Laced With Grace

“Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
~ Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

If we are honest we all have fears. Fear of loneliness, fear that we don’t matter to the world, fear of loosing everything we have (family, friends, jobs…), fear of getting old — you name it. Fear in itself is not a sin (my personal opinion), BUT how we handle fear might very well lead to sin…

Let me tell you about a couple of personal fears and how I handled them (and still do). Several years ago my marriage was very rocky — to the point that it might have broken up. In order to save my marriage, I looked at myself and not my beloved. Was there anything I could change to save my marriage? No, but with God’s help I was able to change things that mattered, to make my marriage better.

One other fear I battle every single day is driving. I don’t like it — not so much my own ability of driving, but the ability of other drivers (people do do silly things while driving, you know). How do I get over my fear so I can get in the car and drive where I need to go? I walk around my car and pray for protection.

You see battling fear is not so much within us, but we can ask for His help to see us through. In 2010, Isaiah 41:10 is the verse I ‘claimed’ for myself. I have to admit that I am not much of an Old Testament gal, but when this verse popped up three times in a 48-hour period, I knew the passage was meant for me…

Tonight, before writing our 1,000th devotional (YEAH!!!!), I read Isaiah 41:1-20 (ESV). It has so much promise, so much comfort. Read it yourself (just hover over the passage reference to read it). In the passage, God uses “Fear Not” three times in 20 verses. In 2010 let us comfort each other; strengthen each other as God speaks of in Isaiah 41.

Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank You for Your incredible promise to always be with us, to strengthen us in our walk this side of Heaven. Lord, I pray that You continue to use this blog and its writers to reach out, to comfort, and to pray for others. Lord, may our lips praise Your holy name throughout the next year. May we always be faithful to You; stand firm until Your return. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen

I pray that some of you will join me on the journey of living fearlessly in 2010. The series is based on Max Lucado’s book “Fearless”, which one of you can win the first week of January. Check out my personal blog “Grace Alone” on January 1st to find out more…

Live fearless because of His promise to strengthen you…Happy New Year…

Iris

…Karen from “Mommy of Three“. Congratulations Karen!!!! I will contact you via email to get your snail-mail address.

Thank you all for entering the giveaway. We pray that God may use this blog to encourage you where ever you are at in your life.

Be blessed today and always…

Giveaway is now closed ~ Winner will be announce on Saturday, September 19th

Material from Kitty Designs’ kit “Dream of a Blue Sky”

And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. ~ Matthew 8:26

They’re talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming…Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? (text taken from Max Lucado’s website)

To find out more about the book itself, please visit our very own Lori from Lori’s Reflection. She read the book so she can share her thoughts with us: Fearless by Max Lucado.

To be honest, I can’t wait to get my hands on this book. This spring I listened to Max’s teachings on topic of fear. Yes, I admit, I do fear (plane trips for one). But when fear is starting to overtake my situation, I remember His promise that He will never forsake or leave me (Hebrews 13:5)…

Now to the nitty-gritty part of the giveaway (LWG writers are not eligible to enter – sorry, girls ). The package includes: Fearless – Hard Cover, Fearless – DVD Study, and the Fear Not Promise Book. You have four chances to enter your name into the drawing. Wondering how to get your name four times into the drawing — pretty simple…

• Share the giveaway with your friends on your Blog, Facebook, or Twitter
• Follow Laced with Grace on Twitter
• Follow Laced with Grace on Facebook
• Become a member of the Laced with Grace Blog Frog Community

Please leave a comment on this post for every entry you make. The giveaway will end next Tuesday, September 15th (midnight – EST) with the winner to be announced on Saturday, September 19th.

Remember, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7)

Thank you for stopping by today…blessings to you and yours…