There is no FEAR in Love

Fear is something in the life of a Christian that can cripple or devastate their spiritual walk. Not to mention affect their day to day life as well.

We’ve all had an encounter with the spirit of fear at some point in our lives. Today we are prayerfully going to look at what causes us to fear and what the Bible has to say to you and I about fear.

1. Fear of the unknown.

Fear of the unknown can happen upon anyone who doesn’t have their complete trust in the Lord. They don’t know what to expect or what the future holds. They fear they are not ready to face what lies ahead or if they will be able to make it through the unexpected. Often times these kinds of pre- thinkers imagine something in their future to be worse and worse in their minds. They feel they are not ready to handle whatever may come their way. Or that something will happen to them that is out of their control. Some people are also afraid to grow up and take on responsibilities and move on with their life. They are afraid of change and an unknown future and assume the worst. That fear causes someone to stay the same with no spiritual growth that comes from learning from mistakes and experiences in life.

THE BIBLE SAYS: Romans 8: 15, “You did not receive a spirit which makes you a slave again to fear, but you receive the spirit of son ship.”

Hebrews 13: 6, “We say with confidence, the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.”



2. Fear of Failure

A lot of people are afraid of trying new things. Or they procrastinate and say that one day... they will do this or that... to become who they want to be. But they never make the first step toward facing new challenges, and working hard at their dreams, even when it gets messy. They are afraid that they won’t make it, that they will fail and let someone else or themselves down. So, they either never start or they quit before they gave themselves a fair chance at succeeding. Have you ever heard the saying, “you’re not a failure until you fail to try?” It’s so true. Even when we make mistakes or fail at times, we learn a lot and we will do much better the next time. It wasn’t for nothing. And hey, maybe you’ll try something new and you will soar right through it because it’s what you were born to do! When you face a new challenge don’t cop out and give up so easily. Give it your best shot, and see it through to the end. You’ll be glad you did.

THE BIBLE SAYS: “Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and hep you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” –Isaiah 41: 10.

2 Timothy 1: 7, “God did not give us the spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love and self- discipline.”



3. Fear of man

Worrying about what others think of you in life, is a snare the Bible says. You constantly watch what you say around other people, how you act and how you look. Often time’s people are trying so hard to impress everyone else that they lose who they are. They can’t even be free to be themselves, if who they are is a little different or weird to some people. Doing what everyone else wants you to do and neglecting who you really are is a recipe to an unhappy and unsatisfying life. You feel like you have to fake a smile or put on a show and act like you’ve got it all together. Even at church you feel like you can’t let the walls come down and be real and let people know instead of hiding that you’re struggling. When you are trapped by the fear of man it is very dangerous because man’s opinion and attitudes towards you becomes more important than what GOD thinks of you. What does God say about us? He loves us just the way we are, and receives us no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. God loves us even with all our quirks and made you unique. There is only one YOU. That makes you special. Embrace who you are and be who God created you to be.

THE BIBLE SAYS: Luke 12: 32, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for the Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”

1 John 4: 18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.”



4. Fear of falling

There’s a song (by Superchick) that says if I get up I might fall back down again, so let’s get back up. As a Christian we don’t want to or plan on falling or failing our Lord. Our hearts desire is to please Him and keep our feet planted on that narrow road. We know that the Bible says that the heart of man is desperately wicked and that folly is bound up in the heart of a child. We also know that there is a spiritual battle that we are in the middle of that is waging for our soul. Not only that but our flesh (sinful nature) and wants often come into opposition with what God wants for us. Fewf! That’s a lot to cover. But greater is He that is in us. At times when we will fail, we promise ourselves that we won’t do it again. But we cannot do it on our own... through our own efforts or attempts not to slip up. It takes more than that.... we need to ABIDE in Christ. When we are faced with a little or a big choice that may not glorify God, we need to pray ourselves out of it, and remove our selves from the situation. Being obedient to Christ before we are led into sin. The more you remain and grow in Christ the less you will fail and make mistakes. You have the power and authority that Jesus has given you, the Holy Spirit in you. But remember that if you do fall to get back up and keep going... don’t give up! God is completing that good work in us till the day of Christ Jesus... so that means He will be working in us until we make Heaven our home, we’re a work in progress. Amen.

