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Cover up for fear


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#1 JimmyS

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Posted 06 February 2012 - 09:12 AM

I read the Simpson devotional this morning, and it was about being selfless, and praying for others. Often times when I pray for myself, it is a cover-up for my own fears about God providing for me and my family. MY prayers become fear driven, and are offered up to God as token prayers all too often. However, when I begin to pray for others, that fear begins to leave me, and I begin to experience what Jesus was talking about when HE said "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." When others take precedence over my own life, that is when I see God's power manifesting in my life. I am learning to not use prayers about myself as a cover up for fear, and rather thanking Jesus for what he does, and continues to do for my family and I and those around us.

#2 Matthew Holmes

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Posted 09 February 2012 - 02:11 PM

I needed to hear that today. Thanks.

#3 Laurie Collett

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Posted 12 February 2012 - 09:19 PM

I read the Simpson devotional this morning, and it was about being selfless, and praying for others. Often times when I pray for myself, it is a cover-up for my own fears about God providing for me and my family. MY prayers become fear driven, and are offered up to God as token prayers all too often. However, when I begin to pray for others, that fear begins to leave me, and I begin to experience what Jesus was talking about when HE said "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." When others take precedence over my own life, that is when I see God's power manifesting in my life. I am learning to not use prayers about myself as a cover up for fear, and rather thanking Jesus for what he does, and continues to do for my family and I and those around us.


Intercessory prayer, if offered up in love, is effective; it changes us by putting our own issues in perspective and giving us a servant's heart; and it pleases Him. Faith that prayer works and that He is faithful to hear and answer us is a perfect antidote for fear.

Laurie Collett, Saved by Grace
http://savedbygraceb...y.blogspot.com/

#4 Travis Richey

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Posted 18 February 2012 - 10:42 AM

As I read your post, I felt a hearty "Amen" welling up within me. I do agree with your premise, but I am also reminded that as Peter states, "Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully." I believe we do have to "surrender it all", even our fears, worries and anxieties in prayer to God. Then, as we receive the assurance of the Holy Spirit, we do not have to continually carry them to God, for that would mean that we aren't leaving them there, but taking them up...and that would be a symptom of a weak faith...feeling that God might not take care of them, and we best keep them for us to try and handle.

Of course, as we go through life, and the changing seasons of life, there will be new and different fears that assail us, and those will need to be "cast upon the Lord" and then left there also. So I still believe we need to take the time to pray for ourselves, even as we devote time to praying for others. Jesus gives us that example in the three-fold prayer we are given in John 17 where He prays first for Himself, then for His Disciples, and then for us. And in the garden just prior to His Crucifiction, He was burdened, and did indeed pray for Himself even as He prepared for the ultimate intercession.

#5 KellyD2011

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Posted 23 February 2012 - 09:07 PM

Jimmy i can definitely relate to what you are saying about fear, whether God will provide. I was at one time enslaved to that fear until the Holy Spirit enabled me to see deeper into what the real problem was. I learned that my fear concerning provisions from GOD was the by product of unbelief. I have learned in my walk with GOD that as we grow in faith we essentially are growing from one degree of belief in God to a higher degree of belief in GOD.

2 peter 3:18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen

We have to continually grow from one degree of faith to another as we walk this pilgrim walk. The Lord said in Mathew 6:31-32 "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?'These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Christ emphasized food, and drink and clothing to draw our attention to food and drink and clothing. And what is food and drink, it is what sustains life for all creation. What is clothing, it covers our nakedness. All other things are secondary to these. We can go without many things, however uncomfortable it may be, but we can not go without food and drink, and we can't be in this world naked, these are our greatest needs above all things physically in this world. These things we absolutely can not go without. What is Christ telling us? He is telling us that, if He will supply our greatest need, surely He will supply every thing else which is secondary to the greater, according to what He knows we need. The question the Holy Spirit put to me was plain. "Now, Kelly, do you believe this?" my fear and anxiety was my evidence that I didnt. So my prayer then changed, to "Lord help me to believe You" When the disciples inquired from the Lord what are the great works of God that they should be doing, the Lords answere to them and to us was simply; John 6:29 Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." Believing in Christ is believing in all that He has done, all of who He is, all that He will do and all that He has promised us. Pray and ask the Lord to help you believe Him more and you will discover experientially that your fears are turning into faith.

#6 JimmyS

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Posted 01 March 2012 - 06:24 AM

Jimmy i can definitely relate to what you are saying about fear, whether God will provide. I was at one time enslaved to that fear until the Holy Spirit enabled me to see deeper into what the real problem was. I learned that my fear concerning provisions from GOD was the by product of unbelief. I have learned in my walk with GOD that as we grow in faith we essentially are growing from one degree of belief in God to a higher degree of belief in GOD.

2 peter 3:18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen

We have to continually grow from one degree of faith to another as we walk this pilgrim walk. The Lord said in Mathew 6:31-32 "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?'These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Christ emphasized food, and drink and clothing to draw our attention to food and drink and clothing. And what is food and drink, it is what sustains life for all creation. What is clothing, it covers our nakedness. All other things are secondary to these. We can go without many things, however uncomfortable it may be, but we can not go without food and drink, and we can't be in this world naked, these are our greatest needs above all things physically in this world. These things we absolutely can not go without. What is Christ telling us? He is telling us that, if He will supply our greatest need, surely He will supply every thing else which is secondary to the greater, according to what He knows we need. The question the Holy Spirit put to me was plain. "Now, Kelly, do you believe this?" my fear and anxiety was my evidence that I didnt. So my prayer then changed, to "Lord help me to believe You" When the disciples inquired from the Lord what are the great works of God that they should be doing, the Lords answere to them and to us was simply; John 6:29 Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." Believing in Christ is believing in all that He has done, all of who He is, all that He will do and all that He has promised us. Pray and ask the Lord to help you believe Him more and you will discover experientially that your fears are turning into faith.

Thanks a lot for that that was very encouraging, and a great reminder to me. Thanks