Tag: fear

Christian

Whom Shall I Fear?

Cindy Dawson

I love Chris Tomlin’s song Whom Shall I Fear. He sings, The God of angel armies is always by my side. 

That is an incredible truth! When I hear those words, I picture in my mind the Lord God Almighty, ready for battle, and He is right by my side as I face the unknown. 

The Psalmist wrote,”Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4

How comforting, to know that the One who created the universe, the one and only true God, is by my side. Wherever life leads, He is there with me. If danger threatens me, He is there. If sadness comes, He is there. If bad news comes, He is there, right by my side. For that reason, I will not fear.

Long ago, I memorized Psalm 91. When I can’t sleep, I repeat it in my head. It is one of my favorite passages and brings great peace. Verse 15 says, “I will be with him in trouble.”

The revelation of this idea, of God by my side, astounds me.  

“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

“Lo, I am with you always …” Matthew 28:20
Isn’t that what we need in times of trouble – someone who loves us by our side?
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:23 ESV
Whatever you are facing, remember that God is by your side. He is right there by you! He is with you every step of the way.
Let that knowledge bring you strength and banish all fear.

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

With Love, 

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

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Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash

Christian

Can’t Sleep?

Cindy Dawson

One day, I was looking for a particular toy for my son. Stepping on my tippy toes, I blindly reached into a large box on a high shelf in my closet and scooped up a handful of small toys.

As I held it up to see if I had the desired toy, this is what I saw: Twined around the toys was a 3 foot-long snake skin! Startled and panic-stricken, I quickly threw it all into the air and screamed!

At this time in my life, I was terrified of snakes, mice, lizards, and all creepy creatures in general. I’m happy to report that 30 years later, not so much.

The problem was, I couldn’t sleep at night. What with (who knows how many) snakes loose in the house!

Now this happened during the days of heated waterbeds, and we slept in one. In my imagination, this would be the exact place a snake would slither into during the middle of the night.

What’s a waterbed, you ask? Well, you can google it. Now back to the story….

“Lucky” for me (tongue in cheek), I happened upon a Bible verse that set me free from this fear. “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8

Every night when I went to bed, this was my prayer. I passionately thanked God for His promise and repeated it over and over until I went to sleep. I was putting my faith and trust in God and in His Word; it carried me through a very scary time.

This is why it is so important to make Bible study a priority. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart when I read this verse. God did keep me safe. I was able to sleep peacefully, and eventually we were able to move to a better house.

Wherever I go, and whatever comes my way, I will trust in God’s Word.

The more I study God’s Word, the more I trust in Him.

“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. Psalm 119:92

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119: 105

“You are my refuge and my shield. I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114

This is My Journey Unscripted.

With Love, 

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Do you know Jesus?

If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can do it now. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and it will change your life forever.

“IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, ‘JESUS IS LORD,’ AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED. AS THE SCRIPTURE SAYS, ANYONE WHO TRUSTS IN HIM WILL NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.”   ROMANS 10:9-11

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Christian

When Disaster Strikes, You Are Not Alone

Cindy Dawson

” … Then one day, my world was shattered.”

But wait. Let’s start at the beginning.

 I was blessed to spend 18 years as a stay-at-home mom. That was the desire of my heart. But my kids started growing up, so at age 47 I decided I would go back to school and become a special education teacher.    

My “ministry” became teaching children with disabilities. I prayed for my students and prayed that God would use me in the public school system.

I hung a starfish on my desk lamp to remind me that I might not be changing the world, but if I could help even one child, my prayer would be answered. (See “The Starfish Story” below.)

Then suddenly my world was falling apart. I lost my job because of lies that were told about me. These lies tarnished my record and eventually ended my career. With my emotions in high gear, I could not stop crying.  I was completely devastated and left with a long drive home.How could this happen? I thought I couldn’t go on. In an emotional state of mind, I made the decision to retire with only seventeen years of experience.

You can imagine the thoughts that went through my mind. I  doubted everything I had previously believed. (Surely teaching had not been God’s will. I should have never done this!  It was all in my head. I’m a failure. And worst of all: I never really helped anyone.)

Have you ever been there? Have you ever questioned everything? When you are hurt, you are vulnerable to the attacks of Satan and can begin to believe his lies. But God lifted me out of the valley of despair. This is what happened:

That very night, I met a friend for dinner, which had been planned several days before. She knew nothing about what happened to me that day, but she had a gift and a note from her son a  former student from 15 years before). The note thanked me for all I had done for him. The gift was a beautiful sparkling starfish on a silver chain.

When I saw that sparkling starfish, I was overwhelmed by God’s love and kindness. God was speaking loud and clear to my heart and mind, “I know what is going on. I know your heart is crushed, but I am with you and watching over you. You are not a failure.” 

I realize now that even if God had not sent me such a great encouragement, He would have been watching over me just the same. We must always remember that He is with us every single day and He knows our every care. Sometimes He will give us visible reassurance, but most of the time He wants us to believe His promises and stretch our faith.

The Starfish Story

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement. 

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