of Job's heart. (See Job 1:6-12; 2:1-10.)

Indeed, when we consider how central a part Job was given in the drama God was directing, we are confronted with the reality that we, too, could be in the same position. It seems that the part God has written for us is much too big and certainly too dangerous. Paul confirms this thought in Ephesians when he tells us, "The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence" (1:22-23 The Message). Every human being is of great significance to God, but those whom God has drawn to believe in him are center stage in a drama of cosmic proportions.

This post was taken from the book, Sacred Romance by John Eldredge

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Sunday Meditation

6/23/2013

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

There are days when we feel God's presence. We sense God's love. We see God's power. But we do not always feel or sense or see. There are times of silence, distance and uncertainty. There
are the difficult times of waiting for God to appear. In times like
this we may find ourselves both longing for God and fearing that God will come.

The longing comes because in our heart of hearts we know that there is no recovery without God's gracious presence. If God does not appear, we are stuck, bound, hopelessly entangled in dysfunction. If God does appear, it will be like the sun rising - we will be able to see the way. It will be like gentle rains which nurture us so that we can grow and thrive.

The fear comes because often we do not see God as one who comes as 'sun' and 'rain' to give life. We are afraid that when God does appear, it will be to punish us, to demand restitution from us, to shame us. Because we have served vengeful and vindictive gods, we fear that it will be the god-of-impossible-expectations who will finally appear.

We do well to follow the urging of this text to 'acknowledge God'. We need daily to examine whom we serve. When we acknowledge the god-of -impossible-expectations, then we will surely fear his appearing. But if we acknowledge the God of the Bible whose coming is to nurture and give life, then we will await God's coming like the dawn of a new day.

I acknowledge you, Lord.
You are not the god of impossible-expectations.
You are not the god-who-is-eager-to-punish.
I know what it is like when these other gods come.
They bring shame, blame and fear.
I do not acknowledge them, Lord.
I acknowledge you.

Come as the dawn of a new day, Lord.
Bring light into my dark days.
Come as gentle rain, Lord,
Cleanse, renew and nurture.
Come, Lord, as the dawn.
Come as the rains.
Water the parched earth of my soul.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

It's time for a party!! (a short story about Grace)

6/21/2013

It was a beautiful house. The most welcoming of houses. A stunning house. A house like no other. The house where Grace lived.

A home like this was destined to be shared, so as she often did, Grace prepared a meal. No, no, no, it wasn’t just a meal – this was a FEAST! The kind of cuisine reserved for castles, princesses, and fairytales. No expense was spared. She decked out her oversized, antique table with the finest china and the most elaborately embroidered tablecloths. The smell of exotic, culinary delicacies hung thickly in the air. It was time for a party.

Right about then, a man came struggling along the path in front of the house. He was obviously agitated. Jumpy. He talked out loud to the air with a phobic paranoia. And to make matters even stranger, behind him he dragged a large metal cage full of the ugliest black birds you have ever seen. It was attached to his waist with a massive steel chain, and he dragged it through the dirt with a strained shuffling gait. Whenever he stumbled or wobbled, the cage would shake and the birds would let out the most horrifying chorus of shrieks. The man would instinctively crumble in terror, balling himself into a fetal position, clawing at the air, as he begged in agony for them to stop.

Grace could see this awful unfolding scene from her dining room window and rushed outside to his aid.

“My friend,” she said in the most soothing of tones, “please relax, you’re not alone. I’m here to help, I have the answer. Let me cut these heavy chains and remove this hideous cage. You don’t have to drag these fears around with you anymore. Come inside, I’ve made the most splendid of meals and I want you to be my guest. I can do things for you that you could never possibly do for yourself.”

But the man shrieked all the louder. “Get away! Get away! These fears may be hideous, but they’re all I know. I’ve dragged them for more miles than you can imagine. I got them from trusting, trusting people like you! So leave me alone and let me get on with it. If there is freedom from these fears it will have to be of my own doing. And amidst the ever growing sounds of terror, he trudged into the darkness and disappeared from the warm glow of the house. The house where Grace lived.

Not more than a few moments later a new figure appeared on the path. Unlike the first, this man didn’t seem to be struggling much at all. In fact, cloaked in a massive oversized white fur coat, he actually looked to be…strutting. He paused every few steps to gaze at his reflection in the adjacent pond until he was frozen dead in his tracks by the almost mirror-like qualities of Grace’s massive dining room window. Absolutely gorgeous!

Even though the man’s ego was nearly as ugly as his coat, Grace rushed to the front door and warmly greeted this new opportunity with her usual warmth and charm. ”Hello friend! I’ve prepared a feast, will you come join me? I’ve planned a great party and I’m expecting many guests. I would love to add you to the celebration!”

“Eat with such plebes?” he replied with a smirk. “I’m sure they’re far beneath the class of a specimen like me. But I am hungry after this long walk.” And so he brashly sauntered up the stairs, brushing Grace to the side and heading straight for the front door.

“Oh, there’s just one thing,” Grace interrupted as she politely stopped his progress. “Your coat. It stays out here. In my house, all the warmth and covering you’ll ever need has already been provided for you. The only way we dine together is if we see the real you. No coats. No pretense. All that stays out here.”

“But this coat is my pride!” the man violently hissed. “If it stays outside then so do I!” And he stormed back down the front steps (with much less of a swagger this time), onto the path, and back into the woods (only pausing at a few leftover rain puddles for a quick peek at his reflection). His choice was made, and his egocentric silhouette quickly faded into the forrest near the house. The house where Grace lived.

As Grace reached for the doorknob to return to her preparations, she caught a glimpse of yet a third weary traveler struggling up the path. The woman appeared to be carrying a large sack, easily twice as big as she was, and was painfully doubled over under its incredible weight. Grace ran quickly down the front steps and up the walk to offer the poor woman her assistance.

