Beyond Measure Devotional Sample

Faith Over Fear

Let’s be real. Life.Can.Be.Overwhelming. Some people seem to have more than their share of chaos thrown at them (can I get an AMEN?). If I’m not careful, I can lose sight of the peace that is available to me and allow anxiety and fear to set in. Fear comes when we feel out of control, but the simple truth is that we control very little in our lives. We can only control our actions and what our lives are centered around. Are our lives centered around our child’s condition? Our spouse? Our other children? The church? When our focus is on anything other than God, Satan has a foothold to make us feel overwhelmed and defeated. However, we can step back into the WARRIOR mentality that is available to us through God’s strength.

THREE-STEP APPROACH TO REMOVING FEAR

1. Walk confidently in Christ. This means giving up control (or the illusion of it) and placing Jesus at the center of every area of your life. He takes the focus off of your inability and places it on his all-powerful ability.

2. Cast your cares on God. God can be trusted with every area of your life and with every trial. Be mindful that we often continue to pick up areas of our lives that we have surrendered, especially when it starts to feel out of control again. You may have to cast your fear onto Jesus daily. And that’s OK.

3. Use the sword of the Spirit. “The sword of the Spirit” is a poetic way of saying that the Bible is seriously powerful. Speak God’s promises over your situation, your children, your doctors. Read Ephesians 6:10-17 as a reminder that we need the whole armor of God for battle. Then write it down and put it in a place where you can see it daily.

Dig Deeper

Have you ever considered that the fear you have regarding your child’s condition is a result of losing your confidence in Christ?

Have you considered that this fear is a result of feeling the need to control the uncontrollable?

This week when you start to feel fear creep in, practice using the three steps to combat fear: walk confidently in Christ, cast your cares on God and use the sword of the Spirit.

Prayer

Lord God, I surrender control to you. Thank you for carrying this weight so I don’t have to. I place these heavy burdens — my child’s life, the hard days — in your very trustworthy hands. Thank you for arming me with the sword of the Spirit (your Word) to fight these battles against fear so that I can walk VICTORIOUSLY in you! These things I pray in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.