Faith Builders A-Z (C)
Challenging Your Fears
If the enemy can keep us fearful he will keep us from many great adventures with God.
Many Christians could make a major difference on the mission field, but they are unable to go because of a fear of flying.
Many Christians could go and heal the sick, but their fear of sickness keeps them from this wonderful ministry.
Many Christians could go and preach the Gospel in areas dominated by demons, but they are fearful of witchcraft.
Below is the inspiring story of someone who overcame a terrible experience that could have kept him out of the sea forever, but he challenged his fear and overcame it.
As Christians we have the Almighty God dwelling within us.
I believe the Lord searches for faith. He looks for people who will trust Him and believe that He will be with them no matter what happens.
A reading of Joshua 1 will demonstrate God’s desire for His people, and especially His leaders, to “Fear not, be strong and very courageous.” There was a Promised Land to be taken. Forty years previously the leaders had allowed fear to prevent them leading the people of Israel into the land.
What is God calling you to do?
Are there any fears that you need to challenge?
Fear not! Be strong and very courageous and do it!
Rodney Fox was attacked by a great white shark and badly bitten around the chest and arm in December 1963. His story of the attack and escape has been published many times. He is regarded as a miracle survivor of one of the world’s worst non-fatal shark attacks.
In the attack Rodney’s abdomen was fully exposed and all ribs broken on his left hand side. His diaphragm was punctured, lung ripped open, scapula was pierced, spleen uncovered, the main artery from his heart was exposed and he was minutes away from his veins collapsing due to the loss of large amounts of blood. Tendons, fingers and thumb in his right hand were all cut and to this day he still has part of a great white tooth embedded in his wrist. Many stitches (462) were required to sew him together after the attack.
His wetsuit is credited with holding him together. One lung was punctured. His ribs were exposed and bone was showing along his right hand and arm.
RODNEY FOX’S OWN TESTIMONY:
December 8, 1963 is a date that I’ll never forget. I was the South Australian spear fishing champion, and I was trying to regain my title. Halfway through the competition, I’d swum off shore trying to find a big strong fish.
And I dived down, I saw one. I was within split seconds of shooting it — when all of a sudden this huge crunch, and it hit me in the chest, knocked my gun out of my hand, the mask off my face, and I was hurled through the water faster than I’ve ever swam before.
It was just a nightmare.
In the hospital, they cut my wetsuit off me, and they found that there were these huge gashes and teeth marks, and every rib in my chest had been broken, hole through the shoulder blade, the lung had been punctured.
Another miracle is the main artery from the heart to the stomach was left exposed, together with the spleen. One nick and I would have died. Nothing was missing, so when they stitched me up, and I — I repaired, and I’ve really nothing wrong with me today, except the scars.
Amazingly, Fox returned to the sea and diving after his attack. He went on to design and build the first under water observation cage to dive with the great white shark (white pointer shark), and for over 40 years has now led major expeditions to film and study his attacker. He is now regarded as a world authority on the great white shark and has a great reputation as an expedition leader and producer of shark films. Rodney was involved in some way with most great white shark films made in the 20th century. Rodney’s life since the attack has involved consulting and coordinating film crews and arranging and guiding ecotourism adventure trips and expeditions specializing in great white sharks (white pointer shark) and other marine creatures.
Comment – Dealing with Fear
Rodney Fox returned to the same beach after his wounds healed and went diving again – to face the fear that engulfed him after the initial attack, and overcome it.
When David encountered Goliath, a giant that had filled Israel’s finest soldiers with great fear, the Bible tells us (in 1 Samuel 17:48-51) that David ran quickly at him!
There are times when we too must face our worst fear, and “run quickly at it” in some way – breaking its paralysing hold on our mindset and life.
Married parents 10 times more likely to stay together
New research from the UK has reinforced the importance of marriage in providing the best environment to raise children by revealing that married parents are 10 times more likely to stay together than cohabiting couples with children.
