Three Fear-Exterminating Promises to Meditate On

by Kyle Green

Did you know that termites cause billions of dollars worth of property damage each year? I’ll never forget what a colony of those silent destroyers did to a corner of my childhood home. As it turns out, my favorite room of the house was also the favorite room of a wood-munching army. Thankfully, I knew someone I could rely on to exterminate our unwelcome guests.

Fear is a lot like these termites. Without invitation it can creep in and do severe damage to our spiritual condition. The tribulation and circumstances around us can be intimidating, especially when they are beyond our control. Fear can be paralyzing, especially if we don’t know who to call on for deliverance and provision of hope. These words from Proverbs 13:12 ring loud and true: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

The Bible clearly teaches us who we can rely on to exterminate sinful fear. God’s Word gives us three promises to exterminate fear in Psalm 46:1-3.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah”‬

Fear-Exterminating Promise #1: God Is Our Refuge

The promise to believe here is you have supernatural protection; this is divine defense.

In the Old Testament a city of refuge was a safe place for a person who accidentally killed someone to flee to. The city provided asylum to the fugitive by sheltering and protecting them until a trial could be held to determine their guilt or innocence. If, in the judgment of the city elders, the death had occurred accidentally and without intent, the person was allowed to stay there without fear of harm or revenge by the dead person’s relatives (Joshua 20:2-6).

The innocent one who fled to such a city would be well defended by man. In contrast, O Christian, you are supernaturally defended by God himself. Wow! The immovable, invisible God is our Refuge!

This is good news for those who are in Christ. No matter how intense the turbulence gets in our lives, our divine shelter will stand firm. A billion launched nuclear missiles are like peanuts up against our Refuge. The Fortress of Jesus Christ, where God’s children have permanent asylum, cannot be collapsed! Therefore, there is always hope for you!

Fear Exterminating Promise #2: God Is Our Strength

The promise to believe here is your Protector has supernatural power; this is divine offense.

King David’s faith-filled declaration that “God is our strength” is an affirmation that those belonging to him have the benefit of having God’s unmatched fire-power with them. King David was a mere man, but with God behind him he was like an Israeli wrecking ball at war; he won military battle after battle after battle (1 Chronicles 18:1-13). To defend his sheep he even killed bears and lions, with his hands! Not to mention, he is the man responsible for slaying the Philistine giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17). I think King David knows what he is talking about.

Think about how large and powerful the seas of our world are. As intimidating as it can be when the earth’s waters “roar and foam,” they are no match for the God who is our strength.

Compared to God, the mighty forces of earth are like teething infants. For example:

1. When the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army God parted the waters and saved them easier than you can blink an eye (Exodus 14:21-31, Jude 1:5).

2. By God’s Almighty hand, the sea “ceased from its raging” after fear-stricken sailors hurled Jonah overboard (Jonah 1:4, 15).

3. While Christ and his disciples were on the Sea of Galilea a great windstorm arose. Then Jesus arose from his power nap and showed his power! Mark 4:39 says, “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

It’s comforting to remember that the very things we often find ourselves fearing actually have reason to fear our God; they are no match for his omnipotence. Therefore, when we believe and fill our hearts with the promise that “God is our strength,” fear has no room to remain.

What are you afraid of? Everything we fear is cub-sized compared to our Strength, Jesus, the Lion of Judah.

Fear Exterminating Promise #3: God Is A Very Present Help in Trouble

The promise to believe here is our Omnipotent Protector is always with us in times of trouble; this is divine presence.

It would matter little if we had a supernatural protector with unlimited power, if he had a tendency to flee when danger arose. We have the guarantee that he is not only present in our midst, but able and willing to help in times of trouble. This is good news because it highlights God’s unwavering commitment to those He loves (Psalm 117). Look what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said about himself:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” —John 10:11‭-‬15 ESV

Fill in the what’s missing here from Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, _________________________; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Believe the Good News

Jesus Christ has already defeated the most feared of foes! God himself declared the gospel first saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). The excruciating death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross was skull obliterating for Satan. He is a defeated foe! Then, God more than aced the stress test of his power when he performed Jesus Christ’s death-defeating resurrection.

