Have you ever had something SO SCARY and SO SHOCKING happen to you, that you suddenly felt like you were in the middle of a movie? That happened to me as I went to pick up my daughter from school on Friday.
I was sitting at a red light, when SUDDENLY two guys jump out of their car and start beating on another car. At first, I wasn’t sure if they were just ‘playing around’ with their friends. But it quickly became obvious that these guys were SERIOUS and they were MAD!!!!
A Clean Get-a-way
I was lucky enough to be an uninvolved bystander, until ANOTHER car flew up and blocked the intersection so that no one could move. THEN a man jumped out and started pointing a GUN at the cars that were fighting!
I immediately called 911. As the light turned green, I had to drive right by the gunmen in order to get past. I was talking to the police as quickly as I could, giving as much detail as I could, as I got OUT OF THERE and just prayed that he didn’t turn the gun towards me.
Never let ‘em see you sweat…
As I pulled into my daughter’s school less than 1 block away, I realized that my previously dry clothes were now wet with stress sweat! That was a pretty MILD consequence for a VERY INTENSE few minutes.
I told the story to the other mom’s in the parking lot as the squeal of police sirens approached. I was surprised at the myriad of feelings that continued to sweep over my body.
Our bodies, emotions and reactions can be UNPREDICTABLE when fear enters a situation in a big way.
So what should we do when a scary moment comes?
The reasons behind any one of our fears could be as diverse as FINANCIAL, HEALTH related, what’s happening in a RELATIONSHIP or physical DANGER.
It can be sudden, or it can creep up on us inch by inch, as walls seem to crumble around us. No matter what, the way to deal with the fear is the same.
In the Bible, even just the book of Deuteronomy has quite a bit to say about fear:
‘You must not FEAR them, for the LORD your God Himself fights for you.’ Deut. 3:22 (NKJV)
‘No man shall be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the dread of you and the FEAR of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you.’ Deut. 11:25
‘Be strong and of good courage, do not FEAR nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.’ Deut. 31:6
‘And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not FEAR nor be dismayed.’ Deut. 31:8
Faith vs Fear
One thing becomes clear very quickly. No matter what’s happening TO us or AROUND us, God does not want us to fear. He wants us to trust Him, to follow Him and to operate in FAITH, the opposite of fear. This isn’t possible if we are in fear!
He wants us to know that ‘we are the head and not the tail’ and that ‘we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.’
He wants us to trust Him. To cast our care on Him. To live in peace REGARDLESS of our circumstances. He wants to be our rock and our defense.
Divine Protection
I was reminded of God’s loving PROTECTION around me, as I was able to drive right out of a potentially life-threatening situation without any harm.
His same protection is around you. TRUST in Him. He is the deliverer, the protector, the lover of your soul. He’s on your side and leading and guiding you out of your situation right now.
We want to hear from you!
To help build faith in our friends who are reading this today; what situation can you share that you saw the divine protection of God walking you through a fearful situation?
Knowing that God’s protection is on me is one of the most comforting feelings. No matter what I am facing I know that he is there!
So beautiful posts merits a bookmark, thanks and thanks for this extraordinary posts again!
Hi Pastor Nicole,
It is so funny that right at the moment I needed to hear about “fear” I decided to check my emails during my lunch. A call from my dr. to have tests done, so of course, first thing the devil tries to do is put fear in me, and then worry. But right at the minute I need HIM, you send your email. How awesome is HE. I thank God for allowing me to be part of all that is involved with HIM. I thank God for my pastors, for giving me such caring people. I know HE is with me always and will not fear. Thank you again, so much.
Thank you Pastor for sharing this experience. Ever since my kids were old enough to walk to school (only 1/2 a mile away), I have prayed boldly over them by physically laying hands on them and reassuring them that God’s protection and God’s big strong angels surrounded them every where they go. One afternoon after school my son was walking home rom school with another boy from our neighborhood and two bigger and older guys attacked them. My son told me that all of the sudden they turned to the other boy and left him alone and when my son told them to stop! they both fled like they had seen a ghost. When my son shared this with me later on that day I told him that I truly believed that those were his angels that protected him and the other boy from suffering harm.
God truly protects his children that believe in His Divine Protection.
Pastor Nicole,
I’m so glad you are ok…GOD is good
Thanks, Pastor Nicole, for the testimony and the reminder that no matter how serious the circumstances, we need not fear for God is “always” our protector; we can depend upon Him. The proof is in the pudding: He was definitely your protector that day! 🙂
Thank you Pastor Nicole for sharing and reminding us that we are never alone. I think this time of year many people have financial fears with the holidays upon us and taxes that are due. We all want to make our family happy with gifts but there is always some fear about costs and on & on… it is good to know that He is always here for us and our protector / PROVIDER!
This is exactly what my husband and I are teaching our children right now. That God is always around them to protect to guide them, and that He sends special angels their way to keep them safe. One day we went to Wal-Mart and I had let my husband and our boys out at the door, there was a drunk older guy driving one of those old school cars, and just as my husband and my two boys were walking across the street the car came out of no where. I was sure he had hit my youngest, so was my husband, I hopped out of our van in the middle of the parking lot and ran to him, he didn’t have a scratch on him. There were even by standers who saw thought the car hit him. All I can say is that God’s protection was over my youngest that day. Love this blog, very encouraging <3
Great post! It means so much to hear your personal experiences. I felt like I was in the car with you! That was very scary. I am overseas and have been in some not safe situations all the while knowing God has me covered… He’s been kind enough to show me tangible examples of his protection over me. He is SO good and always on the lookout for us! Praying for your continued protection, Pastor Nicole!
I’m glad your okay Pastor Nicole. A couple of months ago my family and I were on our way home from Branson when we stopped at the stoplight all of a sudden I hear WHAM next thing I knew I looked out my window and two cars crashed into each other. At that moment I was afraid that both drivers were badly injured. When each of the cars hit each other I saw a beer bottle fall out the car window. I feared the worst for the driver of the other car at that point. I looked up to god and began to pray that the other driver of blue mini van was okay. Each day I remind myself that when we face a fearful situation God will get us through it. Everyday when my mom takes me college praying that god gets us both there safely. Seeing that car accident I just couldn’t bare to look at it anymore. I closed my eyes and kept praying to god. God can get us through any situation
Hi Pastor,
WOuld you take a moment and read a post from a journal I have kept for a year ~~ recording the journey my family has been on. It is a story of brokenness and hope. In 3 short years our family went from upper middle class to needing social services. God called me to be compeltely transparent in our day to day struggles. I think the church often lack honesty and truth in our lives. I am certain our family has been chosen for this road, this road to draw the broken to us, to tell them they are not forgotten. Our family is a testiment of that! GOd is still a God of miracles, He is still acutely aware of our day to day needs! Thank God for it!!
Respectfully,
Angie Dyer
I apologize I realized I didnt put the address, I would also like to put ~~ this all transpired while pastoring and owning a family business of 17yrs. It waasn’tTdivorce or mismanagement of money, it was just a failing economy. Tragedy is not a respector of persons, it happens in the church, the church doesn’t keep you from it. But, Praise God it gives you the hope that He is able to see you thru and He has a design for your life! I feel it would all be a waste, if our family didn’t share this hope, our marriage of 27yr has survived and our children (we have 4) are happy well adjudged kids! That is hope in and of itself! Thank you for taking time to read my message. angelam321.blogspot.com
A sincere thank you to you, Pastor David and Faith Church. If it was not for all of you I know I would be in worse place than where I am in Life. I know that God is protecting my family and I, however I am still so lost.