At a time when cohabitation is markedly on the increase in both the UK and Australia, the research showed that only one in 15 cohabiting relationships lasts until the first child turns 16, and that the stability of these relationships is on the decline.
In 2006 only 7 per cent of couples who were unmarried when their child was born were still together by the time their child turned 16 (down from 36 per cent in 1992), whereas 75 per cent of couples who were married when their child was born were still together when the child turned 16 (up from 70 per cent in 1992).
The comprehensive study entitled ‘Cohabitation in the 21st Century’ was carried out by Christian think-tank the Jubilee Centre and was based on almost 30,000 family cases.
Its findings should be of grave concern to Australians, with the proportion of children born outside of marriage here having almost doubled since 1988 – and one in three children now having unmarried parents. According to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures the number of children born out of wedlock reached 34 per cent in 2008, compared with 19 per cent in 1988.
The Jubilee Centre’s report also dispels some common myths about cohabitation serving as a good trial marriage or reducing the risk of divorce.
The report states that while two-thirds of cohabiting couples do go on to marry, cohabitation “forms a route into divorce and separation”.
“Cohabitation is typically a short-lived and fragile state on its own terms, and those couples who cohabit prior to marriage are at increased risk of divorce”, the report said.
The report has once more thrown the spotlight on the need for governments and the community to promote and advantage marriage because of its key role in building a healthy society and avoiding the heavy social and financial cost of family breakdown.
PRAYING GOD’S WORD
I received a email from Rodney Howard-Browne today and what he shared really recalled to mind something that is a key to great Christian living.
I really believe this. That’s why I wrote “Confessing and Praying God’s Word”.
Let me quote from Rodney’s email:
“Profession” is another word for “confession.” God’s Word never fails. God’s Word never returns to Him void – without producing or prospering. If we want to see God’s blessing on our lives, we need to pray God’s Word over our lives and our families.
Below are some of the prayers from the Bible that you can speak over yourself. You will renew your mind – change your thinking and take God’s Word and fill your heart with His Word – building up your faith.
Instead of praying the problem out loud – all you do is pray God’s Word. The Lord will hear your prayer and grant your petition. He honours His Word – He watches over His Word – Heaven and Earth shall pass away but His Word shall never pass away!
The prayers that Paul prayed are what you should pray over yourself everyday for the next 31 days – twice a day – and then, make it a way of life. These are so powerful and will change your life – they are the will of God for you – Heaven will answer these prayers beyond all doubt – You can know that these prayers will be answered – I want you to make these prayers the foundation of the 31 days of March and watch what God does in 2010.
Prayer # 1
Ephesians 1:17-20 AMP
Father, I pray that You would grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation – of insight into mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of You. Flood the eyes of my heart with light so that I can know and understand the hope to which You have called me and how rich is your glorious inheritance in the saints – Your set-apart ones. And so that I can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of Your power in and for me, who believes, as demonstrated in the working of Your mighty strength which You exerted in Christ when You raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your own right hand in heavenly places.
Prayer # 2
Ephesians 3:14-19 AMP
I bow my knees before You, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for Whom every family in Heaven and on Earth is named. May You grant me out of the rich treasury of Your glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit, Himself indwelling my inner most being and personality. May Christ, through faith, actually dwell – settle down, abide, make – His permanent home in my heart. May I be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love. That I may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints – God’s devoted people – the experience of that love – what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it. That I may really come to know – practically, through experience for myself – the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience – that I may be filled through all my being unto all the fullness of God – that I may have the richest measure of the divine Presence and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!
Prayer # 3
Colossians 1:9-12 AMP
Father, I pray and make special request asking that I may be filled with the full, deep and clear knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom – in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God – and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things. That I may walk, live and conduct myself in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to You and desiring to please You in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God – with fuller, deeper and clearer insight, acquaintance and recognition. I pray that I may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of Your glory, to exercise every kind of endurance and patience – perseverance and forbearance with joy. I give thanks to You, Father, Who has qualified and made me fit to share the portion, which is the inheritance of the saints – God’s holy people in the Light.
