His Encouragement #54

Good morning, and welcome to His Encouragement Thursday! I don’t know about you, but Thursdays are my struggle day of the week. By Thursday, I have already been working hard at school and at home, and I just wish it would hurry up and be Friday already. LOL! I definitely need a little extra Jesus time on Thursdays.

Trisha, my blogger friend at Joy of Reading, and I decided on calling this post “His Encouragement” because our real source of peace, strength, and security can only come from Jesus Christ. He, and He alone, is our constant! We pray and hope that these Thursday posts become a real encouragement to you and help you end your week strong in God’s love and purpose for you. God bless!

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Today’s Thursday Encouragement comes from:

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

I had a BIG battle with Fear this week.

Lots of big things were overwhelming me and Fear slipped into my heart.

I got a sad diagnosis on Monday — basically, I will have to live with pain for the rest of my life because of chronic arthritis. I’m only 37. How did this happen to me?!

Tuesday were the mid-term elections and my state pretty much failed in every way possible.

Wednesday, because of some really frustrating students in my classes, I was so fried I was in tears by 2:00 pm. One of the ladies at my work noticed my struggle and allowed me a vent session. I told her everything that I was worried over. When I was done talking, this exceptionally wise woman asked me why I was letting Fear be my god. Boy, did that get my attention!

I was letting Fear be my god. Instead of trusting God and going to Him in prayer, I just let the Fear take over. I let it get into my soul and take my gratitude and joy. I let Fear whisper into my ear that he is bigger than God, and I didn’t even realize I was allowing this!

As soon as I got home from work I went straight to my Bible. 2 Timothy 1:7 jumped right out at me.

Here’s some good news — God did not give us a spirit of Fear. He gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-control. Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we have an automatic defense against Fear. We can overcome!!! The Holy Spirit helps us gain self-control over these seemingly powerful, deceitful feelings. And, He helps us to put our focus back where Jesus wants it — on LOVE!

If you are struggling with a BIG emotion today, remember that God gave you His Spirit! You are filled with His power, His love, and His self-control. Amen, and thank You, Abba!

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NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN!

WHAT BIBLICAL VERSE IS ENCOURAGING YOU TODAY?

Check out more Thursday Encouragement from my fellow blogger friends:

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective

Becca @ The Becca Files

Jenny @ Author Jenny Lynn

Gina @ Stories by Gina!

If you would like to join us: please contact Trisha or Nicole