Conquering Your Fears

I remember as if it was yesterday when God spoke to my spirit about writing a book. I did not want to take on the task, because of fear. Fear of what others would think when I told them what God was calling me to do. I had to do some long, hard praying, to make sure that I heard Him correctly. When I held the book in my hands for the first time, I thought that I was going to faint, because it was now a reality. The secret that I kept for eight long months was now out in the open. As a first time author eight years ago, I had to learn how

to conquer my fears against those who knew me best. Would they accept my new calling? Or would they perceive it as a joke? At any rate, I trusted God and overcame my fears to be the person that He called me to be. I did not let what others thought of me change the path that God had for my life.

If you do not conquer your fears, God’s plans for your life will be delayed. If He told you to step out on faith and believe in His Word, what else do you need? But, you have allowed others to tell you what you can and cannot do. Some people do not want to see you move forward. So, they use their negative influences to try and hold you back. It’s time to learn your enemies' tactics when they come to poison your mind with self-doubt. They will try every trick in the book to keep you from succeeding and moving forward to a life of prosperity.

Those that pretended to be your friends loved it when you felt defeated and had to lean and depend on their phony support— thinking that they meant you well when they really did not. They gloated over the fact that they had you believing that they were your friends. When all along they stuck close to you to make sure that your dreams would never come to fruition. Look, listen, and learn their schemes. Sometimes people stick close to you in the disguise of fake friendships just to keep feeding you negative information, in hopes to stagnant your plans in life.

Whenever you talk about the positive things that God is doing in your life, watch their conversation turn negative. With God, there is no negativity in what He speaks. God only wants to empower your life through His Words. He wants to set you free from the crippling conversation that has been planted and rooted in your mind by family and friends. God knows that you cannot move forward in Him, until you have mentally and spiritually broken that defeated image of yourself. He wants you to see your self-worth in Him, so that you will not give others the power to destroy your dreams.

I was always told from a very young age, “To have peace inwardly is worth more than money in the bank.” You can sleep at night without a care, knowing that God will protect you from the slander of your enemies— remember talk is cheap. Never give a person power over you, because the moment you do, you will surely be defeated. You cannot choose the family that you were born into, but you can choose your friends and the people that you allow into your life.
 

Fear is your worst enemy, because it causes you to lose your faith. When you complain it brings to reality what you have dreaded the most—failure. There are those that will die in their situations because they cannot see pass their “poor is me attitude.” God told Moses to tell the people, what they feared the most would be the very thing that will destroy them. 

Instead of conquering and living in the land, that God had promised and prepared for them. A land that was already fertile. All they had to do was conquer it and move in, but the Israelites would wander in circles in the wilderness, until all those that complained against God died. Fear was the culprit that caused them not to live the life that He had planned for them. Fear will be the force that will destroy us today. 

The devil will always paint the picture to make it seem as though life was good when people who had control over you were mentally, physically, and spiritually beating you down. As soon as God wants to deliver you from those bad situations and take you to a place where you can be free, you rebel. Satan does not want you to know that through Christ there is deliverance from the negative reports that had you bound to the pressures of life. Whining will only keep you in those predicaments, until you eventually succumb to your situation.

It’s time to rise above the influences of fear and see yourself as the victor in everything that you set out to do. When you have conquered your fears, you can move on to the next chapter of your life. With faith, prayer, and determination, the sky will be the limit for you, because you have finally believed the report of the Lord.

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Spiritual Fitness

On television and radio, infomercials on weight loss, are aired daily. To get the beach body, you want for the summer, commercials and magazine advertisements begin popping up during the holiday season. Slim and muscular actors/actresses are paid by sponsors to educate us on what to eat, drink, and the best type of workout equipment to use. They make claims that buying these items will give you the same bodies, as they.

But, have you ever thought about what it takes to get your spiritual man fit? It also takes the same, if not more dedication and effort to live a healthy Christian lifestyle. Food and liquids are not the temptation in this plight. Sin, is the cause of a believer’s spiritual weight gain. The negative things we partake of become stumbling blocks to our spiritual well-being.

What are the differences between physical and spiritual fitness?

Physical Fitness

A state of physiologic wellbeing, achieved through a combination of good diet, regular physical exercise, and other practices that promotes good health.

Spiritual Fitness

A state of spiritual wellbeing, achieved through faith that comes only by meditating on the Word of God, daily. The study of His sacred word helps the believer to become spiritually strong and fit to conquer any task set before them.

Training our physical bodies cannot help us with life’s challenges and struggles. There are invisible hurdles placed before each of us that only spiritual strength can help us cross. Life, within itself is far more difficult than a marathon, because it is ongoing. Only studying the Word of God can prepare us for this journey. The Hebrew writer advises us to lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily overwhelm us (Hebrews 12:1-2). Sin causes us to pack on the spiritual pounds. Hatred, envy, prejudice, jealousy, malice, and backbiting are excess weights that prevent us from reaching our spiritual potential.

You are not alone in your spiritual weight loss quest. The people you encounter and interact with from day to day struggle with the same challenges, as you. Only some are striving to obtain a corruptible body (tone and sleek) that will return to the dust from whence it came. And Christian’s seek to achieve a glorified body that will one day return to their heavenly Father.

Everyone can win this spiritual fitness challenge, but it takes ridding ourselves of things that will prevent us from doing so. Adultery, evil thoughts, and sexual perversion, etc., no longer have to be the spiritual pounds keeping us from reaching our goals. God’s Word has already given us victory over these obstacles in our lives. Like those who have taken the spiritual weight loss challenge before us and rejoiced over their results, so can we (Hebrews 12:1-2). 

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My Sister's Keeper

Am I my sister’s keeper? In an age where reality shows display demeaning portrayals of women, the question may seem false. With the trash taking, back stabbing, and fighting on national television, the bonds Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” In today’s society, we have depreciated our value and our sisters for fifteen minutes of fame.
of sisterhood have been broken. Our standards, according to God’s Word are lowered. Proverbs 31:10, says, “

Yes, I am my sister’s keeper. When she hurts, I hurt. When she cries I am there to wipe her tears away. My door is always open when she needs a compassionate ear to tell her most intimate secrets too. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. We’re quick to judge and ready to jump ship when our sacred sister need our help the most. Love suffers long. Although we may have heard her despairing stories, a hundred times, love allows us to faithfully tarry beside her.

Why is it hard for women to complement one another?  Often, we become distance and began to bad talk our blessed sister behind her back. Why can’t we rejoice in her blessing? A true sister can celebrate no matter who is receiving the blessing.

The bond of sisterhood is even harder to find in our congregations. We pray, lift holy hands and sing, songs of praises to our Savior, all while hating the sister sitting beside us. In most churches, women fellowship has become extinct, because of envy and jealousy. Is this what God’s virtuous woman have resulted too? Our female ancestors taught their young girls the proper etiquette of behaving and acting like young women. But today’s, elder women are busy trying to be young themselves, leaving the younger generation to figure out womanhood on their own. Proverbs 31:25-26 says, “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

 I will be responsible for leading and guiding my sister back on the right path when she has lost her way. Yes, I’m my sister’s keeper. I vow to use my tongue to build her up, not tire her down. When she needs a shoulder to lean on, I will be the first to offer mine.

Cain killed his brother Abel. Some theologians believed that Cain was jealous of his brother’s sacrifices to God. Stop harboring hatred in your heart, because of the work another sister does for the Lord. God has given each of us a gift. Perfect’ what he has given you, instead of becoming envious of your sister. God is no respecter of persons. The same Lord that blessed your sister has the ability to bless you as well.

It’s time for us to stop killing our sisters with our tongues. Life is hard enough without the little daggers we shoot at each other. Let those with experience, become mentors to our future young women. The time is now to leave a legacy of sisterhood behind that they will be proud to follow. Am I my sister’s keeper? The answer is a resounding, yes.

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