Category: Fear

Fear Factor

This last Sunday at church, our pastor said something that has really stuck with me throughout the week.  He said, “The problem with fear is not that it exists.  It’s that we allow it to grip us and prevent us from doing what God has created us to do.”

I’m sure we’ve been at a point in our lives when we’re faced with a decision.  Perhaps we feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit to step out in faith and start a ministry or lead a group.  It could be the decision to donate time and energy to a homeless shelter or make food for shut-ins.  Do our neighbors know the saving grace of Jesus Christ?  Should I join the church?  In any of those circumstances, we should be seeking God and looking to Him for guidance.

Yet often, we try to figure out what our next move is on our own.  We make a list of pros and cons.  We ask friends and family members.  We run to the internet for advice.  We’re afraid of making the wrong choice so we become paralyzed and then make no decision.  I’m guilty of this myself.  I’m great at making a to-do list for the Holy Spirit so He knows how it needs to end up.  Then I promptly ignore my own list that was useless anyway!

When the pastor made that comment this weekend, it made me wonder how often I do this very thing.  Fear is not bad.  But when I allow it to hinder me from living out God’s will for my life, it’s a sin. 

We’re told in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Am I saying that we shouldn’t be seeking counsel about big decisions?  Absolutely not.  But our first move shouldn’t be to the people or things around us.  It should be to our Heavenly Father who wants the best for us.  We should seek God who directs our path for what we should do.  He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us live this life.

And how do we hear the Holy Spirit?  I’m so glad you asked!  We need to be in our bibles!  We need to be praying!  We need to be studying His word and seeking Godly counsel.  All those things allow us a richer and closer connection to God.  That, in turn, allows us to be more attune to the calling of our Creator!

I pray as we continue through the year that we lay down the fear that prevents us from doing what He has created us to do.  Instead, let’s live out our calling with our eyes focused solely on God and trust His perfect direction!

~Erin

Playful Sightlessness

I was playing pretty rough with my lab, when he pushed back on his back legs with his front paws started coming forward right at my face.

I couldn’t move out of the way fast enough.  Instead, I felt an intense pain on my left eye and a burning down the side of my face.  I fully thought the dog had inadvertently blinded me.  

In that moment, I stood with tears flowing, tentatively opening my eyes with a tremendous fear that the blurriness in my left eye was indicative of my new life without sight in that eye.  

While blinking repeatedly and checking for blood, I wondered if this is how Saul felt in Acts 9 when God struck him blind prior to his conversion to Christianity.  It was in that moment, I had a glimpse into the pure panic that Saul must have felt. 

As my sight began to clear, my thoughts shifted to the parable in Luke chapter 6, when Jesus says that the blind wouldn’t be able to lead the blind.  

“He also told them this parable: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?’” Luke 6:39 (NASB)

The implication is clear. No, the blind can’t lead the blind.  You can’t lead if you yourself don’t know about particular situations.  Perhaps it means that you can’t teach if you haven’t been the student.  Maybe it means, one leader isn’t effective unless they’ve been an effective follower.  

It’s a poetic way to showcase the expectation that a strong Christian who leads, disciples, and mentors others, are likely the ones who have studied the Word, spent time in prayer, and have been discipled themselves.  

What does that mean for women walking with Jesus? It means that we need to ensure we are constantly strengthening our relationship with God if we are in leadership positions. It also means that we have to assess those who are in leader positions around us and discern if we are being appropriately led.  

My moment of temporary blindness from playing with my dog, was actually one of conviction.  Conviction that I need to be deliberately growing to be a better leader, as well as assessing who is teaching me. 

It’s amazing how lessons come from our everyday life…conviction from canine playing.

~Emily

Are They Trustworthy?

Trust is such a simple yet complex feeling.  We want to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.  We believe that we can have confidence in the words that they say.  However, sometimes in our lives, we can be left burned and hurt.

I would love to believe that people are not untrustworthy on purpose.  I don’t think anyone likes to intentionally break that bond.  Most often, I see it when there is fear of being hurt themselves or perhaps even fear of being found out.  Sometimes, it’s just genuine misunderstanding of the circumstance that leaves a feeling of nagging doubt at the person’s words.

Recently, I had to deal with this issue of trust.  The words appeared calculated and dishonest.  The first thought that came to my mind is something my mom used to say to me when I lied as a child, “Do I have ‘stupid’ tattooed on my forehead!”  The visceral reaction was to be angry.  I felt injured by the words.  I can’t even be 100% sure that what was being said was a lie, but every bone in my body went into full can-I-trust-this-answer mode.

Despite there being people in our lives that can break that trust bond, there’s someone who will never break that bond. That’s our Heavenly Father.