If Jesus has already defeated our greatest enemies, surely He has enough power to deliver us from all the remaining, present, lesser foes. Not only that, the Lord Jesus Christ is soon to return and will permanently exterminate sin and evil. Until then, believe and rely on this:

Jesus Christ is our refuge and strength. Through the Holy Spirit he is a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah‬

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2020/04/three-fear-exterminating-promises/

6 Gospel Promises to Embrace

by Paul David Tripp

Feeling troubled, inadequate, weak, defeated, overwhelmed, alienated, or alone? Here are six gospel promises to embrace today:

1. The Gospel Promises Forgiveness Today

Many of us carry around our sin in a metaphorical backpack of regret, bruising our spiritual shoulders and breaking the back of our faith. Jesus took the weight of our sin on himself so that we wouldn’t have to carry it any longer. He says that he will remember our sins no more but will separate us from those sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

What freedom is found here! We don’t have to live imprisoned by fear, paralyzed by regret, or trapped in the darkness of guilt and shame when Christ offers complete forgiveness.

2. The Gospel Promises Deliverance Today

Christ came not only to forgive our sins, but to deliver us from them. On the Cross, he broke the power of sin’s mastery over us (see Romans 6:1–14). Because the Holy Spirit lives inside you, you have the ability today to say “no” to sin and “yes” to righteousness. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is living within you (Ephesians 1:19-20).

3. The Gospel Promises Restoration Today

It’s tempting to look back on our lives with regret, wishing we could rewind time. The timing of the Restorer is always perfect; the years haven’t been wasted. In his sovereign love, God has been bringing us to this point of insight and conviction at just the right moment, and he promises to restore what has been lost in the process so that we will not be put to shame (see Joel 2:25-27).

4. The Gospel Promises Reconciliation Today

At the heart of the gospel narrative is the coming of the Prince of Peace. In him, we find reconciliation not only with God, but with one another. He’s the only One who can destroy the walls that separate people (Ephesians 2:14–18).

Malachi 4:6 says, “He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” Jesus asked the Father that the church would be a community of unity and love (John 17:20–23). Today, the gospel promises hope where your relationships have been damaged or even destroyed.

5. The Gospel Promises Wisdom Today

James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). We may be blind, but we are promised sight because “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden in Christ (Colossians 2:3). The invitation is simple: “Come, ask, and I will give!”

6. The Gospel Promises Mercy Today

Jesus was tempted as we are in every point, so he understands and sympathizes with our weaknesses. We can come to him and find mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14–16).

In the hardest of situations or the most trying of relationships, we never stand alone. We are in Christ, and in him, we can do what would otherwise be impossible.

Remind yourself of these six daily gospel promises as you look forward to the gospel promise of eternity!

God bless,

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

How can you embrace each of these six gospel promises this week? Be specific in your application:

1. Forgiveness. What regrets are you holding onto that Christ has forgiven? How are these potentially crushing and restricting your faith?

2. Deliverance. What sins are you struggling with most today? Have you fallen into believing that you cannot break free? What steps can you take to experience deliverance?

3. Restoration. What has God recently revealed to you (at just the right time) that needs to be restored in your life? What steps can you take towards restoration?

4. Reconciliation. With whom do you need to reconcile? What selfish motives, desires, words, and actions do you need to confess before reconciliation can happen?

5. Wisdom. Where are you feeling unable? Have you asked God for wisdom for that area where you are experiencing weakness and fear?

6. Mercy. How did Christ experience what you are struggling with? Think of examples from his earthly life and ministry. How should this comfort and strengthen you?

Posted at: https://www.paultripp.com/wednesdays-word/posts/six-gospel-promises-to-embrace-today?fbclid=IwAR3xtW8zBwSQIiTe3Z335FPq1QGwGExyxekQDnrIMYthC9xxoBLxWF0SNyk

When the Future Feels Impossible

Article by Vaneetha Rendall Risner

A dear friend of mine is walking through a heartbreaking illness.

When I heard the news, I was shaken. I, who write about suffering, had no words to offer. What could I say anyway? Words seemed inadequate. Trite. Even condescending. How do you encourage someone who is beginning a devastating journey into the unknown?

It takes me a few days to process what’s happening. Our friends are all struggling to process it too. As we pray, we try to remind ourselves of the truths we know. Bedrock truths that have carried us through our own grief. Truths that every Christian can hold onto. Truths that will bear the weight of our sorrow.

He Controls the World

First and foremost, God is sovereign. Nothing that happens to us is a surprise to him. Not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father’s will (Matthew 10:29). On the contrary, everything that we face has been put there with a purpose. We can trust that it is the best for us. And hard as it is to understand, the struggles that land on our doorstep are also for the good of our family, for our friends, for everyone we love, if they love God.

“Everything that we face has been put there with a purpose.”

