SCRIP-BITS

Exodus 14:13     And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
 
Wow! What bold, outstanding and encouraging words mih Friends! And we also found another beautiful quote that again dovetails admirably with the Bit I was led to. Yes my people, that shows the Lord is still on His throne, in full control of things, so let’s give Him a big, ‘Thank you Lord!’ And the quote is credited to Helen Hayes, (1900-1993) named ‘The First Lady of American Theatre,’ for her outstanding work on the stage through most of the 20th century. During that time she won all four of the American performance awards -Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Oscar. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1986. With that kind of résumé she ought to know what she’s talking about. ‘Positive attitudes -optimism, high self-esteem, an outgoing nature, joyousness, and the ability to cope with stress- when established early in life, may be the most important basis for continued good health.’ Note Friends, she lived from 1900 to 1993, through some of the worst and best times the world’s ever seen. But it’s also now been proven scientifically that the more ebullient our nature, not the outrageous extreme, and the earlier we develop it, the better we are able to deal with stress, with life on a whole. And with the crazy, stressful times we’re currently going through, where anxiety and fearfulness are regarded as the number one killer, and a silent one that oftimes doesn’t give any warning, we will do well to take Helen’s advice to heart; learn to relax, not be so uptight and anxious. Obey Moses’ command to the Israelites as they were leaving Egypt. ‘Fear ye not.’ Oh my people, that is the first lifestyle commandment we need to write deep in our hearts today and follow without fail, for fear is where the whole problem begins. The negative energy it generates, robs us of the power, the wherewithal we need to overcome the same obstacles of which we’re afraid. I recently heard a brain researcher on Joyce Meyer’s show claim that all the positive and negative religious stuff we talk about, like joy, happiness, faith, LOVE, despair, fear, hopelessness etc. have now been proven to correspond with actual physical, chemical reactions and storage spaces in the brain. That means any emotion or thought actually releases chemicals that change our outlook, personality or temperament by storing them, which leads to the statement that we truly become what we think or focus on. So you don’t have to be religious to get the benefits of a positive or happy outlook. But coming back to the statement, ‘Fear ye not,’ the Lord dictated its use numerous times in the Old Testament. We first hear it when the Lord promises Abram in a dream, saying, ‘Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’  (Gen.15:1) He said the same thing later on to Jacob also in a dream. ‘I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.’ (Gen.46:3) We also hear it when Moab invades Judah and king Jehoshaphat seeks the Lord, prays for deliverance and proclaims a fast throughout the land. And in our Lord’s penchant for drama, while the people stand before Him, His Spirit comes upon Jehaziel, Zechariah’s son, in the midst of the congregation and he declares: ‘Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you; Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ (2 Chron.20:15) Yes my people, as believers in Jesus, all the battles we face in this life, big and small, belong to the Lord. On our own, we’d be anxious and fearful, but once we take them to Him in prayer, like Jehoshaphat did, we need not fear any longer, for He will deal with them in a suitable manner. That’s the whole basis of faith my Friends, and of our Christian faith in particular; believing and trusting in a higher power that can do more than we can either ask or imagine. And I’m here to remind us mih breddren, that nothing has changed since way back then: The Most High God Jehovah, the everlasting Deity, Infinitely Everything, Alpha and Omega, unchanging and ever faithful, is still ruling His creation and His promises still stand as strong today, as when He first uttered them eons ago. Consequently, we too should ‘Fear not,’ for if He looked after His people then, He will do the same now. We’ve got to hold on to that belief; think positively and expect the best. Life might not be the greatest at present, but once it exists, then so does hope. It only takes one iota of God’s forgiveness, blessing and mercy to turn things around. And our God is so wonderful that even after promising to destroy Israel for their prolonged and wilful disobedience, He never wrote them off completely, never gave up on them. He’s just that kind of God who never gives up on us. Instead, He put these words in Isaiah’s mouth. ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Isa.41:10) Yes my Friends, as believers and followers of Jesus, we can take those same words to heart, cause they are so secure, like money in the bank. And although our world is in turmoil, we can rest on the faithful promises and assurances of our God, absolutely believing that He will work everything out in our favour, for our good. So ‘FEAR YE NOT!’ Much LOVE!…the best antidote for fear…prayer… To be continued.