CELEBRATING FEAR

This weekend a Halloween celebration turned deadly. Tens of thousands of revelers - many in their teens and twenties and dressed in costume - crowded into narrow streets and alleyways of the Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday, October 29, 2022 for the first virtually unrestricted Halloween festivities following three years of COVID group gathering restrictions. In this case so many crowded into an alleyway that was already overcrowded. The press of the crowd became so great people were crushed to death while still standing. The death toll has climbed to 154 with another 149 people injured (33 of them in serious condition). At least 26 citizens from 14 countries were found among the dead, one of them an American high school senior. What a price to pay for celebrating fear. 

 

When I was a young adult, before entering Mission School, I celebrated Halloween by dressing up in costume, going to Halloween parties, giving out candy to all the kids who came to my door. There were contests at work and at the parties with prizes for the scariest costumes. It was a holiday celebration and has been a part of American culture since the 19th Century when its traditions were brought by Irish and Scottish immigrants. Many of the traditions come from Celtic influenced nations including Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. When I was in mission school I wrote a paper on how to evangelize in Wales and in my research I came across a lot of these traditions which were part of Druidism, an old religion practiced long before Christianity came to Wales. My research was enough to stop me from participating in anything that has to do with Halloween. 

 

I challenge you to research on your own the traditions and practices of Halloween and then prayerfully decide if you will continue to celebrate this Festival of Fear. 

 

“Then he said to me, “It is done! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the thirsty water without price from the fountain of life. The victorious shall inherit these things, and I will be God to him and he will be son to me. But as for the cowards, the faithless and the corrupt, the murderers, the traffickers in sex and sorcery, the worshippers of idols and all liars—their inheritance is in the lake which burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 PHILLIPS 

 

TO MY FELLOW PRINCESSES:

As a little girl I used to wish I was secretly a princess and someday would be revealed to the world as Princess Linda. Much to my surprise, when I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, I was accepted into the Kingdom where I am currently a child of God, the King of Kings (Luke 20:35, 36; Romans 8:16, 17; 9:25-27; 1 Timothy 6:14-16; Revelation 17:14; 19:16)...I AM a princess...and "He's coming again, on a white horse He'll ride. He'll clothe me and crown me, and He'll make me His bride"! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrPsjYa1xyI

He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not...HE LOVES ME!

 

“And men's hearts will fail them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:26 GNV)

What happens when men’s hearts fail them? How does fear become such a stronghold in our lives? It happens when we take our eyes off the Lord and look at everything going on around us. Today it is the war between Russia and the Ukraine.

I was watching the news today and the network I was watching did a segment on the women and children inside the subways of Kyiv, Ukraine. Women are even delivering their babies in make-shift shelters in the subways. Many women were interviewed and they asked for other nations of the world to help them, they asked for prayer the safety of their loved ones, and a safe place to stay for the night. I felt the hopelessness and fear gripping these women and their children. Then back in the U.S. headquarters the correspondents discussed a subject that I had not even considered, “What we should do or say when our own children ask about the war and what they see on the news?” They then went through a list of suggestions on what to say or do.

“And men’s hearts will fail them for fear…” Why are these things making us fearful? The pastor of my church preached along the same lines this week; putting God as the first priority and staying focused on Him and keeping Him as first priority on a daily basis.

I try with all my heart to serve you.. Help me obey your commands. I will study your instructions. will give thought to your way of life. I study your teachings very carefully so that I will not sin against you. (Psalm 119:10, 15, 11 ERV)

Fear is the opposite of faith. When we are obedient to the Lord in all circumstances "He drives out fear so that we can act in faith..." Consider King David (1 Samuel 17) and how David could have been fearful when he faced Goliath but instead he had faith in God and acted on it.

I do not know about you but I struggle trying to act and stand by faith. When I asked the Lord to help he responded to me, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples.” It is not a once-and-for-all thing/ it is an ever-chasing after Him thing. We need to disciple ourselves on a regular, daily basis to read His word and be aware of His Anointed Presence throughout each day. Once we spend this kind of quality time with Him we will know how to stand victorious over the challenging times in this world around us, live ever closer and intimate with God’s selfless love, and dwell in that “Perfect” love that casts out sin.

“But whoever [habitually] keeps His word and obeys His precepts [and treasures His message in its entirety], in him the love of God has truly been perfected [it is completed and has reached maturity]. By this we know [for certain] that we are in Him: (1 John 2:5 AMP)

John 17:23

2 Corinthians 13:11

1 John 2:5; 3:10; 4:8, 12,17-18

Deuteronomy 30:20

Micah 6:8

Zephaniah 3:17

Mark 12:30

Romans 5:5

Romans 8:38-39

THE LORD WILL PROVIDE

 

“So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide.  And it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”  -Genesis 22:14 AMP

I was reading in Genesis and I came across this verse at the end of the story where Abraham was tested by God in regards to sacrificing his only son.  Abraham took two servants, his son (Isaac was estimated to be about twenty-five years old according the ancient historian Josephus at this time), the split wood, and the fire embers carried in a “fire pot” (a common practice for keeping fires in Abraham’s time).  After going some ways he told his two servants, “…stay here with the donkey and I and the young man will go yonder and worship and come again to you” (vs. 5).  From this statement we can see that Abraham still believed God’s promise that Isaac’s (as yet unborn) children would inherit the promises made to Abraham.  Abraham and Isaac arrived at the location God directed for the sacrifice then “Abraham built and altar there; then he laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar on the wood” (vs. 9b).  Think about it; Isaac must have also believed God’s promise or else he (in a full man’s strength) would not have allowed his father to bind him and put him on the altar.  Just as Abraham lifted his knife to slay his son God stopped him and provided a ram.  The ram was not there a few minutes before.  It appeared just in time:  God’s time.

Abraham went to the “mount of the Lord” and God spoke with and provided for him.  Going to the mount of the Lord, making an altar and offering a sacrifice was a form of worship for him.  We may not sacrifice physical animals in our day and time but there are other sacrifices we make.  We give of our money, time, effort, and intellect (ideas and guidance) to the work of our churches, local ministries, and mission efforts (just to name a few things).  Yet are we giving because it is expected of us?  I think the most important sacrifice we can offer the Lord is making the effort to spend quality time with just Him.  I have observed how we often get so busy with our lives that we do almost everything by habit.  I know I have.  Am I saying that giving of our money, time, and effort is a bad thing?  No.  Yet if it robs us of just being in the Lord’s Presence, reading His Word for ourselves, and listening to what He has to say, then yes it is!

Going to “the mount of the Lord” is meeting and spending time with Him.  If you do not spend time reading God’s Word in a quiet setting on a regular basis I encourage you to start doing so.  I have made this my regular routine first thing every morning and have grown in my walk with the Lord by leaps and bounds.  I am filled with peace and joy no matter what my day is like when I spend quality time with Him every morning.  He is my “Alpha” the One Who I spend my first moments with every morning, and “Omega” the One Who I spend my last waking moments with before I go to sleep.  But do not let me tell you what spending time in His Word can do for you…let His Word tell you:

“God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light. God’s laws are pure, eternal, just.  They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb.” – Psalm 19:7-10 (TLB)

“But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” –Matthew 4:4 (AMP); Luke 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3

What words are you living by?  Go to the “mount of the Lord” and get your provision today!