THE BIBLE SAYS: Romans 8: 28, 31, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purlpose, what then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Lamentations 3: 57- 58, “You came near when I called you and you said, “Do not fear.” Oh Lord, you took up my case, you redeemed my life.”

Psalms 31: 24, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”



Cast all your fears and anxieties on the Lord for He cares for you. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Do not ne anxious in anything, but in everything, with prayer an petitions and thanksgiving present your requests to God.



-given to Kristin McLeod by the Holy Spirit.

Faithful

The Lord will never stand me up,
He'll never turn me down.
Relationships may come and go,
He'll always be around.

Through thick and thin He'll
guide me.
His sturdy hand I know.
Will comfort and correct me,
Against this world's uncertain flow.

My past He knows right well,
I'm no surpirse to Him.
He knows me through and through,
and loves what's deep within.

I cry and weep and fall at His feet,
feeling insecure,
Only to find, He hasn't turned His face
from me,
But held more love in store.

Different from the world who laughed
and scoffed at me,
"My weakness isn't at all repulsive to thee?"

I braced myself, as He replied,
"In this I find delight, in your weakness made
perfect, your eyes may see my light."

Engulfed by His radiant face, stealing my
breath away.
"So this is why, I gasped,
I lived this destined day."

I've known the bitter taste of sin
and all of it's effects.
Instead I choose to trust in God
who covers and protects.
With my weakness He cleanses
and perfects."

Written by: Kristin McLeod
Age 15

Sarah's Daughters

In the Genesis 12 account; Abram and his wife Sarai were going down to Egypt.

"As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, 'I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, "This is his wife." Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.'"

Abraham feared for his life due to the inner and outer beauty of His wife. This passage of scripture raises a lot of questions. The primary one would be Sarah’s beauty. Also, we need to remember that Sarah was not as young as she once was. Her and Abraham were advanced in years… she was seen as beautiful at age 65? Possibly.

Abram and Sarai were given a new name and a new promise. They were the heirs to the lineage of God’s descendants, that would outnumber the stars in the sky. Sarah was a noble and virtuous woman who waited upon God and trusted that God was and is true to His word.

Sarah’s beauty was clearly outward, but wasn’t merely so. She had a meek and gentle spirit. She trusted and believed God, and lived out her faith. She served God and then the needs of her family. She strived to more like Christ, thinking of herself with humility and was not conceited. I’m sure she laid down her life for them, day by day. She lived a quite life, with excellence and sobriety. She respected and loved her husband, and encouraged him to be the man of God he was called to be.

“For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also

adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed

Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not

afraid with any terror.” (1 Peter 3:5-6)

If we believe God, live out our faith and don’t give place to fear, we too, can be Sarah’s daughters.



By: Kristin McLeod

Girlfriendship- My Sisters

Throughout my life I have had some long term

and satisfying relationships with girlfriends. I have

learnt that these friendships are sweet while they lasted,

but these relationships seem to come and go. I know it



is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved

at all, and I often times reflect and look back at the wonder-

ful memories of girls who shaped my life. But my true blue

friends that have stuck by me through thick and thin, have



put up with me, cried with me, and cheered and applauded

me: have to be my two best friends to this day that is my

sisters: Brianne and Danielle. Yes, there are three of us, and

I am the eldest. I am actually seven years older, so when



my sisters were in diapers and playing house I was a swarthy

teenager. My interest in them never changed. I grew up but

never out of love with playing tea party, or teacher and drawing

on chalk boards, or putting on wild theatricals, and even





playing Barbies with my sisters ‘till I was eighteen years old!

I was the oldest and I got to be the ringleader and to my sisters

all my ideas were golden, my parents just thought I was occupy-

ing the little ones but in actuality, I was inventing and creating





our own little world.

Now that we are older there doesn’t seem to be so much

of an age gap and we are all young adults. We still do

everything together, and on a Saturday night we prefer



to make an activity to do list and stay in having a dance

competition, doing makeovers with before and after pictures,

playing spoons, or just talking and regaling about our weeks.

