Are you white knuckling it?

Are you white knuckling anything? For me it was the dentist. He had an emergency so I had to wait. I was in the dentist office for 3 1/2 hours. I white knuckled the whole 3 1/2 hours. It was awful. When I got home I was totally drained... but I learned Fear is the big deal, not the dentist. Maybe the dentist is no big deal for you… but the world around us is giving us dozens of reasons to be afraid. We've believed their reasons for being afraid. We have believed the lie that fear is normal! When we think it's normal to be afraid the fear rages inside us instead of around us. Response to Fear Some people respond to fear with anger.                 And some retreat. Then there are times we do both. The paralyses of fear keep us from seeking answers,  truth and peace. Fear of Man We think it's NORMAL so we embrace the fear of man instead of humbling our hearts and walking in the fear of God, which by the way results in peace. REAL PEACE! The Answer In the previous teaching I shared Hebrews 10:36 NLT with you. The first part says, "Patient endurance is what you need now." Maybe those words "patient endurance paint a picture of "white knuckling" the entire experience like my trips to the dentist…. The truth is the exact opposite. God is inviting you into hope filled waiting. Waiting that is tied to the expectation of GREAT and PRECIOUS promises being fulfilled. Expectant waiting that is tied to the resources of Almighty God Who loves you beyond your ability to comprehend. Like a persistent little squirrel goes after the sunflower seeds in a bird feeder has one objective, please, please don't forget there is a thief that has one objective… …one objective…your destruction. Why didn't I recognize my fear and deal with it? Why did I allow myself to be so tormented? I thought it was normal…so I agonizingly endured it. The truth is we have what we tolerate. Yes, we are facing some tough situations that could make us crazy with fear…that's enduring the situation. His Presence Or we can run to Jesus, humble our hearts before Him…don't bow to the fear…but humble our hearts before Almighty God. There we worship and begin to recognize the benefits that He made available for us through His death and resurrection. In His presence we recognize that He, the GREAT I AM, the Almighty God is holding our hand. He is with you!! He is with you! His presence and the authority of His Word enable us to stand boldly against fear of every kind. Out of that revelation of "WHO HE IS" we can resist fear…command that fear to go. Fill our hearts with the truth of God's presence and love. Stand on the Word.