What Are You Afraid Of?

I used to be afraid at night. Afraid of the dark. Afraid that just beyond the point my eyesight allowed me to see that there was something lurking. Afraid that the darkness itself would somehow surround me and swallow me up…as if darkness were anything more than simply the absence of light.

I used to be afraid of tomorrow. Afraid that who I was would continually dictate who I am, and that who I would be might be someone who I didn’t like very much at all…as though there was no such thing as being made new.

I used to be afraid of opinions. Afraid that though words would not break my bones, they certainly would shatter my dreams…as though I started doing this for the approval of many, rather than the glory of One.

I used to be afraid of failure. Afraid of losing. Afraid of falling. Afraid of being wrong, creating busts, and looking absolutely stupid, because who am I to think that I could ever actually make a difference? As if those setbacks were anything more than the laying down of stepping stones on the path to success.

I used to be afraid.  Used to.

But then I did a little research.  And by that, I mean I re-searched, and I re-searched, and I re-searched, over and over again, and through all of my re-searching, I kept coming up with the same exact question:

What room does fear have?

What room does fear have when I cling to TRUST? What room does fear have when I lean on HOPE? What room does fear have when I search for something more, when I discover and realize what’s good, and when I stand in AWE? When I run with PERSEVERANCE, when I walk by FAITH, and when I rest in COMFORT. What room does fear have when I sing with PRAISE, when I take hold of INSPIRATION, explore the POSSIBILITIES, and step into FREEDOM? What room does fear have when I discover STRENGTH, EMBRACE COURAGE, REMEMBER PEACE, DECLARE TRUTH, CHOOSE JOY, EXPERIENCE LIFE and CONQUER DEATH? What room does fear have when I find perfection in the one place I never thought to look? In weakness, when I’m saved by the most unlikely of heroes. By grace, when I’m invited into a relationship more loving and intimate than I could ever imagine, as a child of God.

I’ll ask you again: what room does fear have when I step out of the darkness, and I bask in the light? When I let the past be the past and the future has no limit. When they can talk all they want, but their opinion doesn’t matter! And when failure is nothing more and nothing less than the road by which I walk my path to success.

I’ll ask you one last time: what room does fear have when in His Word, He tells me three hundred and sixty-five times DO. NOT. BE. AFRAID. As if I needed to hear that every single day. And as if that’s how many times I needed to hear it before I finally believed it.

What room does fear have when I make room for LOVE?

What are you afraid of? 

 

-Jon Jorgenson

 

Here is the video if you want to watch him speak it.

Motivation

There are days where you get knocked down by one thing after another. You forget your lunch at home and you know your dogs already ate it, so there is no use in turning around (it’s happened). Or maybe all the hard work you put in on a project at work gets overlooked, leaving you feeling stranded and unseen. But if you really think about it, you are in control of your choices and they are ultimately yours. As we go through life making our choice, strong, motivational quotes from powerful people can give you a new outlook. Here are 14 that will challenge you to be the best you can be. These can apply to any aspect of life… from recovery… to a new job… to trials we face!

1. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. — Maya Angelou
2. Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences. — J.K. Rowling
3. The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. — Ayn Rand
4. I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it. — Estée Lauder
5. Power’s not given to you. You have to take it. — Beyoncé
6. I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done. — Lucille Ball
7. If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one. — Dolly Parton
8. You can’t give up! If you give up, you’re like everybody else. — Chris Evert
9. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. — Jane Goodall
10. I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life. — Louise Hay
    
11. If you don’t like being a doormat then get off the floor. — Al-Anon
12. Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. — Julia Child
    
13. Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. — Nora Ephron
14. A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want. — Madonna

Faithfully His

As I think back to how I managed the last long, hard stretch of recovery, I know that what did it for me was my faith. It doesn’t matter if you’re in recovery from an eating disorder like I was, or if your addiction is alcohol, drugs, sex, pornography, gambling, or something else. What I learned is that, with my strong-hold, I had to submit myself to a higher power, and realize that I could not do it all myself – I needed to seek strength from God. In doing so, my recovery took a turn, and I had the strength to get through times that felt unbearable. No longer did I need to find my own strength to endure because I had His. Through recovery, I learned that I am Faithfully His.

God has given his Word to learn from and enjoy. To refresh us. To call out the desire for relationship with Him that He’s planted deep within our souls. To speak to our hearts. To show us who He is. To awaken us to our failings, but then to draw us toward the restorative, redemptive blessings.

His Word is not a chore. It’s life. It’s love. It’s the living truth. It’s not just to read. It’s to be absorbed. To bathe in. To breathe in. To live by. To inspire us, to reshape us. To define us. That’s because it’s alive. It’s not a book written with historical data for your information but animated by His Spirit for your edification – to speak intimately and personally to you regarding His purposes for your life.

The Word is there to help us keep our way, and without it we can lose our strength. In a world inundated with ideas to the contrary, it is our constant reminder of who we really are, why we are here, and who we really belong to.

You are His, and His Word helps to keep your sure of that. Just as she stated, here is a lengthy list of affirmation statements created by Priscila Shirer from her book The Resolution for Women, taken directly from the Word of the living God. They’re not direct quotes, but they recast the theme of the referenced verse so you can declare it in first person.

As you audibly speak these biblical statements over your life (or your loved ones) your mind will be renewed, your faith will be strengthened, and your attitude will be transformed. “Faith come from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.”

This lengthy list doesn’t have to be read or spoken all at once, but it’s there if you need something fast and short to speak aloud to get through difficult moments. (I actually wrote scriptures on note cards, put them on a key ring, and kept them in my purse for easy access).

