Hey everyone! Hope you are enjoying the last days of summer (I for one am excited about that because that means FALL!!!).. I know most kiddos are back in school and College students have started this week as well.. So I hope you have a great school year! Stay strong, study hard and have fun :)
 
Today I wanted to share something that many people deal with, including myself, but not many people talk about... Fear.
 
Fear of the unknown. Fear of death. Fear of letting people in....Fear of a broken heart...
 
You name it... everyone has a fear of some kind... And I'm not talking about the fear of spiders and snakes (unless that is something that is a huge difficulty for you and changes your every day life) but even the biggest toughest person has some sort of fear.
 
Fear of the devil and demons. Fear of the dark. Fear of claustrophobia. Fear of large crowds...
 
What is your FEAR? Really think about it.. what makes you the most anxious out of anything else in the world?? You may even have more than one...
 
Something I have been trying to come to grips with, is my own fears. Things have happened in my life that make me paranoid sometimes and if I don't remind myself of truth, then I can get really worked up.
 
I shared in a post a little while back about how my Dad past away when I was 13. In that time I felt a pain that hurt very very badly. A pain that I never want to feel again.. So I developed this fear of losing my loved ones because I was afraid of pain and a broken heart.
 
Ever since I fell in love with Lance.. that fear has started to grow more and more inside of me because I now love him more than anyone else in this entire world. To lose him would be the worst pain I can imagine at this point. Sometimes this fear cripples me.
 
I have a huge imagination and sometimes I find myself daydreaming of these awful scenarios of someone telling me that he is gone, that Lance has died.. that I will never see him again on this earth...how I would react.. what would I do!?... then I start to actually feel that terror in my chest and feel my heart breaking for something that isn't even reality!!
 
I know that statement I just made, might make me seem crazy. But more likely than not, you probably can relate.
 
Usually I will just try to distract myself until I forget about it.. or I'll talk to Lance and he can calm me down pretty fast, especially when we pray together. But not too long ago I was talking with a dear friend and telling them that the Bible is from God.. He gave it to us for a reason.. it is our guide book through this life.. a map of the way we should go.. and the things we can and cannot trust. There is some type of answer or example to the problems we are facing right inside that book that we have readily available to us.
 
So the other day when I was having one of those fear gripped moments, I had to remind myself of my own advice! "What does the Bible say about my problem?" So I looked through the index in the back of my Bible and found every verse that had the word fear or was over the subject of fear.... The Bible has lots to say on this subject actually, because it isn't something new.. I'm not the first person to go through this.
 
After seeing some verses that I have heard before and some not so familiar... I decided that it would be beneficial for me to memorize the scripture that pertains to my issue.. I want to hide God's Words in my heart to keep it from the fear that wants to take hold of it.
 
But above all.. I need to talk directly to the Lord.. tell Him what's going on.. even though He already knows.. He wants us to talk with Him.. tell Him our burdens and lean on Him for strength. He is after all our Father.. and no matter how much we grow up.. we always need our Father.
 
Something I have tried to stick to is PSPT: Pray. Seek. Practice. Trust.
Pray: Like I said, talk with God, ask Him to help you with your problem.
Seek: Look in God's word for what it may say concerning your issue.. You may be praying for an answer and God has already answered you or given you some help in His book!
Practice: Learn and memorize those verses that may help you and comfort you.. you will be able to recall them in your time of need. If God's word tells you to act on something or remove something from your life, then put that to practice and do it.
This one is the hard part for us...
Trust: When it is all said and done... You have prayed.. You have sought... You have practiced... Now you have to Trust. As humans.. there is no one on this earth that we can trust 100%.. even if it's your dear sainted grandmother... we are all flesh and have the ability to lie and break promises. However, God does not. He is perfect and by nature is the purest form of truth. We need to remember that he is not as good as one of us.. He is SO MUCH BETTER! What He says He means.. and when He promises, that doesn't mean maybe. Trust HIM.
 
So I thought I would share with you just some of the verses I found concerning my type of fear or just fear in general.. just incase you have some type of fear too... here are those verses from God. What ever you may be facing..Memorize these verses with me and let us remember them while God helps us overcome this trial.
 
2 Timothy 1:7
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." KJV
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." ESV
 
Psalm 23:1-6
1."The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside still waters. 3. He restoreth my soul: he ladeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for though art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5. Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." KJV
 
"1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever." ESV
 
Psalm 55:22
"Cast they burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." KJV
 
" Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved (shaken)." ESV
 
Psalm56:3-4
"3.What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4.In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." KJV
 
"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" ESV
 
Proverbs 3:25-26
"25.Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26. For he Lord will be thy confidence, and shall keep they foot from being taken." KJV
 
"Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught." ESV
 
Isaiah 12:2
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he is also become my salvation." KJV
 
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." ESV

Romans 8:15
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." KJV

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!" ESV

John 14:27 (This one I have been holding very tight lately)
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." KJV

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." ESV

If you don't know who God is or you don't know why people have a relationship with Him.. Please please message me on facebook and I would love to tell you why :)

Love you all! hope that these verses bring some comfort to your heart today like they do mine.
Comment below and share with everyone any verses that you turn to in tough times.

Love,

Lindsay