God is the ultimate trustworthy Creator.  We see it over and over in scripture.  He repeatedly saved the Israelites.  He sent judges to help them be victorious.  He sent His Son, Jesus, to walk the earth and take on our punishment of death.  He sent apostles to teach us about a relationship with Christ and salvation.  He’s, even now, preparing a place for us in heaven.  We can trust Him.

Psalm 9:10 says, “and those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.”

No matter what happens with the humans surrounding us, trust of God need not ever waver.  He created us and He loves us.

Friends, are you dealing with issues of trust in your life this week?  Come to the porch and know you’re not alone.  Our Father is forever trustworthy!

~Erin

Noah and the EMP

The power went out unexpectedly at the radio station that I listen to while I was driving home.  With clear skies, I wondered what could possibly have knocked out the power.  Ironically, when the host came back on he said something to the effect of every time the power goes out he thinks maybe an enemy country has launched an EMP attack (electromagnetic pulse attack) on America.  

An EMP would literally change almost every aspect of our lives.  No more electricity, non-working ATMs, no more internet, cell phone inoperable, no vehicles working…chaos.

There is global technology that could make it happen.  Our enemies could use this as a weapon.  We may or may not be ready for the impacts of an EMP event.  While some think it’s a conspiracy theory, the reality is that based upon our technological advancements, an EMP attack is a possibility. 

The knowledge that there are those in the world with this technology at the exact same time that there are others who disbelieve this is a possibility, makes me think about those nay-sayers during Noah’s time. 

Starting in Genesis chapter 5 though chapter 10, we see Noah following the guidance from God to build a ginormous ark. The story unfolds with Noah and his family getting animals onto the ark, as well as the time on the ark during the unrelenting rain and subsequent global flooding.  

Here’s a beautiful story of the faithfulness of Noah.  Yet while Noah was committed to the directions from God, there were countless doubters, troublemakers and nay-sayers.  They showed up day after day, in disbelief of the prophecy, causing issues for Noah and his family. 

By no means am I comparing the anger of God to flood the earth with a potential enemy EMP attack.  Nor am I comparing the faithfulness of Noah with those who might believe in an EMPs possibility.  However, I am interested in how there are people in both scenarios who are in doubt and create chaos for others.  

In both scenarios, the doubters have an opportunity to prepare for the coming chaos.  One could say that preparation could come in the form of your own boat building…or having a collection of extra canned goods. 

The reality is that the preparations in both instances should be focused on knowing God.  When we know Christ as our Savior, when we are prayerful, when we study the Word, and when we assist others in their walk with Christ…that is when the preparations are meaningful and impactful.

It doesn’t have to be a global flood or an EMP that upends a life.  It could be a loss in revenue, a new bill, a divorce, a death, or countless other things. The preparation for every single event of chaos includes a stronger relationship with Christ.   

When the power went out, the local radio host was joking about an EMP, but it’s a reminder of just how quickly everything could change for society. How prepared are we when it comes to our faithfulness to God’s direction? 

~Emily

“Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.” Psalms 119:90

Don’t Hit the Deer!

Emily and I just got back from a trip where we drove cross-country.  Our relationship is one where I’m always the driver (insert my control factor here) and she’s the navigator (she really does a fantastic job).  I’ve always loved road trips and have never backed down from one.  I travelled all over Germany as a child, so it’s practically in my DNA to make a batch of lemon stickies, throw our pillows and blankets in the car with the suitcases and drive rather than fly anywhere.

As I’ve gotten older, however, I find I’ve begun to prefer less driving at night.  Five years ago, my girls and I would drive 15+ hours in the car on the first leg of the trip, driving late into the night so that we would have a short day the next day in the car.  It didn’t bother me in the least.  As I’ve aged, I’m actually now afraid that my eyes aren’t going to efficiently catch my surroundings.  Do you know what I’m afraid of?  I’m afraid of hitting a deer.  (Emily, we will NOT discuss the raccoon from a week ago until I’ve sufficiently recovered.)

They dart out in the darkness of night and think nothing of the people driving along the highway other than “your road is in my way.”  I’ve seen them multiple times just grazing right on the edge of the road, and I keep thinking to myself as I get closer Please stay there!  I have to be on my guard to make sure that I see what’s on either side and am prepared for what may bolt out into my path.

I should be just as aware when it comes to the wiles of the devil.  The Bible says in I Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirt, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

The devil prowls around.  He’s lurking along the edges of our walk with God looking for ways to interfere.  It’s typically not blatant or obvious.  It’s subtle and crafty.  He’s standing just close enough to see when he might pounce.  He’s taking his time looking to see what’s available to mess with.  Then before we’ve realized it, he’s bounded into our path and worked overtime to hurt our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

We must be constantly vigilant about satan trying to wreak havoc.  Just like I have to be on guard for the deer jumping out in the road, we must make sure we are prepared for satan’s temptations.

How do we do that?  We start by having a relationship with Jesus and asking Him to be our Lord and Savior.  We have a faithful prayer life, bringing our petitions to God.  We pray that we will consistently put on the whole armor of God.  We read His Word.  The Bible is God-breathed.  We need only look on those pages to see what God would have us do and how to be ready for battle.  We commune with fellow believers!  Surrounding yourself with other Christ-followers allow us to join together as we battle the tempter.

Sweet friend, I challenge you to be aware of your surroundings.  Be prepared and vigilant for the fight against satan!  And remember, God always gets the victory!

~Erin

The Growing Up Children

Peyton has one year left of school, and it’s moving at lightning speed!  Tomorrow we’ll order her cap and gown and before long, we’ll be addressing graduation announcements to let everyone know she’s finally finished with high school.  The thought of her going to college (whether she still lives with us or not) or even just moving out on her own has me scared to death!

For 17 years, I’ve taken care of her.  I’ve been responsible for making sure she has food, clothing, an education, kisses to bed, hugs to leave for school, and bandaids for the boo-boos.  I’ve been there to talk about boys, or cry about boys, or eat gallons of ice cream over boys.  I’ve been in charge of taking her to church, leading her growth in Christ, and nurturing a Godly household.  And before I know it, my job will be over in that way, and she’ll be taking care of herself.

I worry.  What parent (or grandparent, aunt, uncle, or family friend) doesn’t?  We watch our children grow and make mistakes, most often the same mistakes we made as a kid.  And then we worry about how they will handle it when we’re not around to hold their hand and guide them to a smart decision.

During this time, I find strength in this verse.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” –Isaiah 26:3

I don’t have to worry.  When I keep my mind focused on the love of the Father, He gives me the peace I need.  It’s a peace that allows me to remember that He will watch over Peyton as she finishes high school, as she makes decisions about college, and decides when it’s time to move out.

Peyton may make decisions that I won’t like.  She may choose a path that I won’t agree with.  But I can take comfort in God’s perfect plan for her life.  I need only to trust in Him.

How about you, friends?  Do any of you worry about your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbors!?  Come to the porch and share!  We’d love to pray over your children.

~Erin

Do We Really Think We Can Hide?

Many years ago when McKenna was 14, she called me to ask if she could go do something with a friend.  As I was going through the list of common parenting questions and rules, I stopped and said, “Don’t you roll your eyes at me, McKenna,” to which she instantly replied, “HOW DID YOU KNOW?!”  She quickly told her friend what I had said.  We got such a kick out of it, and I used that moment to remind her that parents know everything—there was nothing she could do that was wrong and get away with it!  We still laugh about it to this day.

I thought about that story when I was reading my Bible this morning.  I’m working through the book of Joshua with Table 8 (my California Bible study group).  In chapter 7 we see that Achan has taken spoils of the battle in Jericho and has hidden them in his tent from Joshua, the other Israelites, and God.  As a result, the initial advancement into the next city of Ai results in the defeat of the Israelites.

Joshua falls to his knees and asks God why He turned His back on his people and let them be defeated.  God reveals that Israel sinned against Him by taking spoils of war when He explicitly told them to take nothing.  He led Joshua through the process of determining who it was that sinned.   Joshua 7:21 shows us that Achan admitted that he had coveted, taken, and concealed some things from the city.

The rest of the story is rich with great material to study, but let’s pause right there.  The spoils of war were taken at the battle of Jericho, and Achan decided he could hide them.  From God.  I’m guessing his coveting of the objects was so great, that he forgot that God, the Creator of the world, knows everything.  There isn’t anything that’s hidden from Him.

At first I thought, What a bonehead!  But of course, conviction set in because you know who else does that?  I do!  There are areas in my life where I covet the things around me, where my speech isn’t seasoned with love and grace, or where my thoughts are not kind and generous.  I blow those sins off as minor or simply try to forget them because “I’m human.  Mistakes happen.”  I might as well be trying to hide those sins from God.

But there are consequences for our sin.  When we try to hide our sin, it creates a wedge between us and God.  His heart is hurt for the disobedience of His child.   It can start a slippery slope of leading us further from God and the path He has called us to.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” –1 John 1:9

We are called to repent of those sins so that He may forgive us and cleanse us.

Dear friends, I urge you to stop trying to hide your sins from God.  I’m taking this week to really reflect on areas where I have tried to hide sin as Achan did and then repent of it to our Heavenly Father.  He is eager to forgive.  Will you join me?

