During Pre-Service prayer at the youth ministry I'm in, Paradigm, we were praying for the students that were about to come in- asking God to radically impact their lives. Tonight's prayer was especially focused, due to a great charge from Nathan (adult leader; head of the prayer team).
We normally have prompts on the screen as we pray for the thirty minutes before service starts that keep us focused and unified in our prayers. One of them, one they put up every week, listed things that needed to be broken off of the students. The first on the list was fear.
I felt like God dropped something on my heart then and there.
We're afraid.
I began to war for the students, and especially for we leaders, because fear so effectively holds us back. It's a fantastic tool that Satan uses to tie us down and keep us from stepping out in faith. Fear keeps us from fully pursuing God, it holds us back from reaching the promises of God. Fear tells us we need to fit into the world's mold and it tells us it's a bad idea to live counter-culturally.
But that's exactly what we need! We need Christians to rise up and live like their lives are devoted to God, not themselves. We need our leaders to step out and stand for God, even if it means we're different.
If Christianity were all about being like everyone else, what's the point? If Christ doesn't change you, why are you doing this?
We tend to cling to our fear- to hide behind it, using it as our shield. Guess what- we don't need it. God promises that we can rest under the shadow of his wing (Psalm 57). Let Him be your shield. Step out and trust Him.
Don't settle into a mediocre walk with God. It's a walk with GOD for goodness sake! Live it passionately and live it whole-heartedly. Don't let fear hold you back, because it only ends up cheating you out of enjoying the true depths of His love. When you let go of your fear, you can go to new heights and depths with your Savior.
2 Timothy 1:7(NKJV)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Have a blessed day!
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1 responses:
That's a great post!
God had been showing me earlier in the year how fearful i am. So i made it one of my goals this year, to conquer my fears.
But Nathan did so good this Wednesday!! And PSP kicked butt. Meaning, it kicked satan's butt for sure!!
~Danae(:
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