Yet even as I write this, thinking that our suffering ultimately will be best for our loved ones sounds crazy. Guaranteeing it sounds impossible. But the God of the universe, who keeps the earth spinning on its axis, who tells the ocean to come this far and no farther (Job 38:11), who commands the wind and the waves (Mark 4:41), who clothes the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28–30), and who has numbered the hairs on our head (Luke 12:7) can ensure that all things work together for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28).

God loves us. He watched his Son die a horrible death, separated from him in his last hours, so that we would never be separated from him. He wants to be with us, to take care of us, and to give us good gifts. How could he, who did not spare his own Son, not give us all things (Romans 8:32)?

He Walks with Us

God has numbered our days. All the days ordained for us were written in his book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). Nothing can cut short our lives. No one will live one second less than God determined before the foundation of the world.

God walks with us every minute of our lives. Jesus says, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). God says to Joshua, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). When we walk through the rivers, they will not overwhelm us, because the Lord walks through them with us (Isaiah 43:2).

We never drink the bitter cup or endure any pain without him.

He Will Come Through

“We never drink the bitter cup or endure any pain without him.”

Christ is with us and will give us the comfort and strength we need each day. As Deuteronomy 33:25 assures us, “As your days, so shall your strength be.”

Octavius Winslow, a preacher in England in the 1800’s, reminds us that God gives us more than we need in our hour of suffering. He says, “Has not the Lord always been better than all your troubling anticipations, quelling your fears, reassuring your doubting mind, and hearing you gently and safely through the hour of suffering which you dreaded? Then trust him now! Never, never will he forsake you!”

Yet despite God’s past faithfulness, one of our biggest concerns is whether the Lord will be with us in future trials. John Ross MacDuff, a Scottish contemporary of Winslow, understands this fear. He says,

God does not give grace till the hour of trial comes. But when it does come, the amount of grace and the nature of the special grace required is vouchsafed. My soul, do not dwell with painful apprehension on the future. Do not anticipate coming sorrows; perplexing thyself with the grace needed for future emergencies; tomorrow will bring its promised grace along with tomorrow’s trials . . . and the strength which the hour of trial brings often makes the Christian a wonder to himself!

No Matter What Happens

We don’t need to understand now how we will face the future. God will give us all we need every day we have breath. And when we breathe our last on earth, the Lord will bring us safely to heaven so that we can enjoy him forever.

“We don’t need to understand now how we will face the future.”

One day our eyes will close in death and open to the breathtaking reality that we are in the presence of our Savior. We will feel more alive, more vibrant, more energetic, and more joyful than we ever have on earth. The God whom we have known but never seen will be before us. We will behold his glory with our own eyes, with no distortion or filter. Our souls will be completely at rest and at peace, filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. It will be glorious. That is our hope. Our promise. Our anchor.

These are the truths we as Christians base our lives on. They are sure and unchanging promises, guaranteed by the One who holds the universe. No matter what happens, we will never walk alone.

Vaneetha Rendall Risner is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to Desiring God. She blogs at danceintherain.com, although she doesn’t like rain and has no sense of rhythm. Vaneetha is married to Joel and has two daughters, Katie and Kristi. She and Joel live in Raleigh, North Carolina. Vaneetha is the author of the book The Scars That Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/when-the-future-feels-impossible

Submit Your Dream to God

Article by Lara D'entremont

I held my rounded belly as I walked up the wooden, uneven stairs. We delayed their renovation until after the baby’s room was done. Almost everything was unfinished on the second floor of our house. The walls still had floral and striped wallpaper (and who knows what other colours underneath), the floors were chipboard, and there were boxes we still had no place for after living here almost a year. Some days I liked my dreams coming true: the walls having fresh paint, my bare feet walking on clean hardwood, and bright sunlight filling the spaces. But I knew that was still a number of months down the road.

If you asked me what I envisioned for my life, this was far from it. I would have told you about my plans to live in the city, work in a church, and use my Master’s in Biblical Counselling. Maybe I’d tell you about our cute house in the cul-de-sac with a modern farmhouse feeling. I would have told you children were in the picture, but not until I was 28.

And yet, here I was—21 years old, working as a babysitter and “Mommy Helper,” without a degree, and pregnant with my first. The only common denominator was my faithful husband. There were days I felt like my dreams were crushed by the sovereign hand of God.

Has life not turned out the way you dreamed? Maybe you thought you would have a growing family with babies and toddlers in tow—but your arms still remain empty. Perhaps you saw yourself going out on double dates with your married friends by now—yet, you are the only one who is still single. Maybe you saw yourself with a nicer and better-paying job at this point—but you still push grocery items on a conveyor belt.

