Taxes....

Taxes....

It is that season again....I have to admit, that I have never done taxes. I have collected information that my husband husband needed to send to the accountant...but not the forms and still  don't.  Now that he is gone, I have to do my part as well as his part.   I feel like the picture of the person who just wants to take a big cardboard box full of info and hand it over the the accountant.  No, there are forms to fill in, checklists to fill out...which is all well and good, but still daunting...I wake up in a panic, am I remembering everything, am I doing the right thing? Added to that, I have my father's estate also, with the same questions....fear and anxiousness.....lead to lack of sleep.....

So I opened up one of the devotionals I read daily,   And the title, "the cure for fear".  God does have a sense of humor and timing.  This one was written a long time ago about a king who lived a very long time ago, who was fearful of an army arriving to destroy his kingdom....I remembered this passage, this scene, of him opening up the threatening letter and laying it before The Lord.....

I put myself, in that scene, opening all the forms, laying them before The Lord also....what do I do, how do i do it?  Steps to follow, details to take care of, check lists to take care of.....I know it doesn't seem as horrific as losing a nation, being taken out by marauders, but the crippling fear can still be overpowering....I don't want to be taken to task by the government, ......as a rule follower, I want to do it right,  not call attention to myself or our business....

So, take those forms or  those fears, lay them out, talk with God about them...He will direct our paths...in the big things and the "little".. Nothing is too big or small for Him to take care of...we just have to hold on to his hand along get way.....

Thank YOU so much for the reminder of the battles, that are yours....the fears you take away! the direction you give....

Proverbs 3:4-6
New International Version (NIV)
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

 
"The Cure to Fear
Daily Devotional for February 13
From the Writings of Ray Stedman
 
From your friends at
www.RayStedman.org
Read the Scripture: Isaiah 36:1-37:20

Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria. Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? (Isaiah 37:10-11)

This communication came in the form of a letter to Hezekiah. Clearly, it was intended to keep his heart fearful and anxious. It was a threat for the future, saying that although the king of Assyria was leaving for the moment, he would return again to wreak a terrible vengeance on Judah. Had Hezekiah taken the Assyrian message in that way, he would have lived in constant fear.

It is very important for Christians to understand that God does not want his people to live in fear. Fear is one of the great perils of our day. Anxieties beset us on every hand. We need to hear again the words of Jesus that we should not be anxious about tomorrow. Again and again our Lord told his disciples, Fear not. Paul told us that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and a sound mind. It is not within our power to remove these threats to us, but we can meet them with faith. This is what Hezekiah does. Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

Have you ever gone into your bedroom, knelt beside your bed, and spread your problem before the Lord? That is the only proper response to a threat to your person or faith. Here is the king's wonderful prayer.

Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God. (Isaiah 37:15-20)

Notice how accurate this prayer is. Hezekiah acknowledges the facts as they are. Assyria is a powerful force that had already swept other kingdoms away before it, but these nations were depending on idols to protect them, while Hezekiah's and Judah's dependence is on the Lord of heaven and earth. To him Hezekiah prays, simply and plainly, for help.

Lord, I come to you now and spread before you all the troubles that I face. I confess that without you I am completely helpless, but you are the God who had made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord and see.

Life Application: Fear is a normal response as we walk day-by-day in this earth's shadowland--so are we developing a new "norm" to spread our fears before our Sovereign King who is "ruler of everything"?

Related Message: This daily devotional was inspired by one of Ray's messages. Please read "Faith and Folly" or listen to Ray for more on this portion of scripture.

Devotions for February from Isaiah
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Copyright © 2014 by Ray Stedman Ministries — This daily devotion is from the book Immeasurably More: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman; compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to www.RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet."