A Messy Pile of Scared Living -- Fear, Part 1

Pray for me, friends. This is probably going to be the most fearful week of my life.

Why?

Because I know the drill. I talk about something Satan doesn’t want me to, and then he hits me right between the eyes in that same area. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Maybe some of you have experienced it yourself. You share with someone about areas of your life you desire to give over to God like marriage…pride…or money, when suddenly that same week you have more marital conflicts than usual, a greater struggle with pure attitudes, and a really intense financial situation come up! Mark it down; the great destroyer will hit you where it hurts the most in the areas you are seeking to grow. It’s his main M.O., and he hates the truth being brought out into the open.

But go with me for a minute.

Have you ever thought of Satan as being a great accountability measure?

Ok, look. I refuse to give him “props” for anything. But you have to admit; he will make you put your money where your mouth is when you put things like this out there by testing your devotion to God and your commitment to dealing with spiritual issues. So, I write to you today, fully expecting an outright fear campaign to be waged on me; therefore, I truly do covet your prayers. But I also write…remembering that as a believer in Jesus Christ, I have the over comer on my side. So I can write about – and face – this issue of fear without fearing major repercussion.

Yep, that’s right. For the next three Mondays, I am going to talk about fear. It is the scariest 4-letter word there is, manifests itself in different ways for different people, can affect relationships, stunts one’s growth, and carries a necessity to die to it daily! And it has the potential to turn the most fearless person in the world into a messy pile of scared living.

One of the most highly quotable sayings about fear came from the 1st Inaugural address of President FDR in 1933. “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Smack during the period of the Great Depression, this famous president was talking about the economic conditions of his time. But his quote transcends his era. I personally think it just may be the most accurate statement about fear ever made.

Fear itself – the thought of what we are afraid of, is what truly makes us fearful. Our mind is the battlefield, and Satan is the enemy trying to build camp in our psyches. And many times, friends, he does the job.

All of us have fears. This morning as I sit here at my computer, I can think of a couple of fears in particular that are so scary to me that I don’t want to type them out or verbalize them for fear that they will come true. It’s as if I believe that if I don’t acknowledge them to you or even myself, that they will never, ever be realized. And then I can continue to pretend that I am not afraid of them.

My denial has Satan’s sneaky fingerprints all over it.

After all, he doesn’t want me to acknowledge them or speak them or write about them. Because if I do, his covert operation might then become recognized or exposed. And then, just maybe…I might begin to face them, work on overcoming them, and give them over to the Lord, dying to them. For the evil one, that would be the ultimate defeat. He would much rather me never speak them, acknowledge them, share them, or face them…because then he can continue to terrorize me with them.

That’s what fear does.

It keeps you from doing things.

It paralyzes you from moving forward.

It terrorizes you into becoming a sprinter on the fast track of running scared.

I, myself, am a self-confessed sometime-sprinter. Let me just put that out there right now.

There are so many Bible heroes that come to mind as I think of this issue of fear. Noah. Esther. Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. Joseph. Moses. Hannah. Samuel. David. Elizabeth. Prophets…Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, Daniel. John. Paul. Peter. Ruth. Deborah. Timothy. James. The list could go on and on, but you get the point. Basically every major circumstance these heroes of the faith found themselves in was scary. They were certainly not immune to the sharp feelings of fear that most assuredly accompany risky, bold, impassioned actions in direct violation of Satan’s desires. Were they at times afraid? I believe so. They were human, after all. No fleshly, fallible person is exempt from feelings of fear. None that I know, at least.

How do you think Joshua felt when soon after the death of his beloved mentor, Moses, God appointed him the daunting task of leading the nation of Israel? Certainly, he had taken a few notes from Moses’ playbook. He had seen the best and watched him at work. Absolutely, God through Moses, had anointed Joshua with great wisdom. Yes, he was better qualified than anyone else to succeed his predecessor and do the job. But if he wasn’t at least a bit fearful to be the newly minted leader, then why did the omniscient Lord have to encourage him to be strong…have courage…and not be afraid?

Scripture really doesn’t say. But my guess is that it is because he was. The proof for me is found in the exhortation of Jesus to Joshua in Joshua 1: 2-9…

"Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I'm giving to the People of Israel. I'm giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It's all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take." (The Message)

Though no outward cry for courage by Joshua is recorded in this passage, clearly God knew that he would need some to do the job at hand. So He graciously took care of the particulars before such issues ever came up. (He’s just good that way. :)) And since in the following verse we listen in as Joshua begins immediately barking out orders, my bet is that it worked. (vs. 10-11, “Then Joshua gave orders to the people's leaders: "Go through the camp and give this order to the people: 'Pack your bags. In three days you will cross this Jordan River to enter and take the land God, your God, is giving you to possess.'")

