Don’t be Afraid

Don’t let fear keep you from doing what you know is right.

Shine

Your life is brilliant; shining in places you are completely unaware. The people you so beautifully care for pass your love along to others you don’t even know. Your selflessness is renowned and speaks to the world around that Jesus is real, that you know Him and that they can too. You welcome those that are unwelcome, you love the unloved and you are not afraid of those different than you or of their problems. Thank you! It’s an honor to call you dear friend.

Questions

We needn’t be afraid of questions, whether asking or being asked. There is safety in asking each other hard questions and since we’re imperfect there is no shame in not having the or an answer. God certainly isn’t afraid of our questions in fact He invites them, there is nothing we can’t take to Him. He not only has the answer, He is the answer.

God is Real

God is real, we should be too.

We shouldn’t be afraid to share ourselves with each other, the good, the bad and the ugly. Imperfection is something we all have in common so there’s no need to hide it.

Don’t Need to be Afraid

I love how God reveals Himself, supports and confirms what He’s saying when we’ll listen. After sharing on fear and trust yesterday, I came across this from Larry Crabb –

“The point of the whole plan is relationship, a connected community.

We can make a little headway in building that community now. If I have already been forgiven and therefore connected to a God whose Spirit pours life into me, then you pose no threat to my existence. You can reject me, hurt me and make my life pretty miserable, but you cannot destroy me. Therefore I don’t need to be afraid of you that my fear controls how I treat you.”

Weakness

Scripture says that God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. Why then are we so afraid of our weaknesses? Why is it so easy to find and point out the weaknesses of those around us in order to feign might? If we will grasp the truth of God’s unique love for us, how because it is completely different from His love for anyone else we can put aside our insecurities and stop trying to elevate ourselves by comparison to others. If we could see ourselves as well as others, the way God sees us, what a wonderful world it would be.

Reign

Here’s another word from Romans 6:12, it means to be in power or in control. Who has the power in your life? Who’s in control? If the answer is another person, you’re in trouble. If the answer is “I do” then you’re only in slightly less of a mess than if it’s someone else. God is the one with all the power, we are not. We prove it daily yet have trouble recognizing it frequently. I wonder if we are reluctant to admit and turn our weaknesses over to Him because we are afraid we’ll have to become someone completely different? That’s not what He has in mind. He wants to share His power with us. His goal is not to control us; He loves who we are right now. He just wants to come along side and help with our struggles just as much as He wants to celebrate the success.

You

Here’s something you may not be aware about yourself, you like it when someone walks up and shows they are interested in you. Sure it might seem a bit awkward for a second but that will quickly pass as you see that they truly want to know you. This is especially true when you are in an unfamiliar environment. Being made to feel welcome is a powerful introduction to being loved. Also, you’re not the only one that enjoys being reached out to, in fact almost everyone does so there is no reason to be afraid, chances are really good they are going to welcome you right back. When we’re in comfortable places this week, let’s look for those that may not be at ease and help include them.

Thankful

There are times when life can be completely overwhelming, we feel like we couldn’t do anything right if our life depended on it, we may be isolated, afraid and full of doubt and the last thing that comes to mind is being thankful. But that’s exactly what we need to do. Even if we can only find one thing to truly be grateful for, it can be the thing that opens the door to hope. With God there is always hope and through hope comes change. Change in our outlook and change in our circumstance.

Weakness

God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. When we humbly give our weakness to Him it transforms us into people with compassion for others. When we are aware of our shortcomings it frees us to see beyond the faults of those around us. It’s common for us to try to hide our weakness by amplifying the flaws of others, which only closes us off from God and the people He wants us to love. But people not afraid to share their weaknesses are a demonstration of His power.