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There are many times in your life when you might be afraid.  You might be afraid of loosing your job,  or of not having a job, or becoming sick. You might be afraid you won't be able to pay your bills. You might be afraid for your children, their health and well being.

You know Job, in the Bible was a lot like that also.
Job was a good man who loved the Lord with all his heart.

Living Bible
Job 1:1  There lived in the land of Uz a man named Job--a good man who feared God and stayed away from evil.
Job had a problem, he was afraid all the time, he worried and feared all the time. he worried about everything including his children. He was afraid they would sin and curse God, he offered sacrifices all the time because of his fear.

Revised Standard
Job 1:5  And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.

The result of Job's fear is that what he feared came upon him.

Job 3:25  For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.

When we fear and doubt God and his Word, this opens the door for things to happen to us. This gives the enemy permission to attack us, because we doubted God's promises and walked in unbelief.   God can not work in our doubt and unbelief.  God  only works through our faith.
In the Gospel of Mark,  the ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, asked Jesus to heal his daughter.
On the way they found out that she had already died.

Mark 5:35  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?

The opportunity to doubt arose in Jairus, but Jesus was already with him, he was right beside him!   Jesus said to him,  Do not be afraid; only believe.

Mark 5:36  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be afraid; only believe.
 
If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He is always with you!  You are an overcomer!
What ever is born of God overcomes the world, through his faith.

1 John 5:4  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith.

The definition of faith is found in Hebrews.
Living Bible
Hebrews 11:1  What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.

Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Living Bible
Hebrews 11:6  You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.

When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you took the biggest step of faith you have ever taken. Think about it you believed that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived and died on a cross, rose from the dead in three days.  You weren't there, you didn’t see it or hear about it from someone else. You simply accepted it by faith. You knew deeply within yourself what you believed and acted on it for your salvation.

1 Peter 1:8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9. receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your souls.

This is the same kind of faith you need to walk in every day. It is not a different faith, or more faith, it is the same faith!
We all need to study God's Word to build up our faith and keep us strong.

Romans 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Remember:
Revised Standard
Romans 8:31  What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?
-- Revised Standard
Luke 1:37  For with God nothing will be impossible.

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19  And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Take what Jesus said to Jairus and hold it - stand on it.
Don’t be afraid - only believe.

The first step is coming to Him and making Him your Savior. This is the first step we all must take. It is so simple all you do is pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

                                                             Glory to God!!!!          Amen.

Here are some helpful scriptures to look up in your Bible.

Romans 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can
be against us?
Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:19  And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.


These are just a few.  The Word of God is full of helpful promises that we can rely on. I encourage you to look these up and underline them in your Bible.  And start confessing them daily to help your faith grow.  Remember,  faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Don't Be Afraid Only Believe

One of my favorites from Scripture!  ;)

But I do think God uses the fear in us to teach us something. In other words, i can't just decide not to be afraid. What I have to do is admit I'm afraid and ask God to show me why. What usually happens at that point is that He shows me where i am too attached to life, i.e., whether it's to greed, what people think of me, even that attachment to my own life. Then miracles happen. I admit my greed or desire for approval and then He shows me how meaningless those things are. Then I am more capable of living without them and am calmer and more at peace, and, of course, less afraid of losing those things. But i can't just decide to be afraid. I have to confess the sin beneath the fear so He can take it away.

Super!We do not need to be afraid of being afraid.
When we are, we can go to His Word and find answers such as ,"Be careful(anxious) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
aw

I have yet to read a commentary about this that didn't agree that the Living Bible had a totally mis-translation of this verse.  The Bible doesn't say he feared anything but God, and for the TLB to say he did is utterly retarded.

- King James
Job 3:25  For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26.  I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

According to the King James translation, Job was afraid and the thing he greatly feared came upon him. He could not even rest because of his fear. Nearly every translation says about the same thing. fear was dominating Job, not his trust in God.  He was sacrificing because he was afraid his chidren would sin against God, and curse God in their hearts .  If he was sacrificing out of his trust in God, and his fear was only toward God, The Bible would not have said, For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.  this is a different type of fear, meaning to have terror,  not reverential respect,  as in the fear of the Lord,  implies.

The word tells us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding.   If Job was doing this, then why did it say the thing I greatly feared has come upon me?  The thing he greatly feared was not God, but the down fall of his children.  The lack of trust in God is what brought the hedge of protection down from around him, and allowed Satan to come in and destroy.  Up untill that point there was a hedge of protection up around Job, if you go back and read it you will see it.

In Christ's love,  Mark

FAITH and FEAR cannot be in the same place at the same time.
"For perfect love casteth out all fear" and "faith worketh by love"
The children of ISREAL who were given "for our ensample" when they had travlled with God from Egypt and who had delivered them out of bondage and opresion and had brought them SAFELY up to that point where he had opened the door into the that which He had promised so that they might enter in.
FAILED to do so because of fear.
Paul says it was because of unbeleif.
and so it was.
But look again at waht happened.
They sent 12 spies out and they ALL saw the SAME things.
yet the 10 saw them ONLY by the natural eye and reasoning and had FORGOTTEN all that had gone before.
While the two who gave a good report of what they saw .saw them in the LIGHT of what God HAD done,WHO it was who was WITH them and WHAT He had PROMISED .
and in THAT light saw things in thier PROPER PERSEPCTIVE that in the sight of God they were as "GRASSHOPPERS"
But the others WALKING by sight saw only GIANTS.
and so they gave it as they SAW it and SOWED FEAR and unbelief.
Now it was not that they beieved NOTHING but that they BELIEVED THE WRONG MESSAGE!
and walked by SIGHT and not by FAITH.
FAITH "SEEING that which is invisible..........." ACTS according to the LIGHT of what is seen.

So if we are christians  then we should remeber the MOUNTAIN TOPS we have ALREADY been on. and not be afraid OF THE VALLEYS even if it si the shadow of death.
For what was seen on the moutain top has not changed.
and when we are in doubt we should look BACKWARDS to what GOD .......HAS....done in our lives and for others(and for that matetr in the scriptures) and REMEMBER ......WHO it is who is WITH us. and TAKE HOLD of the PROMISES for the FUTURE and ACT according to what is right.

and when we are on the mountain top we should not only remember thE VALLEYS that will keep us in a humble frame of mind and heart.
But will also not allow us to look down on those who are in the valley but will seek to lift their eyes UP to Him who is faithfull who promised.

and so the WHOLE body groweth each part nourishing the other.



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