Fears & Friends

Combining two quick lessons today with one story.  My friend, a few kiddos, and I went to a water park yesterday and had a fun day.  I was so proud of my oldest son who faced his fears and tried the trapeze swing into the water! He was very reluctant to say the least....firmly stating several times he was not getting on!  I began to remind him of the strong, confident young man he was becoming. See he is my mini-me and shares a lot of the same fears and insecurities that I carried for far too many years; therefore, I have been praying over him and speaking confidence in him all the time.  He has come so far!  He has been speaking confident, praying confident prayers, and trying new things that initially strike fear in his sweet self.  So, I was so proud when he did this!

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

Living life in fear is something the Devil loves to see because when we live afraid, we are unable to be productive for building the kingdom of God.  If you are someone who allows fears to weigh you down, then began speaking the verses above into your life daily!  Speaking His promises into your life is how you battle against the lies of the Devil telling you to sit back timidly and fearfully and let life pass you by because you cannot handle it.

So face life with courage and the power of Christ that lives in you and enjoy life abundantly like Riley did once he faced his fear!

He did not do this alone, along with the power of Christ in Him and Mommy's reminders that he can do all things through Christ-he also had an awesome friend encourage him!  I was so proud and thankful for my friend's son who was there for Riley yesterday.  He talked to him and encouraged him to try something new.  It was so awesome (I wanted to say precious, but I guess since we are talking about young men, I will choose awesome...lol) to see him give a good pep talk to Riley.  This is what we are called to do as Christians, "therefore encourage one another and build each other up". 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Let us remember this daily!  We can build up or tear down with our words, so we need to consider them carefully. Yes, this is heard all the time, but do we really take it to heart and do it?  I ask because I know the answer for myself...sadly, no.  If you know me, you will know this is an understatement- I love to talk.  Not only do I love to talk, but I ramble a bit...lol...I can blame it on the ADHD, but I still need to pray and remember this daily- to be careful with my words!  I blurt out things without thinking and I talk endlessly, so I know in the mist of the millions of words that come out of my mouth in a minute some of them are not always positive, uplifting, encouraging, or good.  We all need to remember what that verse tells us to do-and do it!  Remember to be there for people and help them grow with our words of grace, love, kindness, and thoughtfulness.