Without further ado: 

• I love the Lord my God with my whole heart, soul, and mind (Mark 12:30)
• I walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)
• The Lord is on my side; I will not fear what man can do to me (Psalm 118:6)
• I am competent not in my own abilities but he has made me competent by His spirit that gives me life (2 Corinthians 3: 5-6)
• I abide in Christ, He abides in me and I bear much fruit. Apart from Him, I can do nothing (John 15:5)
• I have the mind of Christ; therefore I act in a way that is consistent with His actions (1 Corinthians 2:16)
• You will never leave me nor for sake me (Hebrews 13:5)
• I do not look with disdain upon my weaknesses. I see them as opportunities for God to display his powerful strength and grace through me (2 Corinthians 12:10)
• No weapon formed against me can prosper, and every tongue that rises up against me in judgment will be condemned (Isaiah 54:17)
• I will be hospitable without complaint (1 Peter 4:9)
• I will not use my tongue to speak cursing, but rather I will speak life-giving blessings to everyone I meet any and every situation I face (James 3:8-10)
• The Spirit in dwells me; therefore I am the temple of the living God (2 Corinthians 6:16)
• I am faithful over a few things, and I will be made ruler over many (Matthew 25:23)
• I humbly submit to God, and actively resist the work of the devil, knowing he must flee from me (James 4:7)
• I will not give the enemy opportunity or foothold in my life (Ephesians 4:27)
• The One who is in me is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4)
• I choose to obey the Lord and receive the prosperous abundance and blessing He will bestow on me (Deuteronomy 30:8-9)
• My heart keeps the Commandments of God. They will add length of days and peace to my life (Proverbs 3:2)
• I walk by the Spirit and do not fulfill the desires of my flesh (Galatians 5:16)
• I am enabled to exhibit the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)
• The Lord guards my going out and my coming in, today and forever (Psalm 121:8)
• I rejoice in the Lord wheter circumstances are good or bad (Phillipians 4:4)
• I will not be afraid when I lie down and my sleep shall be sweet (Proverbs 3: 24)
• I obtain the favor of the Lord (Proverbs 12:2)
• The Lord is in my midst, and He sings over me with joy (Zephaniah 3:17)
• I am the apple of my Father’s eye (Deuteronomy 32:10)
• Goodness and mercy will follow me not only today but all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6)
• I have been made in the image and likeness of God himself. This is my heritage (Genesis 1:27)
• I have not been given the spirit of this world, rather, I have the Spirit of God that I might know the mind and will of God for me (1 Corinthians 1:12)
• I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16)
• My steps have been ordained and ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23)
• I only allow my mind to entertain what is honorable, right, pure, lovely, noble, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8)
• I long for the pure milk of the Word that I may grow to spiritual maturity (1Peter 2:2)
• I seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14)
• I am a necessary and useful part of the body of Christ, and I will use my spiritual gifts to edify others (1 Corinthians 12:7)
• Faith, hope, and love -especially love- abide in me (1 Corinthians 13:13)
• I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21)
• I have been given victory in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 15:57)
• I am meek, and I will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5)
• I extend mercy to others, and I will in turn receive mercy (Matthew 5:7)
• I have a pure heart before God, and I expect to see His manifest presence in my life (Matthew 5:8)
• I discipline myself for the purpose of godliness since it holds promise for the present life as well as the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8)
• My ambition is to be pleasing to Him and him alone (2 Corinthians 5:9)
• I do not judge fellow believers so that I will not bring judgment on myself (Romans 2:1)
• My priority is to seek first the kingdom of God’s righteousness, and I expect all needed, secondary things to be added onto me (Matthew 6:33)
• I am a true worshiper I worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23)
• I do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3)
• Rivers of living water flow out of my inner being (John 7:38)
• I have been chosen by God to bring forth fruit that shall remain (John 15:16)
• I am a brand-new person my old sin nature has passed away, and everything has become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• No matter my past, I am forgiven of my sins because of His grace upon me (Ephesians 1:7)
• I have been given every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3)
• Because he was wounded, I am healed (Isaiah 53:5)
• In Christ, I am whole and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4)
• Whatever I ask for in prayer according to the fathers will, I believe that I have received it (Mark 11:24)
• I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. I am one of God’s own people (1 Peter 2:9)
• I will not be afraid because I know the spirit of fear is not from Him. He has given me the spirit of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)
• I am not a stranger to God. I am a citizen of God’s kingdom and a member of his household (Ephesians 2:19)
• I have been sealed by the Holy Spirit who indwells me. He is a pledge from the Father of my coming inheritance (Ephesians 1:13–14)
• I am a masterpiece created in Christ Jesus in order to walk in the good works He has prepared for me to do (Ephesians 2:10)
• For freedom I have been made free. I walk daily in this gift of freedom (Galatians 5:1)
• I am dead to the power of sin (Romans 6:11)
• I have been raised with Christ, and I sit with him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6)
• I am the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13–14)
• I will not fear because the Lord is my light, my salvation, and the strength of my life (Psalm 27:1)
• The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
• I trust completely in the Lord; therefore I will be like a fruit-bearing tree that continually finds nourishment despite dry, parched weather (Jeremiah 17:7–8)
• No good thing will the Lord withhold from me as I walk uprightly before Him (Psalm 84:11)
• Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, and I will do the worlds that He did (John 14:12)
• In Christ I have become a child of God, and I receive the blessings God has for me(John 1:2; Romans 16:17)
• In Christ, God has chosen me as His own and made me strong. He has placed His mark on me. He has placed His Spirit in my heart as a guarantee for all he has promised (2 Corinthians 1:21– 22)
• I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)

Today God invites you to live a life marked by faithfulness. By his Spirit and with the guidance and encouragement of His Word, this is an absolutely attainable goal for you. No matter what your past has held, this resolution can mark a new beginning. Read the resolution prayerfully and hold it in your heart when you are ready. You are Faithfully His.