“Lions and tigers and bears oh my!” one of my favorite lines
in The Wizard of Oz. In the original movie, there were lots of scary things appearing
and lots of scary situations going on! It was so full of scariness that my
mother wouldn’t let me watch it until I was older. I was sure that there were
monsters under the bed, in the closet and around the corner.
They were taking a trip together but found themselves
entering a dark forest. They began discussing the dangers that could appear
along the way. One moment they were embarking on a delightful trip and the next
moment the Scarecrow was thinking he might meet a straw eating villain along
the way. The Tin Man tried to encourage them but instead scared them more as he
said, “…mostly lions and tigers and bears”.
The life of faith is a wonderful trip. We have an incredible
destination! We’re blessed that like-minded believers walk along the path with
us throughout our lives. It’s of great encouragement to have folks who believe
the Word and heed God’s call along the way.
While most folks are sure of the destination, others aren’t
so sure about getting there. After all bad
things happen. People get sick. Friends get transferred. Kids grow up. Parents
pass away. Pastors go to new congregations. Jobs go away. Hobbies change. All
these things can be pretty scary. Other
people’s perceptions of you, discussions of you or pronouncements can keep you
cringing in fear.
As Dorothy and her comrades discussed the dangers that could
happen, they began to feed one another with fear instead of faith. Soon they
were cowering together and certain that the worst would happen. They were losing hope and not sure if they’d
make it out alive!
How important it is that you walk the walk of faith with
those who live out their faith! Fearful situations will come along, but we can
be fearless for we know Who walks with us. When we have troubles we consult the
word of God first and friends next. It’s
imperative that we seek out strong people of faith to walk alongside us and
keep God ever before us! He is the True
Light of the pathway, shining brightest in our darkest moments. He is the
keeper of the Destination, guiding all the way to our ultimate reward.
Oh beloved, are your cringing in fear? Are you feeling
hopeless? Are you feeding on that fear rather than feeding on faith? Run to the
Word and speak it aloud! Tell God how you feel, but tell that fear to get out
of the way for you are coming through.
You have the Lord God Almighty who lights the path. He not only lights
the way, He is the Light! He loves you so much that He will always guide you,
always keep you safe and always honor your faith. Speak faith today and your
fears have to flee! Speak love today and hate has to vanish! Speak the Word
today and lies have to scurry back into the darkness they came from! You have a changed heart and a badge of
courage given to you from God and He will never take it away!
I Corinthians 16:13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be
courageous. Be strong.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within
you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. NAS
2 Timothy 1:7 For God
has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and
self-discipline
2 Corinthians 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight NAS
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the
word of Christ.
picture from www.dailylifeverse.com
