In The Midst Of All This Don’t Be Afraid

This is the Truth Network. Welcome to Running with Horses, a podcast devoted to inspire you, concerning a relationship with Almighty God that empowers you to accomplish things you never thought possible. Shirley Weaver wants to take you there.

And now, here's today's episode. So even in the midst of everything that is going on around us, how is it that we avoid fear and intimidation, the things that cripple our faith? What does it take to remain focused spiritually and confidently full of faith for the prayerful desired outcome we want so desperately?

When, right on the other hand, everything around us provokes the opposite, the fear of the future, fear of what might go wrong, little things, big things. Well, Jesus answered, He said, to keep your mind set on the things of God, not the things of man. I think that's Matthew 16.

Let me say it again. Jesus said, to keep your mind set on the things of God, not the things of man. And He connected that admonition directly to the trap of the enemy. The enemy is Satan. That is because Satan's trap begins with a lie. It begins with a lie, often a subtle tiny little lie, and builds additional layers of other lies to convince you that his lie, his lies are truth. In fact, Satan is a liar.

You could say personified. That's all he does. All he knows how to do. Period. Hard stop. Hey, welcome to the podcast today.

My name is Shirley Weaver. We're talking about the power of God. We're talking about the power of God in the midst of this really huge upheaval that we're living in. And the argument here is don't be afraid. So just a couple of things.

I'll make a few points. The Bible has many. Firstly, 1 Corinthians 3. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? That means you are a restraining force.

I don't know if you know that. Sometimes it's hard really to believe that, to conceptualize what that looks like, how we operate that way as a restraining force. It is because of the indwelling spirit on the inside of you. Not anything you engineered, not your idea, totally God's idea. So first, don't be afraid because you are in fact a restraining force against the very evil that provokes fear, threat, intimidation. Another point, you have access to righteous prayer. James 5 16, the heartfelt persistent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much when put into action and made effective by God.

It is dynamic and can have tremendous power. The Amplified Bible says it just that way. James 5 16, the heartfelt persistent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes a great deal. And the key here is the power, the explosive dynamite type power made available when you pray. We're talking about the power of God in the life of the believer. You are a restraining force number one. Number two, you have access to righteous prayer.

And next, this is so huge. Salt and Light, Matthew 5. Salt and Light, Matthew 5. You are the salt of the earth.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. This is the way it's set up. God organized everything this way, that his people would represent him this way. You and I are A, a restraining force B, have access to righteous prayer, and C, we are both salt and light.

We are the city that is on a hill. So compare that to the intimidation and the fear mongering of our day. The intimidation against your fervent faith, your constant prayer, and your greatest hope.

Listen, there is no comparison. God is in this. He is working behind the scenes on your behalf.

He is at work to will and do of his good pleasure in and through you. So the argument here, you don't have to be afraid. And if you are afraid, well, this is what I do when I realize that fear is happening in my heart. I go to the Lord, tell him that, leave the fear with him. It's not hard.

It's really, really simple. And when I do that, leave the fear with him in his presence, he takes over in the most minute details. It's pretty amazing.

I think the word more accurately is supernatural. But then see, I completely believe in the upper hand that God has, that his word is true, and that it will stand the test of time and will prevail. And I quickly add, no matter what, no matter what happens, how hard things are, painful, how much suffering may be involved, none of these things compare to the glory that will be revealed. That is my conviction. That's the way I think. That's the way I live.

And it's too late for me to do anything differently. That's just the word I'm anchored there. So add to this really huge encouragement to believe God that you have powerful prayer, you are salt and light, you are the restraining force holding back evil. And just quickly springboard over here to your stewardship. Stewardship really is a mindset. I fill my mind with the things that steward the kingdom of God. I avoid other things, other mindsets. And really, even in a natural or secular way, we steward things, for example, like money and time.

Some people do that better than others. But we all have the understanding, some inkling of the fact that we are to do that. I want you to consider right now, besides those things like money and time, consider this add-on that you steward, that you are a good steward of the thing that you've heard from the Lord, the word of the Lord to you, something you've received from Him.

Maybe no one that you know or know of has the same leading, the same information, the same experience. This is something God's given to you, something that you can view as within your scope of stewardship. Jesus said it this way to Peter. This is Matthew 16. Get behind me, Satan, because your mind is not on the things of God. Your mind is fixed on the things of man. Peter was contending with Jesus, and Jesus said, called him Satan.

He said, Get behind me, Satan, because your mind, Peter, is acting like Satan's mind. You are not set on the things of God. Your mind, like Satan's mind, is the inference here, is fixed on the things of man. So in stewardship of the thing that God has said to you, it is really important to avoid the giving of yourself over to believe something that violates God's truth, His word, or the very thing that He has said to you. In stewardship, you want to avoid also a pattern of such thought. You want to avoid self-serving emotions that teach you to believe certain things. You know, it's a pattern of thought. We early on, really as children, teach ourselves to believe self-serving emotions. They qualify us in our own understanding the way that we perceive ourselves. They justify living the way that we live in order to accommodate the way we see ourselves.

