 Anxiety still managing to make its way into your daily life, even though you have been crying out to Jesus? What else can we do, besides turn off the television and cry out to Jesus to help us manage the chaos we are experiencing? The writer to the Hebrews encourages us to go before God with confidence with the expectation that we will receive exactly what we need when we need it (specific grace). Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace , that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need - Heb 4:16 (KJV); Let us with (privilege ) approach the throne of grace (that is God's gracious favor) with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy (for our failures) and find (His amazing ) grace to help in time of need (an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment)-Heb 4:16 AMP. We are urged to go to the throne of grace to receive what Jesus has already ordered and prepared for us. We can go boldly before the throne of grace when we start to feel anxious and overwhelmed because we have a Great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us: but on the other hand, Jesus holds His priesthood permanently and without change, because He lives on forever. Therefore He is able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf (with God) - Heb 7:24-25 AMP. Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens - Heb 8:1. . When life overwhelms us we are to look up to the throne of grace, knowing that Jesus has cried out and is crying out on our behalf, and is praying for us, and has already secured, and prepared the grace and mercy needed for our situation. His prayers for us are not general ones, like Father bless them, or like the ones we often pray for people when they ask us to pray for them. His prayers for us are not only specific but they are sympathetic. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted (knowing exactly how it feels to be human) in every respect as we are, yet without (committing any) sin - Heb 4:15 AMP. In other words, Jesus knows exactly how to pray for us because He has been through and felt all the things we are going through and are feeling? Yes He too felt forsaken by the Father, as He cried out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me? So He knows how we feel and He knows how to pray for us. Jesus' earthly life and ministry prepared Him for His heavenly ministry of Great High Priest. He became flesh and experienced uncertainty, anxiety, stress so that when He returned to heaven He could pray for us because He knows how it feels to be anxious. So no matter what we are feeling, anxious, forsaken, angry, confused or whatever, we have to drag ourselves, if need be, to the throne of grace looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. He will pour out the mercy and grace needed to make it through another day. Honestly some days I am so empty, I have to crawl to the throne, but I always receive the mercy for my failures and grace that has been custom designed for my dilemmas. crawling to the throne, Diane p.s. practice going to throne with the expectation to receive, everything you need to make it.  Fear. Worry. Stress. Anxiety. Unfortunately, these are emotions that we are all way too familiar with right now. While these emotions and thoughts attempt to arrest our joy, remember that we not only have a God we can cry out to, we have a God who hears and answers our prayers. Hear my cry, O God, Listen to my prayer. From the the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I - Ps 61:2. In the midst of this pandemic: God is our refuge and strength (mighty and impenetrable), A very present and well-proved help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change ...Ps46:1-2a AMP. In this midst of this crisis: Trust in Him at all times ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us- Ps 62:8. We have a place where it is safe to bare our souls and to wring out our fears and worries, and a Person who has the power to deliver us from them.
Fearful? Cry out to Him: Jesus! Ridden with anxiety? Cry out to Him: Jesus! Worried about the health of loved ones? Cry out to Him: Jesus! When my children were small, I remember times after a day filled with sibling arguments, saying to them if you call my name one more time...Thank God I can wear out the Name of Jesus, knowing He is inclining His ear toward me every time I call upon His Name: Jesus! The Name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe - Pro 18:10. When we call upon His Name, He provides a safe place in Him where we are protected! Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily - Ps 86:3. In my distress, I called upon the Lord, And cried unto my God for help. He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help came before Him, even into His ears - Ps 18:6. As we brace for these next couple of weeks, Cry out: Jesus! Be Still, and Know that I am God...The Lord of host is with us: The God of Jacob is our refuge -Ps 46: 10a-11. crying out, Diane p.s. when fear, stress worry, anxiety or any other negative thought or emotion overwhelms you cry out: Jesus! There is power in His Name! #cryout #SaytheName  This journey is certainly not for the faint at heart; therefore, we have to call upon the Name of Jesus not just daily, but throughout the day. I don't know about you, but I wear His Name out. It's a good thing the Lord is not like us because I know He would be like "you again, really?". We call on His Name because He pays attention to our cry (Ps 116:2), because there is provision in His Name, for our help is in the Name of the Lord ( Ps 124:8), and because there is protection in the Name of the Lord; The Name of the Lord is a strong tower ( Pr 18:10). I am so glad we have the privilege of calling on the Name of Jesus.
There is fourth reason to call upon the Name of Jesus. Calling upon His Name invokes His presence. He shows up and becomes our very present help in trouble (Ps 46:1b). We want Him to show up because when he shows He shows up with all that He is and becomes: our Refuge (Ps 46:1,11), our Redeemer, our Rock, our Fortress , our Sustainer, our Strength (Ps:46:1, Ps 19:14), our Fortress and our Deliverer (Ps: 144:2). I call on the name of Jesus because I need Him to show up. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower - Ps 18:2. The prophet Jeremiah invoked the presence of the Lord when he called upon His Name. Waters flowed over mine head; then I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: Thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life - Lam 3:53-58. You managed my affairs and You protected my person and my rights. You have rescued and redeemed my life - Amplified Bible. Jeremiah thought his life was over, then he called upon the Name of the Lord. When we are low, down in the dungeon, we can call on the Name of Jesus. Not only is He the lifter up of our heads, He is also our Rescuer, Rock, Redeemer, Strength and Deliverer, so say the Name! Wearing His Name Out, Diane p.s. when you are in the dungeon call on His Name and keep calling until He shows up! #SaytheName, #WearitOut  Have you been calling upon the Name of Jesus daily? We can call on His Name with confidence because we know that He pays attention to our cry (Ps 116:2) and because there is provision in His Name, for our help is in the Name of the Lord (Ps 124:8). The third reason we can confidently call on the name of Jesus is because there is protection in the Name of Jesus. The name of the Lord is a strong tower that the righteous runneth into it, and is safe - Prov 18:10.
His Name provides the protection of a strong, impenetrable tower.The kind of protection a military fortress provides. When we find ourselves in the midst of trouble we can call on the name of Jesus, run to the name (wholeheartedly put our trust in it) and find safety. The Psalmist in Ps 34 declares:This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them - Ps 34:6-7. Sometimes it feels like trouble is chasing us. For when were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears - II Cor 7:5. We are chased by troubling external circumstances, relational conflict, as well as our own internal fears, failures frustrations. grief and temptations. No matter what external or internal trouble is chasing us, when we call on the Name of Jesus, He provides an elevator to the top of the tower, and we are able to look down from the top at the fears, foes, and frustrations that were chasing after us and say, " you can't get to me up here". So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him - Is 59:19. The name of the Lord is strong tower that righteous runneth into it, and is safe. What is chasing you? Call on the Name of Jesus! from the top of tower, Diane p.s. #saytheName  Glad to reconnect with you. It has been awhile. It is so easy to get distracted along the way. Daily we must fight to not allow things, like fear to distract or derail us (...but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus - Phil 3:13-14). We must learn to press pass our fears.
Fear is something we all experience. We fear failure, fear being alone, fear the unknown, fear what might be, what could happen, what might not happen. We have a fear that things won't change, the fear of ... and the list goes on. Fear is real and if we are not careful, and quickly learn to deal with it, it can derail us (For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of sound mind - 2 Tim:1:7). Many of our relational issues can be traced back to fear. Unfortunately, because we are fearful, we attempt to control everything and everyone. We operate in life and in our relationships in weakness, selfishness, and faulty thinking; rather than through God's power, love and sound thinking. So as we attempt to press pass our fears, and it is a press, we find help in Psalm 27:1. Fear enters when we focus on our situation and see our inability to change or control it. David refused to focus on his fears: The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear; The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Ps: 27:1. Certainly he had fears during this difficult and dangerous time in his life, but he stop looking at them and put his focus on the Lord instead. He did not focus on his fear of darkness or the unknown, because the Lord was His light. He did not focus on his fear of his demise or destruction because the Lord was his salvation. He did not focus on his fear of failure because of his weaknesses, because the Lord was his strength. The key to David's victory over his fears was his focus (What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You - Ps 56:3 AMP, and Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation - Is 12:2). We must work at not focusing on our fears but shift our focus to our God who is Faithful. Fear is the opposite of Faith. When we give attention to our fears we give life to them. Left unchecked, they grow and eventually entangle and immobilize us. We have to remind ourselves that the spirit of fear is not from God and remember that the Lord loves us (And we have known and believed the love that God has for us,...There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment - I John 4:16a, 18a). Let's stop allowing our fears to taunt and torment us and start looking to the Lord who is our light, salvation and strength. shifting my focus, Diane p.s. This week let's face our fears, acknowledging the areas that we have been in operating fear and shift our focus. Meditate on Ps 27:1. Every time a fear arises within us, let's shift our focus, look to the Lord. Repeat Ps 27:1 and II Tim 1:7, aloud if necessary. p.p.s. Don't forget to subscribe to receive post automatically by entering your email in box, top, right . |
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