Thursday, January 7, 2010
Guy's today is a little longer but I wanted to share a little more of a personal Story with you guys on the topic. Would love any feedback on your own journeys. You can email me or go to the website and click on "comments" below the post. FEAR- I know my needs better “The second way a man can respond to God is out of fear. This response says, I hear clearly what You’re saying, but I just don’t believe You can meet my needs as well as I can. Like pride, fear causes us to reserve control of certain areas of our lives and keep them away from God’s influence. The results can be disastrous.” Every Man pg. 66 How often I have tried to have my needs or wants met outside of God’s ways. Looking back I can see how my actions were motivated out of the fear of losing what I had or not getting what I wanted when I wanted it. Last year was a very challenging year for our business and therefore also our personal finances. What we thought would be a short period of hardship turned into weeks and those weeks became months and as the months ensued, hope and trust that God would come through in ways we had hoped for grew dim. The first part of Proverbs 13:12 kicked in... “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” At first I feared that the Lord would not provide adequately to maintain my standards and I turned to the next best lifesaver, my VISA card. Visa would ensure I don’t loose anything I want or need during these tough times right!? (Side Note: I believe credit cards have become the greatest thief of true community in the body of Christ. Instead of being vulnerable and open about our struggles, we are able to mask and hide them from one another thanks to Visa. It empowers us with sins greatest desire, to keep us in isolation. Secondly Visa allows us to keep holding onto things God may want to strip from of. And thirdly Visa denies us the opportunity as the body of Christ to share in one another’s burdens. We have forgotten how to need others and how to be needed by others.) After about 2 months of fear and my good ol’ trusty friend Visa, I had a conversation with the Lord that went something like this: Rob what is the root of your worry right now? Lord I am not making enough to cover the nut and as the man of my house I am responsible for a wife and kids and making sure there is a roof over their heads and food on the table. Thats honorable Rob but let me ask you, as your Father and as one ultimately responsible for you and your family, have I ever not covered those needs, have you ever been without shelter and food? No Lord, you have always taken care of our basic needs. So your worry, anxiety and fear is not about whether I will take care of your NEEDS. What then is it about? ...about the things I WANT? Like my standard of living, keeping my house which I like, or my two cars and probably even harder, making sure I reach all the dreams and desires I have for my life? Exactly! So my fear is motivated by the things I WANT to have the things I want to keep and the things I want to happen, not necessarily the things I need. Exactly! It was from this time with the Lord that I started to praise the Lord for how He has blessed us as a family with all the things we need! I have begun to turn over my WANTS to the Lord and to no longer take them for myself. Surrendering our hopes and dreams, our desires and wants to God is harder than I thought but I have to believe I serve a Good God who knows when to give and when to take away and I do not want to stand in His way any longer and especially not with my Visa card. Blessings, Rob
So I need to rest in your provision and assurance that you will cover my needs but now trust that you will give and take away everything else as you see fit? That means I have to trust that you are good... 