So, scratch all of that. If you want to steward the word of the Lord to you, the thing God has said to you, the way He's leading you, His provision for you, don't give yourself over to believing something that violates His word. Don't establish a pattern of thought that acts that way. And don't give place to self-serving emotions that you have taught yourself to believe that accommodate your greatest pet fear, insecurity, insufficiency, all of that. You know what I'm talking about.

I bet you do. Instead, start clean. The way you do that, repent. Do you know what repentance is?

It's simple. Repentance means to change the way I think. So if I repent of a self-serving emotion that I have taught myself over time to believe, I stop thinking that way. If I repent of a pattern of thoughts that continually cause me to shoot myself in the foot, then I change my way of thinking about that pattern of thought. And if I repent of giving myself over to believing something God never said to begin with and is opposite of what His word actually says, then I change the way that I think. I stop thinking like that. Never mind believing like that. Listen, if you stop thinking a certain way, you will stop believing a certain way.

The two just go together. And the way that we do that includes, you know, regret. Like, I don't want to think like that anymore.

My regret needs to be at least as deep as it needs to be to change my perspective on what is true and what is a lie. So I've said all of that to say here in the context of we are avoiding fear of the things that are going on around us, losing our confidence, losing our perspective, losing our faith-filled confidence in the outcome we prayerfully desire. So now we are in a stewardship mode. Can you see that? And the role that repentance plays in bringing us from when we get way out there, out there in a place that allows us to get into fear, really opens us to fear.

That's my term. Opens us up to fear because it's like an open door. You can tell when the door is open. If the door is open and it's chilly outside, there's a draft. When the door is open to the enemy, you feel the onslaught, the possibility, the vulnerability. So you want that door to be closed. You do that with repentance.

That's what we're talking about. So again, consider an add-on besides stewarding money and time. Steward the thing that you have heard from the Lord because very possibly no one else has heard what you heard. No one else has received the experience from God that you have. It is uniquely for you. You received it from Him.

He customized, carved it out for you, and laid it out as a gift to you. You want to steward all of that. And if that seems like it's monumental, I'm telling you, it's the simplest thing. Just say, yes, I believe that. And then do what He tells you. That's what Mary, the mother of Jesus, said to the servants at the wedding at Cana of Galilee when she said, whatever He says to you, do it. And so when Jesus said to the servants, go fill the water pots, go fill the pots with water, they did.

He turned it into wine, and you know the story. That's the miracle outcome that day. It reminds me of the miracle outcome that we can achieve any time God gives us the intelligence. He gives us the inside scoop. He gives us the experiential knowledge. He gives us everything we need to walk out a miracle. Just like the one at Cana of Galilee, He gives us over to miracles.

If we can just settle in and see that, let it happen. So just one more thing. Even in the midst of all of this, don't be afraid.

A couple of things. First of all, God puts things together. He puts people together. He brings them together for a joint purpose. And as each person supplies their part, it really makes a difference in the success of the whole, which is why it's really important for us not to be crouched down in a corner somewhere, fearful of all that is going on around us.

We have been sewn into a tapestry of the corporate body, and the role that you play, the joint that you supply really makes a difference. Another thing, even in the midst of all of this, don't be afraid. Our heart, our collective heart, is knit together with the people in Israel, especially with the hostages that have been taken captive, their families.

And you know, it would be a hard thing if it weren't for the fact that every available voice that has a platform should be demanding the release of these hostages. Again, this is not hard. This is simple. This is humanity.

This is the basics. This is where we begin and end in our understanding of what needs to take place next. These hostages must be freed unharmed. In the stewardship of what God has given us, and in the midst of all that is taking place, not only are we not afraid, but we use our voice and the platform that we have to demand the release of these hostages. And we say to every satanic force holding humanity hostage, and by the way, not only in Israel, this same scourge is playing out on the world scene around the world. There are many people being tortured and mistreated this way. It is satanic. It's demonic.

Use your voice and your platform. Don't be afraid. And lastly, here's the Bible prophecy.

First Thessalonians 4-13. Encourage each other with this news. The Lord is coming soon. His imminent appearing is at hand. Eminent at hand.

That's the same thing, right? It's so at hand. So imminent. Listen, this is the time to cast off all fear. Be bold. Be vigilant. Use your voice. Use your platform. Do it often in every way that you can and refuse the lie of the enemy. I believe you can, and I believe you will. Hey, this is our time.

So important to be full of confident faith and not the lies of the enemy that tempt us to fear. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support this podcast, please share it with others. Post about it on social media or leave a rating and review. Don't forget to check out the show notes or visit acleartrumpet.org where you can subscribe to Shirley's email list. Download the ministry app and purchase your very own copy of Shirley's 365-Day Devotional, Running with Horses. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time. Bye.