Browsing Tag

storms

Blog, Faith, prayer, Stress

Fear is optional

fear is a prison

What are you afraid of?

I’ve been scared all my life. 

When I was a child and growing up, I had a lot of fears. I was afraid of:

  • the unknown;
  • the dark;
  • storms;
  • strangers;
  • loud noises;
  • big dogs;
  • failing in school;
  • getting in trouble at school;
  • being called on at school to answer a question;
  • public speaking;
  • heights;
  • crowds;
  • rejection;
  • my parents;
  • and more. 

As an adult, my fears are much more intangible, things like me not mattering (not making a difference here on earth) nor leaving a righteous legacy.  Of my children not loving me or having nothing to do with me. Of failing as a mom. Of something horrible happening to one of our children or grandchildren. Of never fulfilling my calling and purpose from God. Of never succeeding as a speaker and author. Of growing old and unloved. Of declining health. Of news headlines, such as the Coronavirus, violent shootings, terrorism, persecution for my faith, and natural disasters.  Fears many people share. 

God has delivered me of many of my childhood fears, but I still have to fight against new fears the enemy Satan tries to throw at me, such as the one above. I must keep my gaze on Jesus and choose to trust in Him!

Leah at our house with her ankle elevated, pre-surgery

Leah at our house with her ankle elevated, pre-surgery

 

Leah's heavy black ankle boot

Leah’s heavy black ankle boot

I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety and fear lately because our youngest daughter Leah fell on ice and snow near Christmas, and it broke the fibula in her right ankle. The fracture required her having surgery, which was extremely scary to me.

I know that God is going to completely heal her, but that doesn’t mean I am not battling fears, such as her falling again and re-injuring herself. But I must choose to trust that God is going to protect her and quickly, completely heal her!

Fear is something Jesus addressed a lot with His disciples. One of the most well-known passages is when they were on a boat in a storm in Matthew 8:23-27, NASB.

The Bible describes it as a “great storm.” This was not just a little summer shower. The men were experienced fishermen, and had been in plenty of storms. But they were afraid in this storm.

 “When Jesus got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?””

The men were scared out of their wits that they were going to die. And there Jesus was, asleep! They woke Him up, asking Him to rescue them. Jesus challenged them. He called them out for their fear, asking why they were afraid.

Why are you and I afraid, too? Jesus is always with us in the boat of life! He is at peace, and we should be, too, trusting in God!

storm

In my email inbox today, I received the Faith Gateway ezine in which author Max Lucado writes, “Storms are not optional, but fear is.”

On my Facebook wall today, one of my friends didn’t agree completely with this quote. She said, “Fear is a natural human emotion. It moves us to take action. To seek safety. Fear can alert us to REAL danger. Ignoring it, burying it, or minimizing it won’t save us if we’re in a serious situation. Fear can prompt us to make quick decisions. Some people have physical strength during scary moments and they can rescue others from a fire, car accident, and dire conditions.”

This is true. And in fact, my friend Judy in Florida just experienced this during a storm. She and her husband Bob are staying in a mobile home right now and were going to a concrete building storm shelter during a tornado warning about 10:30 at night. As her husband was getting his sweat pants, Judy went outside to knock on a neighbor’s door.

The wind became powerful and she saw rotating clouds. Judy laid quickly on the ground and prayed for Jesus to help them. She was pelted with debris but God protected her. About 15 houses away, a tree was uprooted and mobile homes were damaged. It was later confirmed that a tornado was on the ground in their area. If Judy hadn’t paid attention to her feeling of fear when she saw the rotating clouds, she might have been seriously hurt or even died. Her fear did alert her to make a quick, and potentially life-saving decision: to lay down on the ground for protection.

Fear can be useful to caution us. We need to pay attention to our fears, because God gives us emotions for a reason. But God doesn’t want us to stay stuck there. He wants us to rise above the fear and intentionally choose to trust in and believe in Him, God Almighty, who is all-knowing and all-powerful. God is greater than any fear or danger that we may be experiencing. Fear is the opposite of faith and is our enemy to trusting in Jesus.

faith deco in sunroom

faith deco in sunroom

Yes, fear is a natural response to frightening, dangerous situations. God understands this and doesn’t condemn us for the fear. But we can’t stay a slave to our fears. We must master them and choose to believe in and trust in God. We must get our eyes off the dangerous storm, whatever it is, and keep our eyes on Jesus, who will never leave us. This is not an easy task. But with God nothing is impossible. Renewing our minds with the truth of God’s word is the key to conquering our fears. (Romans 12:2)

Here are some verses on fear and faith that you and I can meditate on to help us renew our minds and to conquer the enemy of fear.

