Can I give up fear?

Lent is a traditional time to give up something we love and replace it with (more) love for God. You can read more about Lent’s origins here

Although I’m not bound by this man-made tradition, it’s purpose as a discipline to honour God has inspired me to focus on a particular aspect of my own love for God.

Before giving my life to Jesus I was imprisoned by fear, a fear so powerful that it ruled my life. It held me back from living life to the full, from making decisions, from talking any kind of risk and kept me in a constant state of worry, about pretty much anything.

When I became a Christian, Jesus released me from that prison. His death on the cross won the battle for my life (& all whom believe in Him) and removed my (need to) fear, replacing it with God’s truth.

What’s the truth? Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

But, becasue I’m human, I tend to lapse into my old ways. Not only does this hold me back. but it stands contrary to my belief in my new life – and my identity as a child and disciple of God.

I want to see if I can give up these human fears and live as God intends me to. So this Lent, I’m focussing on the subject of fear and each day I’m going to look at a different verse or passage from the Bible and reflect on what God has to say about the matter.

What will I learn? Will I be transformed as a result?

We’ll see.

Finding myself in a wilderness

This may turn out to be part one in a series – but here goes…

I’ve just found out I’m in a wilderness in my life. Which explains a lot of things, like why I’m feeling so lost in some areas, lacking in direction, sustenance. It helps me understand why this season feels so hard, fruitless and like its a gruelling trial with no end in sight.

This evening I was able to attend Burn, an expression of our church community where there is no format, only the intention to seek God; praying and worshipping to see where His Spirit will lead us.

As part of my process of giving control of my life back to God, I went forward for prayer. I felt that God had placed a number of things on my heart to deal with; to forgive myself for regretting 10+ years of life that I think I wasted, to ask for help with patience and to receive God’s Spirit, to refresh me. While praying, one of the leaders came and said that he felt God saying that I am in a wilderness (which one of my colleagues had suggested a few weeks ago…), to learn, be trialled, tested, shaped, prepared – and at some point I’ll be called out, back to serve in a particular way, for a particular purpose. For what? I don’t yet know, perhaps glimpses i’ve seen, but for now…

… For now I have found myself in a wilderness. I have to learn how to navigate it; what to do next…