Will You Let Fear Hold You Back

For God gave us a spirit, not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV (KJV says a sound mind)

Good Morning Girlfriends:

Back nine years ago, while living in the cutest little cottage style house, a couple friends had come over for the day to visit. We had spent most of the afternoon outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Later that evening we gathered in a circle, as we we prayed for one another before they departed to make their drive home. As my friend stood praying, she momentarily stopped to reveal a vision that had just unfolded before her as she began to share with the rest of us. She looked up at me and said, "I saw you on a platform, you were in a huge auditorium speaking in front of thousands of women, it was huge, she added." What could I say...but "okay if that's what God has for me, then He will somehow make it happen."

It was only a few short months later, that God opened the doors for me to move back to my home town. It was there months later, that I had the same dream that my friend had shared in that group prayer, I was standing on a platform in front of thousands of women. A few weeks later, my husband and I were sitting at the kitchen table as I was writing out some notes in my notebook, when my husband sat in silence as God had shown him the very same thing as my friend and I saw, he had an open vision that confirmed to us what God was saying.

My husband had been taken to go live with the Lord two short years after that, which left me alone, my children were all grown up and out on their own, my time was then spent on growing closer to my Jesus. It had been nearly a year that had passed, when I found myself standing in front of the cupboards talking to the Lord, telling Him that I was okay to live by myself, but if He had other plans for me, that was good too if He had someone else for me. It seemed like no time when a man was presented to me, he had been introduced to my husband and I, when my husband was still living, several times my husband and I met up with this man at many functions, but not understanding why he kept coming into our path. Within six short months of travelling back and forth to visit each other, as well as many long distant phone calls took place, we were married in a beautiful country church with green roaming hills all around.

The tedious paperwork began, as I filled out the enormous pile of questions, in order to sponsor my husband into Canada, the task was not as easy as I had thought. Time after time, I had sent those papers into Immigration, only to come back saying something else was required. Half way through the process, an Immigration lawyer was hired and my husband had been sent back across the border until all the paperwork was approved. Through all of this, my husband and I had been ministering to a small group of people who were in need at this small country church, and now they were once again left with no one to continue with services. My husbands response was, "what are we going to do now?" Stepping up to the plate, I had replied, "A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, even if she doesn't know what she's doing," and that is just what I did, I filled in.

During this time, I began writing devotions for women, sharing "snippits" of my life while holding the position at the church for eighteen long, hard months, when I heard the voice of God tell me that it was over for me at the church. God began to open up new doors for me, as He spoke to me in His still quiet voice in my alone time with Him. I could feel that tug in my heart that I was to share my devotions more or less, by making videos online. I can tell you girlfriends, that was not what I wanted to hear at all, every time I would think about it, I would get so nervous, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Time and time and time again, God would bring it to my attention again and again I would back down.

Time went by before another idea had run through my mind to do short little videos, reading stories to children online. That is when the light bulb came on, if I can read stories to children, then I can do videos for my devotions. That phrase had came back to me once again, "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do," and this time I faced my fear and created a video. It's called overcoming your fear, what held me back was thinking about everyone looking at me, so I had to buckle down and try it at least once. You'll never know if you can do something if you don't at least give it a try.

Maybe there is someone here today that has been nervous about venturing out to try something new, something that is way out of your comfort zone, always remember that God's word tells us that fear does not come from him, but from the enemy. God's word tells us over and over to "Fear not" in many scriptures, so let me leave with a few to look up to give you encouragement and peace as you read the word of God, His promises. Psalm 27:1, Psalm 23:4, Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 41:13, Psalm 56:3 and 1 Chronicles 28:20.

Girlfriends, if we allow fear to stop us in our tracks, we are not living a life of faith. We have to put our faith in action and look fear right in the face. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world, 1 John 4:4. Two meanings of the word "FEAR" forget everything and run OR face everything and rise, I like the second one. Let's not get the "Deer in the headlight" look, let's get the attitude of, "A girl's Gotta Do What A Girl's Gotta Do," so we overcome fear by stepping out of our comfort zone, Amen?

Let's Pray,

Precious Jesus, I give You praise, glory and honor for who You are and who You will always be. Lord, I thank You that You have already went before us in every situation, and that You are walking right along with as new ideas, new situations come our way. You are our strength and our help and when we need Your hand to hold, You are right there for us for reassurance that we can do all thing in You because You give us strength. Lord, I break off every spirit of fear over that dear person today, in Jesus mighty name and I speak the peace of Jesus over them that surpasses all understanding in Jesus mighty name, Amen.

Be blessed and pass the blessings on, and pass this message to others. Thank you in advance.