Friends, we can choose to continue to be a messy pile of scared living. Fear can often be an old friend, and we are not always eager to part with it. But our choice to let it stick around will not allow us the life we want, the relationships we crave, or the freedom we long for. Those things take some internal extrication of our feelings of fear. Can we do it? Not on our own. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, absolutely, 100%, we can.

Just ask Joshua.

Challenge Questions:
1) What are you currently afraid of? Is it something that has been an ongoing fear in your life, or is it something that has come up recently because of a circumstance you are facing? How have you been dealing with it? Has your way been effective?
2) On a scale of 1-10, how often to you pray about your fear(s)? Why are you at that number on the scale, and what can you do to change that?
3) Have you memorized Scripture(s) about fear? If so, what promises from God can you cling to in regards to your fears? If not, search the Scriptures to find at least two verses on fear, read them, and commit to memorizing them. (www.biblegateway.com is an excellent on-line resource)

Now What? (Your specific call to action)
In order to begin to surrender our fears, let’s take a lesson from Jesus’ playbook for Joshua (Joshua 1:6-9)…
1) Be strong and courageous. Requires daily surrender to our fears and continuous holy boldness from God, our resource.
2) Meditate on the Word. Day and night. All the time. Whenever you are afraid. It’s the only way to successfully conquer the fear factor in your life.
3) Cling to God. You need Him. I need Him. We need Him to deal with our feelings and draw Him close to us, loving us, when we are afraid.

Thanks for stopping by to catch Part 1 of this 3-part Monday series on fear – my first “get real” topic of 2008. Join me next Monday to find out what I believe all women, no matter who they are or what their circumstance is, fear the very most in life. Trust me, ladies. You will ALL relate.

Lisa

Ask, ask, ask!!

Can you believe I’m even using that word with what time of year it is???

Let me guess, parents. You are as tired as I am of getting asked for something different nearly every day for Christmas by your sweet children! Unless you shut the TV off for an entire month preceding the glorious 25th of December, the sights and sounds of every mechanical, battery-operated, soft and cuddly and cool toy and gadget available are bombarding your children. And that leads to a lot of ASKING…at least, in my house it does.

But today as I was wrapping Christmas presents, I couldn’t help but think of something of another kind that was “asked” last Christmas. Let me set up the scenario for you…

It was Christmas Eve, and our Whittle party of 5 was all seated around the kid’s Christmas tree with the overhead lights off and only the glow of the colored lights to light the room. As we looked around at all the handmade, homemade and significant ornaments, Scotty began to ask the kids which ornament they loved the most and why. My very-sentimental oldest son, nearly 9 at the time, looked for a minute and then picked his favorite for this year: a hip-swiveling Elvis that his Elvis-loving grandmother had recently bought for him. (We laughed and agreed that it was a pretty cool ornament.) My sweet little girl, 4 years old, pointed to a green-hand painted wreath clay ornament with her picture in the middle that she made at school, proclaiming it her favorite. (It was high on our list, too, as you can imagine.)

My middle son, age 6, had been sitting quietly while the others took their turn, clearly deep in thought about what his favorite would be. Scotty finally turned to him and asked him to show us his pick. When he did, Micah stood up and walked over to one side of the tree, carefully removing his top choice. It was a rugged looking cross, very simple in design. Though deeply moved, I wasn’t altogether surprised. Micah had just recently made a salvation decision, asking Jesus in his heart. And now his already-tender spirit was even tenderer to the things of God. Wiping away tears from my eyes, I could see Micah’s bottom lip beginning to quiver. I decided to ask him a question. “Micah, why do you love that ornament so much?” Still emotional, he looked at me and very simply said, “Because of Jesus.” I probed a bit more, though I sensed I already knew the answer. “Is it because of what He did for you on the cross?” As little tears slipped down his cheeks he couldn’t speak, but instead shook his head in an affirming “yes.” I reached up and hugged him and no more words followed after. We didn’t need any.

I was so glad I had asked.

So as I reflect on this sweet scene today, as I ready myself for the big day this year, I am reminded of the importance of "asking." In this season of the “ask,” let’s remember to ask our children questions that remind them of their faith. So often we don’t hear their heart simply because we get busy and forget to ask them about what is going on inside it. After all, their little souls hold great truth that is often just waiting to come out. If you take the time to "ask," I know their answers will bless you as much as Micah’s did us.

Here’s a picture of my now 7-year old Micah a few weeks ago, putting on his best “Santa.” :) Since I asked him the question last year, I am pretty sure I know where he stands on what this season is really all about. :)


Lisa

P.S. If you want to read another sweet “Micah” story, go to my web page (linked through his blog or at http://www.lisawhittle.com/) and go to “Recent Writings.”

Re-Committed!

In the midst of our very busy summer, a beautiful event took place in the lives of 10 couples, Scotty and myself included. On July 15, at the end of our 6-week study on marriage, (For Men Only/For Women Only book study) we called our very active and thriving SS class to action by inviting them to participate in a Wedding Vow Renewal Service…where they had the opportunity to re-commit their lives and marriages to each other and before God. What started out as a small event turned into a full-fledged “wedding” of sorts, with a three-tiered cake, punch, music and an ordained minister in the form of my handsome hubby, Scott!

It was a sweet and intimate affair, with family and friends in attendance. One by one each couple was called to stand under a tulle-draped arch and look into the eyes of the one they had taken as their spouse years earlier. The couples that participated represented marriages from 7 to 14 years old, but the age of the marriage was not of greatest relevance that night.

As I sat and listened to the others who went before me that night, I thought about how much more the words “for better or for worse”…“for richer or for poorer”…”in sickness and in health” meant to the couples saying them now than on their original wedding day. Though special and amazing and completely meaningful, their wedding day words (like mine) held hopes and promises they intended to keep but knew basically nothing about. Now 7-14 years later, those words were accompanied by life experiences of both good times and bad times…sick days, sleepless nights, addictions, infidelities, job losses, near bankruptcies, growing families, interrupted dreams and reality checks. The 10 marriages represented were those of regular people with regular problems with regular marriages. What separated them from others was not a lack of problems in their marriage, but the desire to keep connecting with each other despite all of those issues. After all, after years of marriage and a couple of babies, taking the time to stop and look at each other in the eyes, let alone say tender and personal words of re-commitment, can be challenging and even difficult.

One of the best comments we had after the service was over was not about the beautiful decorations or the glowing “brides” and “grooms.” It came from a woman in our SS class, who was present at the service to deliver a delicious wedding cake that she had so graciously donated to the event. Needing an extra hand to serve the cake, she brought her 10-year-old daughter along with her. She shared with us the following Sunday that the service was especially meaningful to her because it gave her daughter the opportunity to see some Christian marriages…moms and dads…not only stay together but stay strong by the power of God. Though no such thing exists as a perfect marriage, marriage is still a beautiful institution ordained by God. Since most of this young girl’s friend’s parents were either divorced or splitting up, the picture represented for her that night gave her a renewed sense of hope that it WAS, in fact, possible to stay together. Despite all the “odds” that are against us!

It is no secret to any of us that Satan is attacking marriages big time. And Christian marriages are certainly NOT immune. We hear the statistics and know that infidelity on the rise. We are no longer surprised when couples split up, but rather, when they stay together until “death do we part.” But on July 15, 2007, on a rainy night in North Carolina, 10 regular couples recommitted their marriages to Christ. And it ate Satan’s lunch big time.

So…turn up the volume on your computer…watch the video clip…and praise God with me as I acknowledge again today how He is the God who makes all things new and beautiful -- no matter how much, in our humanness, we mess them up!

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the thone, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever. And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making all things new!’” (Rev. 21:1-5)

Lisa

P.S. A big thank-you to Blake Hobbs for such an awesome video! Talented guy. :)

Kicking and Screaming

I will never have a blog.

Those were the words I uttered to anyone and everyone who asked me about doing one. No blog, no way, no how, I said. You’ll have to take me, kicking and screaming. After all, there is just enough rebel in me to want to do things the opposite of all the ways someone says one should do them. And…getting downright honest with you, I don’t trust myself to write something on a day I have PMS. Girls, you know what I mean. :)

Well…as you can see, I now have a blog. And yes, I am still kicking and screaming about it, which prior to this blog entry was safely taking place in the sanctity of my own mind!

For me, as a purpose-driven woman, having a blog needs to serve a purpose other than simply keeping a personal diary of life events for all of blog-world to read. I have no need for that. Besides, I am and always have been a private person. I don’t share thoughts and feelings freely or frivolously. Oh, and while I am giving the run-down on why I shouldn’t have a blog, did I mention that I don’t have the time to do this?

But today, with a clear purpose, I start blogging. I plan to do it once a week in order to keep it in perspective…Mondays, likely. And I hereby operate with the desire to use an earthly tool to point those who read it to the One who deserves to be blogged about.

There is a song that says, “Jesus I desire to live…a life that shouts your fame.” That is what this blog is about for me. With every personal example…musing…or experience I share, may I shout His fame. He is the One who holds this girl’s journey in the palm of His hands. He has and always will know what’s going on behind my eyes…and yours.

Lisa