Careful or fearful?

This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it! I hope you will as well.

First of all, to all of our West Memphis First Assembly family, God has given me a message for Sunday morning that I am very excited about. It is simply called, "Nevertheless…" Please make plans to attend one of our two services Sunday morning (8 am & 10:30 am). I believe God is going to do some awesome things in our lives!

I have talked with several people lately that are battling fear. Because of this, I have been studying and reading a lot of material on fear. This morning I was reading something from Author Bob Gass that ministered to me in a great way. Those of you that are regular readers know that I love to share things with you that have blessed my life. That is the purpose of this blog. Not just to share my heart and my writings, but to share things that have blessed me and "spurred me on." I believe the following thoughts from Bro. Gass will do just that to you today.

I Samuel 17:37 "The Lord… will deliver me."

Fearful people often excuse their fear as just being careful! They say, "I'm not afraid, I'm just being careful. You can't rush these things, you know." Doubtless King Saul wouldn't have admitted he was afraid to face Goliath, yet behind all his talk of "calculated risks" and discussions about "what was best for the nation," he was just plain scared. As you evaluate your response to the risks you face right now, ask yourself: "Am I careful or fearful?" You must wrestle that question to the ground!

You see:
(1) Careful is thoughtful; fearful is emotional.
(2) Careful is fuelled by information; fearful is fuelled by imagination.
(3) Careful calculates risk; fearful avoids risk.
(4) Careful wants to achieve success; fearful wants to avoid failure.
(5) Careful is concerned about progress; fearful is concerned about protection.

Saul was fearful; he did nothing. David was careful; he moved forward and killed the giant. And in that moment something significant happened. The Israelites suddenly got the courage to fight. The Philistines, who moments before had been beating their chests, suddenly ran for cover. One act of bravery, just one, gave everybody else what they lacked - courage. And that's the heart of leadership! Leaders instil courage in the hearts of those who follow - not just by their words, but by their actions.

So if you want to be a leader, you have to go first! In stepping out, you'll give the gift of courage to those who are watching. And depending on your situation, your one act of courage may change everything around you for the better!

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty