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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Brown's Daily Word 7-25-12

Praise the Lord for another bright and beautiful day in His Kingdom. It is one of the ten best days here in New York. I spoke with Sunita as she was on her way to her work in Washington, DC. She said it is a gorgeous day in Washington today. It will be reaching 100 degrees tomorrow. We are blessed beyond belief to be living in beautiful Broome County in New York. The parsonage is surrounded with many beautiful trees. The Lord has air conditioned this region with so much generosity and love. We can be indoors and or outdoors. Alice and I walked after 9 PM last night. It was a clear and crisp night. The moon and stars were beaming with beauty and proclaiming with manifold witness the majesty and splendor of God and of our Lord.
We live in a world where many people allow themselves to be limited by their fears of hurt, disappointment, or criticism. I was recently visiting with a woman, whose 25 year old daughter committed suicide four moths ago. She struggled with various concerns and chaotic issues of living and doing life. She left behind two young children. The mother of this young mom is devastated. She is broken and dealing with an array of all kinds thoughts and feelings. I spent a considerable time to listen to her and pray with her. She is dealing with intense pain and fear.

I have been reading from Psalm 34. Many times we have to obey before we can feel delivered from our fears. David praised God and then experienced release from His fears. In Psalm 34 we are invited to extol the Lord at all times and, with our praise of His attributes, we are lifted up above our fears. The Psalmist wrote, "I will extol the Lord at all times, his praise will always be on my lips." Praise helps us gain a new perspective. Praise of God’s Lordship over all aspects of life help us see that He is sovereign and His omnipotence is greater than any problem. When we are focused on Jesus as the one who overcomes the world, we are given increased sense of His empowerment, enabling, and courage. Jesus said, "BE of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." Praise God for His resurrection power that gives you the power, love and self-discipline to cast all of your anxieties upon the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let you down.
The Psalmist wrote, "I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all of my fears." (Psalm 34:4) Whenever we feel afraid we can trust Him to provide whatever we need. He makes us adequate with His adequacy. He provides us with courage when we are feeling timid. He gives us the confidence to speak with articulate wisdom when we are unsure of what to say. He helps us face our obstacles with the assurance that we can do everything God asks us to do with the help of Christ who gives us the strength and power. (Phil. 4:13 - Living)

Let us not try to deliver ourselves with our own power, intelligence, or personality. The arm of flesh will always fail. Paul wrote, "I did not come to you with superiority of speech, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power so your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God."
Whenever John Wesley felt afraid he would just pause to pray and praise God for the fact that He was still on the throne of heaven ruling all things well. Wesley wrote, "I have never known more than fifteen minutes of anxiety or fear. Whenever, I feel fearful emotions overtaking me I just close my eyes and thank God that he is still on the throne reigning over everything and I take comfort in His control over all the affairs of my life.

In Christ,

Brown

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