Daily God Gems

I read an excerpt and share my thoughts on the book, "The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi" by Kathie Lee Gifford and Rabbi Jason Sobel.

Today’s devotional topic is about fear. There are so many situations in this life that can cause fear: fear of loss, having enough income, going to an interview, meeting new people, fear of heights, a spider or snake, contracting a virus, battling a disease, natural disasters, world events such as wars, crime, the economy and a number of things. You can just look at the news and the majority you see can provoke fear. So how do we overcome fear? There's a slogan that we often see that says “Faith over Fear”, but is it really as simple as that? “Faith over Fear” may be easy to say, but how do we actually LIVE it? The way we live it is to draw near to God through prayer and reading His Word. First, we begin by asking God for the strength not to have fear through praying to him. As the scripture says in I John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” This tells us that we can approach God and ask Him to give us strength and confidence to help us overcome whatever fear we're facing and He will hear us and give us the strength. He will give us the tools, the ability and the capacity to overcome that fear and not be afraid. Secondly, start each day reading God’s Word before the craziness of the day overtakes you. And if we start the day with His Word, we can carry that with us throughout the whole day. Reading God’s Word bolsters our confidence, gives us assurance and reminds us of His great promises such as: “He will never leave us or forsake us.” Deuteronomy 31:8 “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.” Romans 8:38-39 “I can do all things through Christ to gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7 I highly recommend reading the book of Psalms. It is a book that is full of prayer and praise. It professes faith and trust in our Almighty God. One really good chapter is Psalm 91: “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” That chapter in Psalms is a wonderful assurance of protection! It is a good scripture to post on a wall or a mirror as a reminder. If we seek God through prayer and spending time in His Word, we will be transformed more each day and our faith will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit that we can overcome fear. Then we can truly LIVE the slogan “Faith over Fear” and live without fear in this world.

Getting Through Tough Days with the Help of God 1) Pray AND Give thanks • Thank God for a body that heals, providing for your needs, giving you people who support you • Make a list of all you are thankful for. This takes the focus off of the troubles and onto the positives. • Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 2) Believe that the next day will be better. Mercies are new every morning. • Lamentations 3:21-25 This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions (mercies) never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him 3) Remember "this is temporary". God is Eternal and has Eternal Glory awaiting us. No more pain, no more tears, no more darkness. • Revelation 21:4-5 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 4) Rest in the promises of God. He promises to carry you and see you through. • Psalm 34:17-18 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. • Isaiah 40:28-31 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 5) Keep fighting, don't give up. God will never leave you or forsake you. • Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. • Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. 6) Focus on things above AND Praise God, sing or listen to worship music • Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. • Philippians 4 – gives us advice about how to get through rough days • Verse 4 Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! • Verses 8-9 Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is purse, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things… And the God of peace will be with you. 7) He will work all things for your good. We grow from our hardships. • Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 8) With our experiences, we are able to understand and have compassion in order to help and comfort others. • II Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 9) We have a high priest who has also been through what we are experiencing in this physical life. • Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Today’s scripture was inspired by a recent trip into the mountains I love seeing flowers when I go for my walks or when my husband and I go hiking up into the mountains. Recently we were up in the mountains and this time of year there is a plethora of wildflowers everywhere. It's just like walking amongst God's beautiful bouquet of flowers and this scripture came to mind: Matthew 6:28-34 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

There is a scripture I turn to when there is something troubling either in my life or something that’s going on in the world. II Corinthians 4:18 We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. That “unseen” is God, His love, and all His promises. It is Jesus Christ, at the right hand of God, interceding for us. It is the Holy Spirit empowering us, comforting us and teaching us. It is as written in I Peter 1:4 – an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you. Situations such as disappointment, sadness, pain, illness, stress, traffic, long lines, a wrong order at a restaurant, a rude interaction, war, politics, disagreements, and so forth are temporary. Here for a time, then gone. None of it will last forever. Psalm 30:5 Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. II Corinthians 4:16-17 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. “Eternal Glory” with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ our Savior … now that is something to fix our eyes on.

My birthday was last week and this scripture in Psalms flooded my thoughts. I read the scripture and share how it impacted me. Psalm 139

Here's the book I am currently reading, "Be Light" by Samuel Rodriguez. I read an excerpt from the book and share my thoughts.

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