Fear is based off of lack of faith. When FAITH is present fear is absent.
Faith is what we need to believe that God is bigger, more powerful, and is able.
I don’t know about you, but I never want to doubt God. Because lack of faith in who he is and what he is able to do, is in fact doubting him. I don’t want to be a doubting Thomas. I want to be believing Mary. I want to talk about why I found myself struggling with my faith. Not in the sense of believing in God, but more so in the way of believing who I am in Christ.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
I Peter 5:6-11 NKJV
Satan is referred to as a lion roaming seeking whom to devour. This is real y’all. Spiritual warfare is real! We have to keep ourselves full in the word of God so that we give no opportunity for Satan to devour us.
Yesterday in church my pastor hit it on the head. A lion seeks out the sheep (in the bible Jesus is our Shepard and we are referred as his flock and sheep) (you see a pattern? Satan is the lion?) Who is all by itself. Instead of attacking the herd of sheep he waits pacing back and forth hiding waiting for one of the sheep to wander off on their own without the others… that’s when the predictor (lion) jumps out to devour the sheep .
This is why we need the body of Christ. This is why we need each other to stay protected. Hebrews 10:24-25,
-And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.-
The body of Christ isn’t doing what it should be doing. We were made to uplift one other and go through our struggles together.
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
1 Peter 5:9 NIV
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
I Peter 5:9 NKJV
God’s word says that we are all going through the struggles and afflictions. And yet we feel SO alone. That is a lie from Satan! Satan wants us to feel like we are the only ones who struggle with faith, have fear, get depressed or worries, argue with our spouses, lose our cool with our kids, have trouble trusting people in friendship.
But we all go through afflictions. We all have our baggage. They might look different from one another but we all have something!
We need each other. We won’t function properly without the body of Christ. We need to protect one another from Satan’s tactics. Don’t go at it alone. Trust someone to go through it with you in prayer and fasting! Know that God is with you so who can be against you!
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31 NKJV
The reason I was struggling in my faith and my identity who I am in Christ was because even though I was going to “church”, I wasn’t truly gathering in assembly of Christ. I wasn’t opening up to other believers and loving and encouraging one another and growing together. It’s way too easy to just go about my own business and my own life and forsake fellowship with other Christians. When I say fellowship, I mean being 100% real. None of this throwing toys in the other room and shutting it pretending I have it all together. We need to have deep relationships with others, not just surface relationships. I feel like the “church has gotten soft. We’ve allowed hurt and unforgiveness to become the excuse as to why we don’t trust others, opening up to them, asking them for prayer in a struggle you’re having. Instead we are so filled with fear of what others will think of us if they know we need prayer for our parenting, our marriage, our friendships, our needs.
It’s ok to have needs y’all . We all have them. Instead of living this picture perfect Instagram life, let’s live genuinely, authentically, and lovingly. However this is a two way street. If we open up with one another and put trust in eachother then we need to also keep each others confidences. None of this he said, she said, junk. We need to stop this gossipping and tearing one another down crap and love, encourage, and PRAY for each other instead.
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Ephesians 6:18 KJV
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.
Ephesians 6:18 NIV
Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God’s people.
Ephesians 6:18
Are you getting this yet?
We need each other to walk out this life of Holiness and righteousness. Will we always be holy and righteous? No! That’s why we need Jesus and each other to help one, to uplift each other. To PRAY for each other.
Let’s stop living mediocre lives! Let’s stop living a life of fear and of insecurity. Let’s live the life God has called us to, in Faith, Love, Trust, HOPE, and with each other.
Mary Smith Creative 