Laying Down Our Fears

Ask yourself and WRITE DOWN what are the anxieties, fears, regrets or doubts that have paralyzed you?

Matthew 14:22-31 (New Living Translation)



Would you take the invitation to take on a risk for Jesus and get out of the boat? The Message says that "Peter jumped out of the boat". Peter started out walking on water. Sure he was not successful but he was willing and he took a risk.

When we trust God we can receive God's power to make it through the storm. As long as we hold onto our faith and keep our eyes on Jesus, we will not be overcome by the storms of life.

It is when we focus on the troubled waters around us and forget God's assistance that we start to sink. If our hearts are hardened by problems like sin we will be unable to understand what God is trying to teach us.

What can keep you from seeing and appreciating the mighty works that God does in and through your life?

Mark 2:1-5 (New Living Translation)

Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

When Jesus announced that the sins were forgiven, many thoughts probably stirred in the mind of those nearby. The friends of the paralyzed man may have wondered how Jesus could have overlooked the man's more obvious need.

We often come to Jesus with dire problems, whether it be anxiety about being alone, fears of the future, past regrets, or doubts of our abilities. He does not overlook these; but he also does not overlook our most critical need of all - the need to receive forgiveness of our sins.

Romans 12:1-2 (New Living Translation)

A Living Sacrifice to God

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, (The Message says "Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking") but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

We are called to offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices. We are asked to make the decision to lay our lives on the altar before God so he can use us for his work. We are called to follow God's plan. As we do this, we will become a showcase to others of what God can do. And as we grow, we will discover the joy and meaning that can be experience when we offer our lives to God.



Ask Jesus for forgiveness, love, and peace to take the place of those things and to help you change.