We just did this Monday night, I had an idea that we should



say 10 positive things about each of us, the other two would

each say five and we were all so encouraged and felt built up

on the inside. There was this get together on the weekend

with a large group of friends, and my ex showed up! This is





my ex that I haven’t seen in over four years and he is now

engaged. My sisters saw him arrive on the scene and it was

so sweet, because I knew what they were doing, they both

scoped me out of the crowd and sat on either side of me,



they were there to support me and were ultimately con-

cerned about how I would respond. That really touched

me to know that they are looking out for me and that they

have my back. There is also a spiritual dimension to my



relationship with my girls (sisters) we have the same belief

system that is very rare these days but we stick by it and

have the same morals and standards. We pray for each other

and also correct and challenge each other. On my wedding



day it is going to be really hard to decide which one is going

to be my maid of honour, but I know they won’t mind as long

as they get to be in my wedding party. There is a scripture in

the Bible that says one can be over powered, two can defend




themselves, but a three strand chord who can break? I know

my sisters and I are that strong three strand chord, and that no

matter what life throws at us, or if the sands of change shift in



our lives, that we’ll always remain as one, in life, love, present,

past and future; in sharing a bond that cannot be quickly broken.

By: Kristin McLeod

How I see Myself When I Look in the Mirror

In the past I've been anything but comfortable with the way I look. I've always had the gift of admiring other people's beauty and appreciating the way God made them... but whenever I gazed in the mirror or at a picture of myself it was quite the opposite. In my mind all my flaws would be magnified and I would flounder for one thought that recognized any true beauty there.


On top of that, I would read magazines as a teenager and see perfect teeth, legs, complexions and girls with not one hair out of place! My insecurity would begin to blaze inside of me and I knew that I certainly would never look like those models or achieve perfection. I thought about how happy those girls must be to have people's attention, have love from boys,and have the grace and confidence every girl wants. To carry themsleves with pride (dignity), or to have other girls be jealous of them. Other girls would look up to you and copy your hairstyle or they way you dressed. But most impotrtantly (I thought) people would really hear you when you have something important to say. Okay, I thought I could have everything if I achieved "the look."

Then I turned 20. As I became an adult and my body parts filled in where they needed to, I guess you could say I got more comfortable with myself. Through the Light of Life I discovered I was okay being me. Okay being me, even without the hair dye, make- up or excessive weight loss.

You see.... all those teen years I had given up on my outter appearance because I knew I would never measure up in the world's eyes or be a "beauty queen." (Man looks at the outward appearance but GOD looks at the heart.) So, I worked on my character and perfected my soul and the way I looked at and treated other people. Mostly, I strived to be more like Christ. That seemed easier to me than grasping at air to win the approval and praise of man... to be "seen" by them. That is how I started to feel good about myself. My inner beauty started to be noticed by a select few, but most importantly GOD saw! Now He (Jesus Christ) is what makes me beautiful. He's the light in my eyes and gives me a youthful complexion through the peace and hope He has placed in my life. He has given me balance and self- control which is my biggest "tummy tamer." In other words, He keeps me in shape. He gives me a glow when I smile that lets the whole world know I am His daughter.

He tells me that HE (the King of Kings) is entralled by my beauty. He made me and I am wonderfully made. Even though I may never make the cover of a "girlie" magazine... I KNOW my name is written in the Lambs book of Life. That is more than enough for me!!

God made you in His image, you are perfect just the way you were made. Beauty only lasts a short time... but true beauty is who you are on the inside. It's in your smile, your servant heart (when you lend a hand), or when you put someone else's needs before your own. Like a lucious red rose outter beauty fades and deteriorates but the grace of your mind, heart and actions go on and on.



