Monday, March 15, 2010

Vision Trumps Fear

God is All Powerful

 So the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."  I was very much afraid, 
Nehemiah 2:2

Our greatest obstacle to accomplishing a goal is fear.  Fear can conjure up a slew of reasons why the task can not be accomplished.  Fear can immobilize. Fear can stop us dead in our tracks.  So how can we resist or defeat fear?

When Nehemiah stepped into his vision to rebuild the broken walls and gates around Jerusalem, he was afraid to approach the King to ask for permission and resources.  Knowing this was a grand vision from God, Nehemiah’s fear dissolved when he placed his confidence in God.  Ultimately, his vision became reality, an inspiration to many as he was able to accomplish an unbelievable task, a “God-sized” goal -- all because Nehemiah overcame his fear by trusting God.

We all have a dream or a vision to be passionate about -- a vision about our lives, our careers, our families, our finances ….So what is stopping you?  Is your fear bigger than your vision and greater than your faith? 

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11  

Because God is all powerful, we can accomplish great things when we trust God with the outcome.
 

Monday, March 1, 2010

Rejected Again?


God is Love


We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  II Corinthians 4:8-9

Kimberly Kennedy’s book Left at the Alter is a heart-wrenching depiction of rejection.  Could you imagine being told the night before your wedding that you would not be getting married the next day; that you were not loved by the person that you loved the most…?  No one likes rejection.  But it seems more common than we’d like to think – a rejected business proposal, a rejected invitation; a rejected date, or rejected affection…the list goes on. 

Even Jesus was rejected.  After his arrest, some of his best friends would not claim they knew him for fear they would suffer.  Isn’t it ironic that Jesus, the one who will never reject us is the one we so often reject?  He stands at the door and knocks, he wants to be a part of our life but so often we are too busy, too prideful, or perhaps, too foolish to accept Him… So why not run to God if you never have; or run back to God if you have strayed away?  Man may reject us, but God’s love for us is unchanging and we do not have to fear being rejected no matter what we do or say or think. 

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.  Revelation 3:20

Because God is Love, He will never reject you.