13 Prayers

Further the Kingdom * Glorify God

More Jesus – Lesson 1: Identify

Lesson 1: Identify

Loss of income, the COVID-19 virus itself, safety of loved ones, separation from friends and family, the economy, cabin fever, etc.

There are a million things that could make us fearful.

These are crazy times we live in. The world is grinding to a halt, and we’re all dealing with things we never dreamed of – or maybe they are the stuff in our worst nightmares.

Fortunately, we don’t have to live in FEAR. In fact,

2 Tim. 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a Spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgement.”

Since His GIFT is power, love and sound judgement, it’s pretty clear that fear isn’t where God expected our minds to be set.

So our first lesson here is to Identify what fears we are dealing with. I’m going to insist that you start today with a prayer and a list. I’ll go first:

Dear Father God, as we begin our work to identify the fears that rush at us from all directions, we ask that you open up our hearts and minds to Your TRUTH: we were made for more than this. Thank You for Your peace and Your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Before you begin work on your written list: (Yes. There is power in writing things down. So get out paper and some writing tool. Something. A scrap paper, the back of a bill or junk mail. Anything.) While you prepare, listen to today’s song:

“Fear Is a Liar” – sung by Zach Williams. Songwriters: Jason Ingram, Zach Williams, Jonathan Lindley Smith, (c) Essential Music Publishing

***

A Bit of Study (before you make your list):

Did you catch these things in the lyrics?

1. Fear. HE is a liar. – Read John 8:44. WHO is the liar?

2. Let Your fire fall and CAST out all my fears. – Read Ps. 55:22. On WHOM do we cast our fears?

3. Read John 14:6. – If Satan is the father of lies, Who is Jesus?

When Worry Strikes:

We have been given plenty of instruction on dealing with Fear and Anxiety. It’s time to start putting it into practice.

**Phil. 4:6-7 says (and you may want to copy this Scripture down): “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

What is the instruction to fight fear given here?

  1. prayer (honest, wholehearted conversation with God)
  2. petition with thanksgiving (a request for something you desire)

4. What will be the result?

5. Time to write out your list now. Again, I’ll go first:

  • Family
  • Community
  • Economy
  • my asthma + virus = ???
  • my children and husband
  • my students
  • my elderly mother and mother-in-law
  • getting supplies we need
  • cabin fever
  • the UNKNOWN

Your prompt:

Ps. 91:4-7 says, “He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, not the pestilence that stalks in darkness, not the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”

He will cover you! That is your prompt to act on today. Take your fears and find a way to actually COVER them with MORE JESUS.

 

 

 

I put a germy FEAR and my list of concerns.

 

 

 

 

But…I also bent the paper. So…

 

 

 

 

 

We are covered with His feathers and HIS BLOOD. We do not have to face this thing alone.

Final thoughts:

Scroll back up and reread Phil 4:6-7 again. The VERY NEXT VERSE says, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things.” (Phil 4:8) 

God intends our thoughts to be focused on Him and on things that are:

  • true
  • honorable
  • just
  • pure
  • lovely
  • commendable
  • of moral excellence
  • praiseworthy

So, this week, be more conscious of when FEAR attacks. Don’t let lies be your focus. Instead, focus on TRUTH!

Challenges:

  1. Drink more water. There’s nothing worse than being dehydrated.
  2. Develop a new schedule or continue your usual routine as much as possible while following health guidelines set by those in authority.
  3. Limit your exposure to things that fuel your fears. (news, social media, etc)
  4. Memorize a Bible verse this week.
  5. Spend time in praise and prayer. Make your requests known to God.
  6. Write down at least one thing per day that you are thankful for. I call these “Gracelets” because they are things God has given to me through His Amazing Grace.
  7. Share your verses, your answer to the prompts, your Gracelets and your prayer requests with us on our Facebook Group here.