By: Kristin McLeod

The Holy Bible By: Kristin McLeod

My form of empowerment is the Holy Bible. It gives me a clear perspective and take on life and is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path. It encourages me and empowers me to live out the Christian life on a day to day basis. It exposes and convicts me of my shortcomings so with the Holy Spirit’s help I can sharpen and improve my character. Through reading the scriptures everyday it gives me the grace assurance and confidence of the Father’s love for me. With that love and genuine acceptance I can face anything this world throws at me. Even when people are unkind to me or try to bring me down, it says in the word of God in Romans 15:3, the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen upon me (Jesus). The Bible is the source to all the questions I have about life and is my source of wisdom. In proverbs,  which was written by King Solomon, who was the wisest man who ever lived, it gives me insight and enlightenment on everything that goes on under the sun. I read the Bible for enjoyment, strength, comfort, and even for healing from life’s storms. It renews my mind when my thoughts are clamored with negativity and judgmental thoughts and keeps me on the right path. It helps me to forgive and see people and treat them as I would like to be treated. It gives me a reason to sing and dance when I read the Psalms, helps me to praise God in every season of the soul, even when I don’t feel like it. It gives me hope and a reason to look forward to the future. Like the woman in Proverbs 31, you can look forward to the days to come. It helps me in the workplace to respect and honor those who are in authority over me and to everything with my best efforts and as unto the Lord. The Bible also says that if someone asks me to one mile go with them two. It teaches me to be diligent and not to eat the bread of idleness. It empowers me in my relationships, teaches me how to choose my friends wisely and says that to have friends one must first make himself friendly. The Bible assures me of what I am living for and gives me a sense of purpose and vision. It also gives me joy in how it’s teachings stretches me to look outside of myself and serve and lay down my life for others. It keeps me my foundation firm, steadfast, and unmovable in the face of temptation and sin. This keeps me free from a life of remorse and regret. Every time I read it is water and life to my soul and there is something new because it is a living word, sharp and active like a double edged sword (Hebrews 4: 12). It also helps me examine myself and keep myself humble, because pride goes before a fall. Reading and living the Bible gives me power, peace, and confidence in all I say and do.

God's Girl: The Master's Call

The Master's Call

By: Kristin McLeod

In the morning I rise with worries on my mind, what to do and a full list of priorities unfair.
I hear His still, small voice as I gaze out at the still morning haze,
And breathe in the crisp clean air.
I take a deep breath and answer inReply, as I remember the things I must do,
waiting here and there.
“Can’t talk to you now God, I have so much to do,”Getting ready for school, “which sweater burgundy or navy blue?”
Check, check. Make the lunches, feed the dog, and be sureto brush my teeth.
Pearly whites are important, if you know what I mean?“The bus is here!”
I squeal as I thump up to the door...I hear His still, small voice once more.
“Sorry Lord. I’ll have to cut this chat short, my sister has been hanging here and I’m going out the door.”
I get to school, meet my friends and finish last night’s homework,
Next, the school bell rings and I know I can’t ignore it.I rush to class and listen intently to what my teacher has to say,
 make notes and do my assignments to the best of my ability.
At lunchtime when all is rowdy, I drown out the noise to hear Him,He whispers my name,
I know He’s there, as I return to my friends gazes and hang my head in shame.
After class, I wait for the bus, there’s no one around I know,
no one to distract me from the guilt that’s begun to show.
“I know He’s still there wanting me to ask,” my eyes turn red and I dread I’m not strong enough
 for the task.Under my breath I cry out to Him, and He whispers swiftly in reply,
but the bus drives up and I board it with a sigh.
“You know Lord, my schedule is so jam packed.
That when you utter words of life, they drift by with no impact.
As I arrive home I walk with a heavy stride, my burden weighed upon my back, my plea, I feel denied.
I run inside and greet my Mom, and be sure to grab a snack,
and maybe Then I’ll have some time to call poor Henry back.
After dinner I do my chores, and quickly wipe the table.
“It’s getting late and I’m growing weary now, I’ll hurry and do my homework
 to watch “Leonard the Cow”.At bedtime I go through the routine, brush my hair and teeth,
“I wonder how I went so long, hiding this hunger pain beneath?”
As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord still wants to talk to me.
I hear His faithful voice say, “Come to Me”.His yoke is easy and His burden is light,
I discovered this again tonight.He fills me abundantly, and doesn’t deny me when I fall,
I don’t knowWhat I’d do without the grace of the Master’s Call.