YES to GOD study: CH. 3~Fashioned for Faith---Not Fear

WELCOME to

So glad you have stopped by to discuss the current book we are discussing here on YES to GOD Tuesdays. We will get to that in a second.



I want to thank you all for your prayers over my husband Gene and our family yesterday as he was on the operating table for 6 long hours for his 2nd back surgery in a year. I had mentioned that both the doctor and nurses told me he was singing in the recovery room to his nurse. I found out what he was singing and the surgeon told Gene yesterday on a post-op visit "don't be embarrassed, you sounded good."



When I posted an update yesterday I wrote that I had hoped it was worship music my husband was belting out. Apparently, intravenous drugs brings out the Danny Zuko tucked away inside of him instead of gospel singer Marvin Sapp. Not sure who Danny Z is? Let me help ya.


Danny was a character played by John Travolta in the movie Grease over 20 years ago. Danny loved wholesome school girl Aussie, Sandy Olsson who was played by Olivia Newton-John.
Danny and Sandy both attended Rydell High and soon became the school's hottest couple. When this movie is on TV, Gene forgets about ESPN and goes from being my quiet husband to the ever-so-cool greaser and leader of the T-Birds, Danny Zuko. He not only knows each song in the movie word for word, he has every characters lines memorized.

It's rather annoying to watch it with him.


Recently he confessed, "I always wanted to be Danny Zuko".
Hmmm.
I knew I had no room to judge his desires because I wanted to be Sandy during my teen years. I can remember that my Grandma told me that if I stopped biting my nails she would make me the outfit Sandy wore in the movie. Not the nice school girl outfits, but the one she wore after she conformed to a bad girl at the end of the movie. Being a young lady attending a private Christian school, I just wonder where my parents would have let me wear this if I let my nails grow... Knowing my Dad would never let me wear this I kept biting.





Anyway, yesterday in the recovery room instead of filling his nurse's ears with worship and praise of the Almighty One, Gene sang his nurse the song Sandy. This would be the song Danny sang when Sandy broke his heart at the drive-in movies. Oh, take a listen...

So my husband finally got to be Danny Zuko. Granted he made his debut after being sedated for a third of the day and he doesn't remember his performance, but I'm sure it will be one the nurse will never forget.

Okay...let's get to it. Chapter 3 of this incredible book penned by Micca Campbell of Proverbs 31 Ministries.

CHAPTER 3: FASHIONED FOR FAITH---NOT FEAR

Anything in blue is a quote from the book.

The subtitles in this chapter were perfectly titled as Micca walks us through pages 41-59:

Under God's Sheltering Wing

Casting Your Cares

Who's In Control?

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Genuine Faith

Live Like You Believe

and

Living Aware of His Presence

I'm going to share one thing from each section that really hit me.


Under God's Sheltering Wing:
Living in the presence of God doesn't mean we will not encounter storms. It means that whether God provides a job or simply the strength to endure, we have a place to run and find rest in His sanctuary until the storm has passed.



Storms in my life:
Our teenage daughter pregnant twice in one year.
Same teenage daughter getting beat up by the guy who keeps impregnating her.
Gene having two back surgeries twice in one year.
Jobs being let go all around my husband at Pfizer and wondering if his job is next to be cut.



When I choose to try to handle these things my way, I do so under the imperfect sheltering wing of the world and I get drenched in frustration, fear and anger. When I make the choice to run to God and trust Him completely and rest in His perfect sheltering wing then I am kept dry as God wraps me in peace.





Who's In Control?
As my faith grew, it became easier for me to trust God with my fears.
Amen! This year it was easier to trust God as my husband was being wheeled to the operating room.





He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
Too often I forget the wonder of God even though all of creation declares His glory. I need to remind myself daily of His greatness. In doing so, all my fears tend to fade in the light of His presence.

I agree with Micca that I need to remind myself daily of His greatness. Where I live in Nebraska I don't wake up to majestic mountains, sandy shores or fields of green. We have flat land, lakes we are banned from swimming in and fields of corn and cows. But I am still surrounded by God's beautiful creation that I take for granted, such as a 14 year old, 6'1" handsome young man named Aaron who tries hard to do his best at everything in his life. I drive to the store listening to the sound of 7 year old beauty, Alivia singing her heart out to worship music she wants played. I work everyday with my gorgeous 19 year old daughter Alyssa who looks her best when she is holding her baby in her arms. And there is nothing more breath taking than gazing at my 1 year old granddaughter Amiyah when she sleeps. When I'm in God's Word then that is when I see the beauty of His creation that He has placed around me and find myself with a grateful heart instead of a heart of an overwhelmed mom and grandma.


Genuine Faith
Faith comes from knowing God. The more I know Him, the more my faith grows and the easier it is to trust the Lord with my cares.


Live Like You Believe
Worrying instead of handling our anxieties over to God says that we believe He is powerless to deliver us from whatever concerns us most.
Yesterday Gene's surgery just flew by for me because I wasn't in the waiting room worried. I felt a great peace because I had chosen to give all my anxiety to God. This book's timing in my life is just incredible. It has been a great source for me to learn how to really give God my fears. Days before Gene's surgery I would just break down in the middle of doing something with the thought of losing him during surgery. Instantly though from what I learned so far in this book I was able to trust God completely.


Living Aware of His Presence
We find support in God's presence when we cast our cares on Him. No worry is too big for our Father to shoulder. Because of His great love for us, He gladly takes away our fears and quiets our hearts with peace.
I loved when Micca wrote I often take for granted the awesome privilege of being God's child.


OH, I bet I grieve God's heart when I act like I'm an orphan forgetting that my Father is just Micca described Him...bigger and more wonderful than my mind can comprehend. The unused portions of power within children of God must be great in numbers. If only we would tap into His greatness on a daily basis instead of when tragedy hits us and allow Him to take all of our fears for us from the small things like finances to the huge things like death of a loved one.

Trusting God everyday can be hard, but everytime we do, He is faithful.

A few weeks ago our youth pastor and his wife decided to accept a ministry position on the West Coast. Moving a family of 4 across the US of A can be very scary and yet they said yes to the job they felt was from God. Still the question if they were doing the right thing and if it was really from God crossed their minds. They kept moving forward in faith though and put their beautiful home on the market...for sale by owner. In Lincoln, ususally the For sale by Owner homes don't sell and the owners get a realtor. Within 10 minutes of putting their homemade sign out in the yard the doorbell rang. Within the hour they had sold their home and got the asking price for it! They took a job miles away that sat under God's sheltering wing. As a couple they cast their cares on God and recognized Who's in control. They trusted that He has the world in His hands, even their little corner of it. They displayed genuine faith by putting their sign in the yard and continue to live lives that say we believe and aware of His presence.


If you have something you'd like to share on your own blog about this chapter then sign up under Mr. Linky below. Have a great week.

Next Tuesday chapter 4~The Pressure's On.

~Many Blessings~