Ever wanted to run and hide? Maybe a friend told you about a horrible wreck, or a bad diagnoses that you fear you might have? What about the fear of losing a job or a loved one. Everyone of us have faced fears and we know the more we talk about that fear, the more we let the wild monster in our mind blow it out of proportion….the bigger it becomes. Right?
It’s a fact that everyone has a certain amount of fear in their heads but we all have a certain amount of faith living up there too. The dusty corners of our mind can be a place of help or hindrances when it comes to sorting things out. Do I schedule an appointment with my doctor? Then when I do…do I obsess about the outcome? Can, I get an “Amen”? If you manage a ranch….and don’t own it, perhaps you fear leaving the ranch. What if the owners sale and the new owners don’t want me? What if the cattle get black leg and they all die…..?? Oh geez, see what I’m saying, it’s so easy to come up with a terrible outcome because we do that all the time!!
You see, we have the ability to either feed our fear or our faith. My fear, according to the statements above were easy for me to come up with…..you know why? Because I have fed that fear several times in my mind. Here ya go fear…eat another cookie, I want you big and fat!!! Did you know we have the same ability to feed our faith. No, this doesn’t exempt us from trouble, it doesn’t mean we never lose a job, or have a bad report, but it can certainly change how we view our circumstances. So if you have trouble, like I do, like we all do….lets explore the possibility of what happens when we feed our faith.
Three ways to feed your faith:
1. Gratitude feeds your faith. Remember what God has done. Try making a gratitude list, giving thanks out loud to God, or how about telling a friend. You’d be surprise how a weary heart can become a hopeful one as you recall the faithfulness of God.
2. Growth feeds your faith. Build your faith by reading, listening to, and teaching others. If you’ve ever learned a new skill, it seems a bit foreign at first, like a new born calf learning to walk! But after awhile….a very short while, you will see that calf hopping around in wonderment. Your faith is the same, it needs stability and truth to make it stand on it’s own two legs. Nobody is exempt from this…..a pastor, a Bible scholar…..nobody. We all have to be growing. Now what about teaching someone else? Learning something is one thing but teaching is a whole different challenge. A challenge that can accelerate your growth. If you feel like you’ve become stale in your spiritual life, it may be time to teach.
3. Be God Dependent. This is a big one. A big, big one!! It’s the one that will keep you off the tied down to the railroad tracks kind of feeling. When we are fearful we operate with a self dependency, we expect to figure it out. Self reliance is limited to our knowledge, strength, or abilities, or who we know. In other words, it falls short of the full and powerful wisdom of God. It doesn’t take into account His limitless source, His infinite wisdom, His teaching, His connection, or His ability.
So what does all this faith building do for us? A multitude of things that are not that hard to recognize. It builds up reassuring thoughts, reminding us of truth at the right moments. Strengthens our resolve. Gives us backbone. Heals a marriage. Binds together family. It reminds us of love, of truth, of God being in control. And these are just a few things. It also reminds us of sin. Brings light in decision making. Brings peace within a struggle. I can go on and on!!! It gives you something to give to others. When you build up your faith, you can’t help but want to share it.
What about you? Have you done more fear feeding or faith feeding lately? If so, what can you do differently? Perhaps you have found some faith building ways that have worked for you….please share! If you are looking for some ideas to spur on your daily devotion time, I will have them in my next post. Please sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss it. Again, as always, Love God…Love People! And thank you for reading……thecowboypastorswife
If you’d like to hear the message that motivated this post please check out John Maxwell’s link here. It’s a good one!!
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