“Dear friend, you can hardly walk! Here, give me your sack, we’ll leave it here. Come in and rest. Let me tend to you. I’m preparing a huge feast and expecting many guests. Join us! The food and drink is overflowing!”

The woman never looked up. Her voice was so soft and shaken she could barely be understood. “This bag is my shame, full of unspeakable sorrow and regret. Skeletons and memories I’ve carried so long they’ve become a permanent part of me.”

Sure enough, the sack had been on her back for so long it had quite literally attached itself to her skin!

“My dear,” Grace replied in her comforting tones, “please come inside and let me help you. I have just the tools to set you free, you only need to trust me. I’ve already done all the work to ensure you don’t have to carry a bag of shame like this anymore.”

“Thank you kind lady,” came the woman’s trembling reply. “But many have tried to help me do just that on the course of this painful journey, and to no avail. Freedom is an illusion I’m afraid. This sack of shame is who I am. If you cut it off I’ll most certainly die. Now let me on my way. I can manage this burden on my own. I’ve been doing it for quite some time now.” And so she slowly set out, following the same lonely path that fear and pride had forged just a few short moments earlier, and leaving the warm glow of the house as nothing more than a distant memory. The house where Grace lived.

The party was a smash! The house was filled with every kind of person you could possibly imagine. Princes and paupers. Businessmen and beggars. Aristocrats and commoners. They came from near and far for this feast of the ages!

No one left unchanged. Grace made sure of it. Cages and coats and large empty sacks littered the front walkway like a graveyard of self-salvation projects. And yet even as she relished in the joy of her miraculous work, Grace couldn’t help but wonder why three exhausted travelers chose to miss the celebration and continue alone. It was so unnecessary. The work had already been completed. All they had to do was come inside.

But the Good News for all weary wanderers is that the warm, inviting, transformational doors of this house always remain open. The house where Grace still lives.

This post was written by Erik Cooper. You can find the original post here: http://beyondtherisk.com/2013/06/11/the-house-where-grace-lived/

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Sunday Meditation

6/16/2013

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Many of us struggle with fear. It is a very uncomfortable emotion. We would be happy to be rid of it. It causes our hearts to race, our focus of attention to narrow, and terrible possibilities to enter our minds. We wish we could banish fear from our hearts by sheer will power. We wish we could simply stop feeling afraid. Unfortunately fear is not dismissed so easily.

There is something about texts such as this one that leave us very uncomfortable. The words "do not fear" seem like a simple command. God says "do not fear". It looks like a simple imperative. Our job is simply to obey. But, we cannot seem to obey. No matter how hard we try not to be afraid, we cannot seem to make our fears go away.

The key to understanding texts of this kind is to see that when God says 'do not fear', it is not a simple imperative from an authority figure. The words "do not fear" are spoken as words of comfort. And they are followed by a specific promise of God's presence with us.

A loving parent speaks to a child who awakens from a nightmare with words such as, "Don't be afraid. I'm here with you. You are safe." This is not a rejection of the child's fears. It is not an instruction to do the impossible. It is, rather, a promise of protection. If a parent says only "Don't be afraid," then the child learns that the parent doesn't understand and the child feels unprotected. But if the parent says "Don't be afraid, I'm here with you," the child's needs are validated and the child is comforted by the parent's protection.

God comforts us in the way a loving parent comforts a frightened child. God says to us, "I know that you are afraid; but I also want you to know that I am here with you. I will not leave you. I will give you strength. I will give you help. I will hold you by the hand so that you will not fall".

You know, God,
how often I am afraid.
And you know the soil in which these fears have grown.
And you know how I have struggled to be free from fear.
Help me to draw courage today from your presence.
Be with me.
Give me strength.
Help me.
Uphold me with your hand.
Still my fears, God of all Comfort.
Still my fears with your powerful love.

Amen.

Copyright Dale and Juanita Ryan
National Association for Christian Recovery

God's lap

5/25/2013

I had the opportunity, last night, to hang out one on one with my son while my wife went to a women’s bible study. Like always, it is fun to play with him and have a “boys only” club while mommy was away. When mommy is gone, we do cool boy stuff like build forts, play indoor basketball on his toddler hoop, and eat nutritionally unbalanced meals.

Yesterday, I became the resident horse and was ridden around the house until my arms felt like jello. After this experience, I needed to rest and Josiah decided he was going to play by himself for a few minutes. I took these few minutes to check my email.

After a moment of being on the computer, I began to sense that he wanted to play with me again. My main clue was the mountain of toys he decided to pile in my lap while I was typing. He had taken the time, one by one, to place every stuffed animal, puzzle piece, and book he could find in front of me to instigate me to play with something.

I laughed, because I felt like I was drowning in a sea of toys. After he had done this, he did something interesting…he wanted to climb on my lap too. There was obviously limited real estate on my lap so I had to clear everything off to accommodate him.

This situation made me think about my relationship with God. In my times of prayer, I always feel like I pile heavy burdens and relatively insignificant pleas in His lap to the point of overload. “God probably gets tired of hearing the same prayers”, I think to myself.

The truth is actually quite the opposite. God wants us to pile our burdens, requests, fears, doubts, and anger on His lap. He wants to hear from us on a regular basis. His lap is infinitely large. He enjoys hearing our voice and guiding His children.

This is only part of His nature though…because even though He enjoys when I pile everything on His loving lap, there is something He wants even more…all of me.

Climb into God’s lap today…rest in His care.

This post was written by Rev DeCrastos. You can find his original post with comments, here: http://other-words.net/2013/05/20/his-lap/