By: Ama Hutchful.

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Psalm 121:1-8; Proverbs 3:21-26

Worry turns into fear in the blink of an eye when we do not turn them over to the Lord. I know this all too well as someone who struggles with it sometimes. It’s like that fly that just won’t leave you alone to enjoy your time of rest and relaxation outdoors.

We get trapped in the prison of fear because we don’t act like we believe God’s word. We often talk about being children of God, and his love for us, but don’t quite act like it in every aspect of our lives. This was my struggle. Fear was getting the best of me, and I was beginning to drown in it. Worst case scenarios constantly played in my mind about almost everything. I made catastrophes out of situations that had not happened nor were guaranteed to. True joy and peace were becoming foreign to me. “What if” had become a close companion. I would go as far as being fearful of a church shooting during service. I was living in crippling fear!

Right before bed one night, my mind was “in prison” playing different scenarios of what could go wrong in my life especially with my children. Mind you, I was in prayer with my husband. I was in the Lord’s presence , but I had allowed my thoughts to be taken captive by the enemy.

God spoke to me directly in a mighty way through his word the next morning. The verses for my quiet time included (Psalm 121:3-8 NLT), “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps .The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

I was just so thankful and amazed by how directly God spoke to me in that moment. I was in awe of God. The next passage, Proverbs 3:21-26 (NLT), was another direct message from God! vs. 24, “You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.” I was experiencing a one-on-one moment with God, and my heart was so full of love for him.

What a mighty God we serve! He assured me through his word, and I felt a sense of peace and calm that I know only came from Him. His peace that surpasses all understanding became very present in that moment. He is the God of peace indeed.

When thoughts that are not of God try to take our minds captive, we can always turn to God’s word, for that is the only way we can overcome them.

God tells us in Rom 8:15 (NLT), “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

May we always remember that God is our father, and because of that we need not worry about anything, Matt 6:25-34 (NLT). When we look to Jesus, he will never leave us nor forsake us. Let us rest in the peace of our mighty father.

Adopted from: Reverie for Christ Jesus, Lost in thought about God’s word https://reveriewithchrist.home.blog/

The writer is is our first daughter. Ama lives in Centreville, VA, USA, with her husband, Jonathan. They have two daughters, Kayla and Karen.