Worshiping Our Dreams

Do you worship your dreams? I know I did. I held my dreams higher than God at times, and pursued my dreams more than I pursued holiness. There were times I was willing to sin to get my dreams. In my heart, I had pushed God aside and placed my dreams in his place.

Have you ever considered that these dreams you have might be an idol? Even if your dreams are good—like having a godly husband—our hearts can still worship them.

Since the lines can at times become fuzzy, here are a few ways to see if your dream has become an idol. You…

• are willing to or have sinned in attempt to achieve it.

• become sinfully angry when you can’t have it.

• are willing to hurt others to get it.

• put off obedience to God in the ways he has already called you in order to achieve it.

• often think, “Without [insert your dream], I will never be happy.”

Before you can find hope again from your unrealized dreams, you need to first let go of this idolatry. God needs to be the One you delight in most. In recognizing this idolatry in your heart, start by repenting and asking God for forgiveness. Confess to him how you have placed this dream over him and the ways you have disobeyed him in order to get it. Then seek to know God more. As you grow in the knowledge of God, you will see how he is much better than your dream and how inferior your dream is to him.

Finding Hope In God’s Sovereignty and Wisdom

We know that God is sovereign. All of our plans and dreams pass through his hands first. If they are realized, then we know it was in his will for them to be fulfilled. But if they do not, we know that it was him who sovereignly chose to keep them from us.

This should give us great comfort. We are sinful and unwise people—if our plans and dreams always turned out the way we wanted, our lives would be a mess. When things go wrong, we would have no hope of them turning out for the better. Since God is sovereign, we can have hope even when our plans and dreams aren’t realized. We know God works together all things for good (Romans 8:28-30).

What is that ultimate good? When our dreams are crushed and we can’t see the goodness in it, we can know that the true goodness began with our salvation. When God rescued us sinners from the condemnation to hell our sin had sentenced us to, he began a good work in us that he promises to see to completion: Our sanctification—being made more like Christ.

We know that God is also much wiser than us. He knows what will make us more like Christ, which should be our ultimate goal (or dream). Isaiah declares:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

   neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

   so are my ways higher than your ways

   and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

In God’s greater wisdom, he decides which way our lives turn. Even though our way may seem like the best way at the time, we can trust that God’s is better. His ways are higher in his great wisdom. Rather than questioning his choices, we need to learn to accept what he gives and what he withholds.

In our pain, and when what we want is good and right, this isn’t always easy to do. But we must preach the truth to our hearts in those times and remind ourselves of his perfect character. Take hope today in your crushed dreams that every “gift”—whether it is something given or something withheld—is perfect when it is from God.

We can also cling to a better and certain dream. Because we bear Christ’s mark of salvation, we can trust that we will one day meet Christ, face-to-face, fully redeemed from sin and taken from this sinful work  wrecked with heartache, disappointment, death, and pain, and enter into eternal life where all is perfect and at peace. We will enter eternity with Christ, and spend all of time with him in the most perfect place. When our dreams are dashed, this is a much greater hope.

A New Dream

I had specific dreams for my life. Thankfully, God doesn’t work according to my desires. He works according to his, which are beyond my wisdom. And by his greater wisdom, he gave me something better.

I wanted to live in a big city where opportunities and people abound. But God had different plans for us. He began by softening our hearts for the people in the small town around us through youth group and our church. From there, he provided the perfect house for us.

Rather than pursuing a degree, God led me to ACBC certification, through which I’ve grown immensely. Rather than waiting to have children, God has blessed us with a healthy baby boy. And, rather than having a fancy office job in a church, I got the opportunity to work for two mothers in our community—who help me learn about being a godly wife and mom. Working for these two mothers has also blessed me with the ability to provide for my household and invest time into my writing.

Some days it’s hard to see the “better” in this dream, and some days I struggle to be thankful when I see others living out my previous dream. But God is working on my heart, and I am growing in contentment and joy for this new life God has graciously given us.

You may not be able to see it now, but God has a better dream for you. I’m not saying all will turn out well according to the world’s standards, or even your standards, but I do know that it all will turn out according to God’s will, which is the best thing that could ever happen for your life.

Lara D'entremont

Lara d’Entremont is a biblical counsellor in training, youth leader, and writer. She is a wife to Daniel and they serve at Clark’s Harbour United Baptist ‘Stone’ Church. You can read more of her writing on her blog, Renewed In Truth, where she teaches women about God’s Word and helps them make theology practical.

