Week One, Day Four

God's Word

The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalm 118:6

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 4:6-7

Live It

Have you ever felt out of place? I don't mean like it's laundry day at home so you're forced to wear old, out-of-style clothes and your friends tease you about it. I mean really out of place, in a situation where you don't fit at all and you're so out of place that your life could be threatened.

For a very short time I lived in the Bronx, New York, while helping the Salvation Army with their Christmas fund-raising efforts in the area. My job was to stand by a red kettle outside stores, ring a bell, and thank people for giving to the Salvation Army. It was an awesome job. My friends and I worked twelve-hour days and spent our nights hanging out in New York City. The only problem was that we really stuck out. We were people from a Kentucky seminary in inner-city New York. It was obvious we didn't belong.

The Bronx isn't the safest place in the world to live. At night we would hear gunshots or people outside yelling. When we did go out at night, we had to be escorted by guys that lived in the area. This wasn't just a long distance from my comfortable home, it was a different culture. Now, if you're reading this and you live in the Bronx, please don't be upset. "Out of place" wasn't the way I wanted to be described. It was actually the way others (like our bodyguards who lived in the area) described us. I was a small, quiet, unintimidating kinda guy living a tough world. I was out of place.

One night we'd spent a long day ringing bells, and we were all tired. One of the guys who would often escort us around the city ran into the house and called for us to come outside. Knowing that the streets weren't always safe, we first asked him why he wanted us outside. He told us: Down the street a huge crowd had gathered at the base of a large apartment project. A guy had been standing at the top of the building, yelling and threatening to jump. The police had tried to talk him down from the building, but he wouldn't give in. Eventually, the guy jumped. Our escort wanted us to come down and see the commotion and the body. We didn't go.

Living there scared me.

When you're scared, your body can go on autopilot. Fear can be an awesome motivator, but it can also keep you from accomplishing things. But if you're going to walk this earth and live God loudly, you've got to stare fear in the face. How do you do that?

Knowing God is the best way to face fear. The more we know about Him and His love for us, the more secure we feel. The more secure we feel, the less effect fear has on us.

Maybe God has called you to go somewhere where you'll be out of place, and you're scared. What do you need to do? You gotta go. Maybe God has called you to say something to someone you know who doesn't know God. What should you do? You gotta talk to them.

Fear keeps you from accomplishing what God has called you to do. Do you really want to let fear rule you stronger than God?

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They are questions for you to think about.

Open this, go to the discussion boards and open AskYou Day 4, Week 1.