Hi lilitalenboy 16 !
I too have felt the same feeling of being scared, of not knowing what the right thing to do in any given instance IS. However, the more often of the Bible's verses, passages, and principles that I become aware of, and have been able to commit to memory and to my heart's desire, the more confidence I have in God to bring up a verse, passage, or principle to my mind when I'm in a spiritual crisis of one sort or another (be it minor or major), and SAVE me from a "sticky" situation. That's another reason I'm often delighted while I'm currently undertaking the most massive project I've EVER undertaken, which is studying both of my Bibles : Scofield's New AKJV Reference Bible and the Bible that Ray Smith quotes from so often, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, at the SAME time, comparing verses in each version, and looking up the cross-references, as well as reading Scofield's enlightening footnotes. I just want to mention one thing, however, and that is that Scofield uses the words "sheol" and "hades", yet he still calls them "hell" in his marginal notes and footnotes......and you and I know that Ray Smith has blasted THAT concept to smithereens (oops, I just made a pun, and didn't even know it until after I typed the word!! AH HAHAHA!! ). Knowing as many Scriptural passages as we can DOES help us when we are in "crisis mode".....I don't know how
MANY times different ones have helped me, such as Isaiah 26:3 :
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee :
because he trusteth in Thee."
And the more we experience Life & its daily events, and SEE how God manages to "work out all things for good to those who love God" (I can't remember the Scriptural passage....it hurts my feet to climb the stairs, on account of the screws in them, and my Strong's Concordance is upstairs right now....I WILL look it up, however, and will give it to you, if you wish, if you do not have Strong's), we GROOOOW in confidence in Him and His
VERY NEAR-NESS to each one of us who adore Him. I once looked up the definition of "faith", and its origin is "confidence" (con-FI-dence, or faith ..... FI = faith , such as in the Marine Corps' motto, "Semper FI", meaning "Always Faithful."
The next verse is very good too (Isa. 26:4) :
"Trust ye in the LORD for ever : for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength : "
And when we have a good backlog of stored-away Bible principles for living (such as those found in Proverbs, etc.), God can then cause them to pop into mind when we're suffering a crisis, and (as one of my girlfriends, who died last Weds., used to say,
"Do the next right thing." ) be given the wisdom to know WHAT is the best thing to DO, even if it is to keep silent if someone else is treating us roughly, verbally.
We all, here at BT Forums, those who deeply want to be TRUE Christians, ARE "Spiritual Warriors", and I love the concept God has given us of "putting on the Full Armor of the Spirit", to do battle with the 'dark forces' who seek to undermine first our minds, then our hearts (I THINK that's what's happening, anyway.....does anyone else have any spiritual Wisdom to share with the rest of us on this idea?). I find that I absolutely
HAVE TO keep as close a watch on my mind's contents, because if I allow ONE negative thought to creep in, and don't "keep on top of it", I will find myself spiraling downward emotionally & mentally. So, when I suddenly discover that a negative thought HAS crept in, I MUST say to my mind (the thought that's in it, that is), "THAT'S
ENOUGH!!! GO AWAY!!!" , and then turn my mind to something else positive, or at least neutral (such as paying attention to my current chore (like getting the dishes sparkling clean while washing them.....fairly mundane..... ho hum! HAHA! )
Oh, I did not know this posting would turn out to be so LONG !!! Does anyone have anything else to help us all with, here?
Have a
BEAUTIFUL Day, mentally & spiritually!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Linda
P.S. Thanks, JavaJoe, for the reminder in Proverbs 19:21 !! It IS so relaxing to KNOW that God KNOWS the ending from the beginning, and His plans for man will NOT be thwarted......and that
His Joy WILL thoroughly permeate ALL of us,
FOREVER!!! !!