~Erin

At Each Other’s Throats

There are days lately where my heart hurts to be on Facebook anymore.  So many people at each other’s throats about what they think or what they believe.  I see people on one side of the fence calling the other side ‘sheep’ who approve of socialism and government over-reach.  I see people on the other side saying if you don’t decide to vaccinate or wear a mask, you are a moron incapable of being able to do intelligent research.  I watch someone call the other a “stupid right-wing nut job” for thinking President Biden isn’t handling Afghanistan well.  The other side says you’re too blind to see that President Biden couldn’t handle tying his own shoes.  These are actual things I’ve seen on social media.

It’s enough to make me scream.  What happened to being loving and gracious?  When did we become a people that believe we are the only ones capable of rational thought?  When did we become a society that put politics over prayer?

As Christians, we have a responsibility to love one another whether we agree or don’t.  As people who were made in God’s image, we are called to honor what He commands us to do like praying for one another, being kind, and tender-hearted.  We’re not to prove who’s wrong or right.  We’re not meant to make sure people feel stupid for making a decision you would never make.  And loving them and praying for them doesn’t mean you approve of their decisions.  It means simply that…you’re loving them and praying for them. 

What I’m saying is that no matter what side of the vaccine, masks, or presidency we’re on, we should be coming together to love, to witness, and to pray.  Pray for our nation.  Pray for our leaders.  Pray for our friends and family.  Pray for other countries.  Pray for our neighbors.  Pray for the doctors, nurses and hospitals.  Pray for our enemies. 

Satan would love nothing more than to divide Christians and keep us from focusing solely on God.  He relishes the thought of people going after each other rather than coming together to pray to our Jehovah-Rapha, the God who Heals.

I implore you, dear friends.  Take the time to love and pray for each other, no matter what side of the fence you’re on.  At the end of the day, there’s only one side… God’s.

~Erin

Chicken Dinner

We lost a chicken yesterday.  And by lost I mean something came in and decided raw chicken was better than fried chicken.  There were feathers everywhere.  Our teeny tiny Bantam rooster was no match for whatever got in there, and little Truffles became a meal for some creature in the woods.  

Peyton and Chris felt they had made a great enclosure.  They knew it wasn’t foolproof.  It didn’t have a real roof, but with a coop inside the large closed-in space to lock them up at night, they felt it was rather safe.  However, as the chickens got older and as Peyton started working, it was less frequent that she remembered to close the coop at night.  There hadn’t been a problem since we bought the chicks 10 months ago, and we got lazy in doing the little bit extra to keep them protected.

Are we the same way about sin?  God gives us clear scripture telling us of the need to protect ourselves from the wiles of satan.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” –Ephesians 6:11

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” –James 4:7

“Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” –I Peter 5:8

“And no wonder, for even satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” –2 Corinthians 11:14

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” –John 10:11

It is well known that satan will do whatever it takes to keep us from full fellowship with God.  If he can tempt us with thoughts of coveting, greed, or selfishness, he will.  If he can get us thinking about how nice it would be to skip your bible study or miss church, he’ll do it!  There’s nothing he won’t do to try and steal our devotion to God.

We should be prepared for this!  We shouldn’t only be praying “Father, keep us protected from satan.”  We should be studying scripture, digging into the word, putting on the FULL armor of God to protect ourselves.  The more we are submitting and surrendering to the will of God, the harder it is for satan to get that access to us. 

When we’re fully prepped and ready, we aren’t sitting around waiting for the attacks of the devil.  We’re ready to keep those sinful deeds at bay before they even get close enough to become an action!

Ladies, let’s stand strong in our faithfulness to God and prepare ourselves properly for a possible attack before that nasty thief even gets close! 

~Erin

Too Much To Bear

What do you do when it seems the weight of the worst in on your shoulders?  How do you handle the struggles of this life speeding straight at you?  Who are you leaning on when it feels like it’s just too much to bear?

We’ve all had these times in our lives.  The heaviness of a death, an illness, or an addiction has probably touched someone who’s reading this in such a difficult way.  And to the person in the thick of it, the man or woman dealing with it, it feels like it will never end.

I know that you may not think that God is really listening.  You feel alone and unheard.  And you don’t understand why this torture is happening to you.  Why can’t God just fix it?  Why can’t He turn back time and make it ok again?  It doesn’t seem fair that you must suffer when everyone else around you seems to go on with life.  When you’re left feeling like you’re picking up pieces all around you by yourself, it hurts the most. 

I know you might not want to hear it, but I know you need to hear it.  You need to know that there is One who hears you and sees you.  He feels your pain.  He weeps when you weep.  And when it feels like there is nothing left to hold onto, you can hold on to Him.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very ready help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shake and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its water roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.” –Psalm 46:1-3

To the person who struggling with exactly this in this moment, I’m praying for you.  I’m fervently asking that God make His presence known to you.  You are not alone, and God will see you through.  I promise.  And He will see you through to the other side.

~Erin