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2018/10/submitting-our-dreams-god/

Your Morning Will Come Trusting God in the Darkest Nights

Article by  Jared Mellinger, Pastor, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

We took our 2-year-old daughter to the hospital for what we thought would be an ordinary visit. I threw in my bag the two books I had been reading that day. One was by a Christian leader diagnosed at age 39 with a rare form of incurable cancer. The other was a book on Romans 8 by Ray Ortlund, who writes, “A strong confidence in God’s loving intentions and enveloping care fortifies us to face whatever life throws at us.”

That same day, life threw something big at me. While we were at the hospital my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, which has been the deepest sorrow I have known and the greatest threat to my hope. Currently, our daughter continues her treatment. More than ever before, my soul needs to know how to face the future without fear. Where can we turn when the cares of our hearts are many, and fears threaten to overwhelm us?

Whispers in the Dark

No one is better equipped to speak to our fears than Jesus Christ. On the night before he was crucified, he helped his disciples as they considered their future and were fearful, distressed, and lonely. He said to them, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). And Jesus not only gives the command; he speaks truths designed to lead them from fear to faith. He gives them good news about their future.

The answer is not to stop thinking about the future. Rather, we overcome fear of the future by remembering our future in Christ. That night, when confidence was waning, and the disciples were troubled by the days to come, Jesus reminded them that he was going to prepare a place for them (John 14:3). He said that he will give them a Helper, the presence of the Spirit for power and comfort and instruction, to be with them forever (John 14:16). Jesus gives his disciples the promise of eternal life with God: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

I naturally spend more time dwelling on what I don’t know about my future than what I do. But the word of God reveals glorious truths about our future in Christ. What we know about the future needs to shape the way we view what we don’t know.

More Grace Will Come

One morning, when my daughter was so weak from battling cancer that she could not walk, and our family was more exhausted than we have ever been, my wife read a Charles Spurgeon quote to me from the book Beside Still Waters. She read it through tears. They were tears of sorrow, tears of comfort, tears of hope.

We have great demands, but Christ has great supplies. Between here and heaven, we may have greater wants than we have yet known. But all along the journey, every resting place is ready; provisions are laid up, good cheer is stored, and nothing has been overlooked. The commissary of the eternal is absolutely perfect.

Military posts usually include a commissary, which is a store of food and supplies. Our needs are many, but Christ knows all of our needs and has already prepared to meet them. Nothing has been overlooked. God promises to provide for our future needs by giving us future grace. We are poor in ourselves, but we will find riches of grace in Christ.

Godly Optimism

Those who belong to Christ have every reason to be optimistic about the future. Hope dominates our outlook. We look at everything that could possibly come our way in life and consider ourselves more than conquerors. Randy Alcorn says, “Because of the certainty of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and his promises, biblical realism is optimism.”

The Bible promotes optimism, but it is a certain kind of optimism. It is not the secular optimism of positive thinking, or the natural optimism of a laid-back personality, but the godly optimism of Christian hope. True hope endures in the darkness. It is through tears of faith-led lament that we see the beauty of our hope most clearly. Godly optimism is marked by realism and mixed with grief. We know that in this world we will have trouble, but we take heart trusting the one who has overcome the world (John 16:33). Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Why Your Future Is Bright

What do we know about the days to come? We know that for every changing circumstance, there is new mercy from our faithful God (Lamentations 3:22–23). We know that whatever trials we face, God will be with us to guide and preserve us (Isaiah 43:2). We know that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38–39).

You don’t know everything about your future, but you know the most important parts:

• God will be with you.
• Christ will intercede for you.
• The Holy Spirit will empower you.
• God will supply your needs.
• The risen Lord will protect you.
• The love of God will keep you.
• All things will work for your good.
• The defeat of sin and death is sure.
• You will see Christ face to face.
• You will worship the Lamb who was slain.
• Your body will be resurrected.
• Your sorrows will be no more.
• You will be with loved ones in Christ.
• You will be richly rewarded.
• Christ will make all things new.

We often fall short of the hope and courage we ought to have as Christians. But day by day, Christ is changing us and empowering us to face the future with confidence in him. Therefore, be strong in the Lord Jesus. Let your heart take courage. Look to the days ahead with joy-filled hope.

By the grace of God, we are learning to expect a bright tomorrow. If you trust him, your morning will come.

Jared Mellinger (@JMellinger) is senior pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. He’s married to Meghan, has six children, and is the author of Think Again: Relief from the Burden of Introspection and A Bright Tomorrow: Facing the Future without Fear.

Article posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/your-morning-will-come