A Soul Mashup (Part II) - and more important!

I have to add a p.s. to my last post.  I wrote in a moment's time the weight of 49 years of battling anxiety.  It was not over the fact that our son might not get to play basketball.  It was about knowing that this is a painful season in his life, and at the same time knowing that God will use it.  It was about my flesh battling fear of how it will affect him, and my spirit knowing that God is with him.

In retrospect maybe I should not have posted it.  In light of what is going on in the world it is shallow.  In fact, in light of what my close friends are battling, cancer, it is shallow.  So I am following up.  I can by humiliated by what anxiety can do to me, or humbled by it.  In humility I write posts that are vulnerable and true.  I now want to add to my last post.  Because God says, "I dwell in the high and lofty places with those who are humble and contrite."  Isaiah 57:15.  I am contrite over what fear can do to me, and I live in His grace daily to receive from Him truth freely written in His love letter to us, the Holy Scripture.

In humility I say that I have spent almost 49 years fearing what more than half the world is facing right now.  As far back as I can remember I feared the communists coming to get us in the night.  For the same amount of time I feared the end of the world, the Apocalypse.  I'm not talking just a little nagging thought here and there, but a  paralyzing visceral response to either topic.

It was a couple years ago that I learned of a friend of someone close to me going to serve in an area where being a Christian is a life and death matter.  When asked if he was afraid to go, his answer was, "Why would I be afraid?  I've already died to myself."  This man of God was martyred and the seeds of truth about God that he left have flourished in a terrorist ravaged nation.

About 15 years ago God began to set me free and I began to heal and know Him in a relational way, not a text book way.  Since then I have felt called to relate to those who live in debilitating fear with honesty in such a way as to lead them to the perfect lover of our souls.  "Perfect love casts out fear."  1 John 4:18.  While this perfect love of Jesus casts out fear, sometimes my irrational fears still get the best of me.  For those who need to know there is mercy in that place, I write.

So in light of that, I share Ann Voskamp's recent post on how we can help Syrian refugees.  These people are living the nightmare.  The nightmare that wasted many perfectly safe nights of my sleep.  I've repented of the selfish hours I have entertained the spirit of fear.  I've also learned to pray that when God cleanses my heart of these fears that He comes in and fills those places where fear dwelt with Himself.  "For He Himself is our peace."  Eph 2:14.  I confess that it slips in as a #10 when I least expect it.  That is why the Bible says, 1 Peter 5:6-11 warns us to,

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

To bring it around, it's not the injured knee or lack of playing basketball that can bring me to a #10.  It's my lack of trust in the Savior who I know brings light out of darkness.  While I will always encourage the fearful with honesty about my journey and God meeting me daily, I will shift from sharing about my own battle by calling each of us to ask how we can fight in the bigger battle.  The Kingdom battle, the one we know is true and is talked about in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5,

" For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

I'm asking us to pray praise the One Who Sovereignly rules, and ask what it is that He would have us do in response to crisis all around us and in the world at large.  The things I spent most of my life fearing are on the world stage right now.  I don't know how each of us should respond.  But I know whether in prayer, finances, hospitality, or other, we must respond not only to the Syrian refugee crisis, but to the crisis of the poor, the widows and the orphans worldwide.  None of us need to be spiritual orpans, when we have a Heavenly Father who has adopted us and called us His own.  And all of us are called to share this good news in one way or another, both near and far.  Trusting Him for the hearts of our children is a big step.  He loves them more than we can imagine.  And as Jesus models a life of service, so must we.

Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"  Let us all take part in bringing the ultimate eternal good news to those in need, and may we do more than fear the evil, but seek to "overcome evil with good." Revelation 12:21

This is what my mama heart prays for more than anything, that all of us and our children would heed the call to make disciples of all nations, and start by examining our hearts.

There are many ways.  Our family is personally involved with YWAM, Sparrow Missions, Vapor, and others.

http://www.ywamtyler.org/

https://sparrowmissions.com/

http://vaporinternational.org/

Here is the link to ways you can be involved in the Syrian refugee crisis that is offered in Ann Voskamp's recent blog:

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2015/09/why-now-is-the-churchs-moment-it-will-take-all-of-us-not-to-miss-it-wewelcomerefugees/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1RQciil7B0