“So do not fear, for I AM with you; do not be dismayed for I AM your God. I will strengthen and help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3)

“Peace is what I leave with you; it is My own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

“But now thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are Mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

*******

Metamorphosis: Transformed from Fear to Faith

my butterfly book at Amazon

Are you struggling with fears, anxiety, or stress? Be sure to check out my book, Metamorphosis: Transformed from Fear to Faith, available for sale at Amazon here

Blog

What storm are you in now? Journaling questions from Facebook Virtual Book Launch

Storm TossedThis week I had my Facebook Virtual Book Launch Celebration for my first ever fiction eBook, Storm Tossed, which became an Amazon Best Seller in its category and sub-categories the FIRST day. Thank you for helping to make this possible!

During the launch, I shared encouraging Scriptures and inspiring quotes, and asked questions about storms. I thought I’d share them here with you for you to think, pray, and journal about today. Feel free to answer one or some of these in the comments below.

1. Have you been in a hurricane or another disaster? Share a little about it-what happened, when, and where?

2. What spiritual or emotional storms have you been through in life? For example, mine would be my difficult marriage with Ray for 23 years. We’ve faced his career struggles, financial hardship, foreclosure of our home, bankruptcy, health issues, and so much more. You can read more about this in my memoir, Promises In The Dark: One Woman’s Search for Authentic Love. (By God’s grace we’re still together!)

3. What did God teach you through the storm? Many of the women who attended the event said that they had learned to rely on God during their worst moments, to know that He would never leave them.

4. Is there anyone or anything you’re putting your faith or trust in other than God? For example, we so often turn to other people, sex, food, money/success, addictions such as alcohol, drugs or pornography, entertainment, careers or ministry, social media, etc., to try to fill up that black hole inside of us, which is a God-void.

5. What can you do to experience more peace in your life? Have quiet time with God first thing in the morning? Talk with a friend over coffee? Go for a walk? Get a massage? Read a good book? Watch a chic flic? Take a  hot bubble bath? Travel someplace new?

6. Rachel in Storm Tossed doesn’t listen to her husband Jackson, their daughter Faith, or anyone to evacuate before the hurricane hits. Do you have trouble listening to God or others? I know for myself, this is an area I struggle with, but I’m trying to become a better listener!

7. Rachel was afraid in the hurricane, even though she tried to have faith. All she needed was mustard seed size faith! What area of your life do you need to trust God more? Study the scripture Matthew 17:20. Maybe even buy a mustard seed necklace as a visual reminder to trust in God.

8. Faith keeps her feelings private, except with her mom. Do you have a close friend to talk with about your problems and your feelings? Remember that Jesus is your Friend. You can always come to Him and talk about anything. 

9. Rachel travels to the ocean in Destin, FL, in Storm Tossed to get away from everyone and everything to really think and pray about everything. What is your dream spot, some place where you’d love to go away alone for a break?

10. What storm are you going through right now in your life? Jesus is right there with you, just as He was with the disciples in the boat when they were terrified they would drown. (Matthew 8:23-27)

To find out more about my new fiction eBook, Storm Tossed, click here.

Watch the book trailer here.

 

 

Blog, Business, Ebooks, Faith, Marriage, Parenting, prayer, Spiritual Gifts

Jesus is our peace in the storm

Beth Jones, International Speaker/Author Storm Tossed Launch

Beth Jones, International Speaker/Author
Storm Tossed Launch

Jesus is our peace in the storm.

I’m so excited about the launch my new fiction book, Storm Tossed! You can find my eBook for your Kindle, Storm Tossed, on Amazon for only $2.99 by clicking here. I’d appreciate a review after you read it, and please share with your family and friends!

Below is the book trailer for Storm Tossed.
Click here to view the Storm Tossed Book Trailer.

“Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.” ~ Matthew 8:26, NLT

Below is my other video, You are Not Alone In The Storm.
Click here to view my video.

Below is my audio, You Are Not Alone in the Storm.

As part of celebrating my first ever fiction book launch, below is a powerful picture of a lighthouse in a storm. I added the text myself with Canva online graphic design software.

This image comes from http://farmersalmanac.com/weather/2012/05/28/2012-hurrican-season-forecast/, so please give credit if you use this image.

I hope you like it. To download it, right click and save it to your computer, laptop, Ipad, etc.Jesus is our peace in the storm.  Image resource: http://farmersalmanac.com/weather/2012/05/28/2012-hurrican-season-forecast/

Image resource: http://farmersalmanac.com/weather/2012/05/28/2012-hurrican-season-forecast/