We are talking about Overcoming Fear this month. Fear was my guide nearly all my life and until I broke free from it, I didn’t realize how bound up I was until it broke loose. Here's the last conversation if you missed it.
Today let’s continue the conversation of fear and talk about Worship and the roles Sisters, Boundaries and Intimate Worship play.
Fighting fear with worship, it's a thing.
Worship is not a song we sing or a prayer we say. Worship is the laying down of our heart and head to The Lord, acknowledging His strength and power being greater than ours, His ability to be The Above Else, The Even If, The Great I Am in our lives. He is The One Who can in our can't.
Worships takes us off the center stage. When I find myself beginning to fret, or worry, second guess, it is likely I have hopped up on the stage myself. When I fix my eyes on the fear and try to work it out in my own strength and wisdom, I exhaust myself and end up running circles, or running away!
BUT GOD! When we clear the space to where He is seated on the center stage of our soul, we see Him first and always.
It took many years of praying for discernment of knowing a quick and proper (helpful) response when fear stepped infront of my faith and presented a David vs Goliath Challenge. I used to freeze, now I fight. I fight back with The Sword of the Spirit of Truth and my Heart of Worship.
As Worship increases, so do Faith and Peace. Faith deepens our trust and when we trust deeper, we have Peace and when we have Peace, we have joy and when we have joy....some awe-some things begin to happen.
As we choose to walk courageously against fear, our eyes are set on our Audience of One. The one Who matters most. The One who strengthens us in our weakness. The One able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever think or imagine.
Let’s talk about our 3 helps:
Circle your fears with Sisterhood.
Who you allow to speak in to your day matters. There is no shortage of people to engage with on social networks or in person. At a click of a button, you have access at your fingertips to any opinion out there. We are continually meeting new people, starting jobs, volunteering with others.
This has been a big topic with my new college kiddo - just because you meet someone, doesn't mean they are now your inner circle. We are wise to apply Matt 6:33 even in our relationships. The people we allow sacred space in our hearts influence us at the deepest of levels. How important to guard that gate well!
Can you still be friends with someone who maybe doesn't walk a faith life? Of course. Can you partner with someone who isn't aligned spiritually with you? Well, that's something you definitely want to seek the Lord about. Partnerships are agreements so depending on what you are agreeing about will determine if you should! I love the buddy system in life so for me, I want my buddy to love Jesus so the nothing we do, is a safe place to play, pray and slay!!!
Otherwise, we can easily be distracted in the name of fun or commonality of other things that can slowly pull us away from the Lord. Before we know it, we are standing in a valley unsure where we are. Be in the world, but not of it. He knew we would need the warning because our flesh loves a good time!
Circle your fears with Boundaries.
Worship can be scheduled time block in our day, and to a point it is as I set aside my morning and mid-day time to be with Him, but for me, it's more than a moment I sit and do a thing. For me, it is how I breathe. I move about my day prayerfully considering how to honor the Lord in what I am thinking, saying and doing. Worship is a way of life.
Boundaries for me look like guarding my heart, mind and body with what I give permission to enter in my day, blocking triggers that led me into anxiety or fear.
I do not entertain drama, negativity, or evil, instead I choose to set my eyes on the things from love so my flesh does not fall in to temptation to fret or fear.
Circle your fears with Intimate Worship.
While corporate worship is rich and all encompassing, the most intimate worship we can have is when we find ourselves sitting "quiet" with the Lord. Not necessarily literally quiet, but set aside, quiet from the world, kind of quiet. Where nothing else matters but His voice, His heart.
Worship for me can be anything but quiet, singing at the top of my lungs in the car, belting out my heart's song or in stillness on my paddleboard on the water by myself.
Intimacy is the intention of honesty and purity, a surrendered position.
The enemy would like for you to stay busy, unfocused and feeling scattered so you cannot quiet your mind to worship. Resist him and he will flee at the Name of Jesus.
The more we focus and draw close to Him, Grace fills the space fear left. In grace, We are able to be brave and believe Him at His Word when He says He will never live us or forsake us as He fights our battles with us. In Grace, I am able to rest my head at night and move my feet forward, step by step, day by day. In our courageous steps, joy circles our renewed hope.
The next time you find yourself facing a Goliath named fear, pull out the slingshot of faith and sling some faith-filled worship at it.
Next time you feel fear coming up, worship! Claim the promises of our faithful God who stands before you! He is worthy of our praise!!
If today's encouragement hugged your HEART today, let me know in the comments or meet me over
in my Facebook Sisterhood Community! Feel free to share this blog with a friend who needs a heart hug too!
This is how YOU get to hug my HEART back!
Heart Hugs and Blessings,
Michele
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