Fear Not

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9YqVeBsWv8&list=RDr9YqVeBsWv8&start_radio=1

Fullness ~ Elevation Worship

So don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you. I will support you with my right hand that saves you. ~ Isaiah 41:10 ICB

In the middle of the night, there was incredibly loud thunder. Which, of course, woke the girls. And before it got quieter, it got MUCH LOUDER! Elizabeth scurried herself further under our covers. We were all awake for an hour in the middle of the night because of noise, LOUD NOISE. 

That's what the enemy is, too: loud noise. The Bible refers to him as a "roaring lion," (1 Peter 5:8). Little children are often afraid of loud noises: fireworks, parades, thunder, etc. They're afraid, typically, because they don't know what the noise means. As adults, we often seek shelter from the "roaring," because we're afraid of what it means, what it will do to us. Instead of cowering in fear, the Bible says, “Refuse to give in to the devil. Stand strong in your faith,” (1 Peter 5:9 ICB).

Whatever fear you’re facing today, whatever loud noise the enemy is making in your direction, remember that you don’t have to be afraid, because God is with you and He promises to make you strong and to help you. Fear not!

©Heather Potts 2018

Washed in Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1srs1YoTVzs&list=RD1srs1YoTVzs

Fear is a Liar ~ Zach Williams

So no weapon that is used against you will defeat you. You will show that those who speak against you are wrong. These are the good things my servants receive. Their victory comes from me,” says the Lord. ~ Isaiah 54:17 ICB

We've all experienced the hurtful sting of someone speaking ill against or to us. But sometimes we let those hurts define us. When Savannah was one month old, they called her "failure to thrive" because she never regained her birth weight. At All Children's Hospital, they wanted Savannah to eat formula. We offered it to her, but after she threw up the first one, she refused the others. The next morning, the student doctor told me I was a bad mom. The words hit me harder because someone had already commented that "failure to thrive" refers to babies who aren't held enough. Those two comments crippled me, right there. I wanted so desperately to be a good mom, but right out of the gate, I was told that I was a bad one.

Has that ever happened to you? Did you recover? Or are those words, is that lie, still spinning in your brain? 

Savannah's story ends well. The "real" doctor came and gave her Similac Alimentum, which we later discovered is the only gluten free formula. After that, Savannah went from failure to thrive to the 90th percentile, where she still registers. 

Why do we allow hurtful words and lies to define and weigh on us? It's time to cast off those hurtful words and lies! God says you are a beautiful masterpiece that He created, (Ephesians 2:10). Sometimes when we've believed a lie for so long, it's hard to believe something else, even though we want to believe the Truth. That's why Jesus said He's washing His Bride in the water of the Word, (Ephesians 5:26). He's going to continue to speak, sing, minister, and as gentle as water, pour it over you until His Truth replaces old lies.

If there's a lie you've believed, it's time to give it to Jesus and let Him wash you in His love until you believe it's true. 

©Heather Potts 2018

He's Moving

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9VomNXhKj4&list=RDw9VomNXhKj4

O Praise Him ~ David Crowder

Then he continued, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” ~ Daniel 10:12 NIV

When Savannah as 9 months old, one of our cars died. But we were OK living with one car, until a few months later when that one died, too. But instead of panicking, we had peace. We fasted and prayed for a week, asking God to fix our cars, believing that He would move.

At the end of the week, the cars were still dead, but that doesn’t mean God wasn’t moving. A friend, who lived nearby, worked just a few blocks from my office and offered to take me to and from work every day. And on the weekends, they leant us one of their cars, so we could buy groceries or go to church. This lasted a month or so, but God wasn’t done moving.

At that time, we were a one-income family of three, with no extra money to take on a car payment. Some of our friends and family chipped in and gave us $300 to put towards a new car. In the world’s economy, $300 won’t get you anything. But in God’s economy, it was all we needed.

At the same time that our cars died, some other friends were trying to sell a car on Craigslist for $2,000. When they heard our story, they called us and offered to sell us their car for, guess how much. $300! For $300 we got a working, new-to-us car.

When Daniel needed an answer, he fasted and prayed for 21 days. On the 24^th day, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said that as soon as Daniel humbled himself and prayed, heaven heard and began to move. What do you need from God? What answers have you been seeking from Him? Even if you haven’t seen or heard the answers yet, don’t give up; don’t lose heart. Because as soon as you humbled yourself and began to pray, God heard you and He began to move.

©Heather Potts 2018