Fear Not

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10

This morning in the service, God spoke to my heart as we studied types of fear from a Biblical perspective. There is the reverential fear that we should have for God; there is the instinctive fear of danger given for our protection (such as the newborn baby's fear of falling); and, there is the fear that leads to the sin of worry, doubt, and disobedience. 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear..." Perfect trust in God and His promises is not complete without the perfect love that comes from God. It is my prayer that I might be made perfect in the love of God, first towards God and then towards those He has called me to serve.

I have been made increasingly aware of the spiritual battle that is going on for this village and school. For some, it is a battle for spiritual growth; for others, a battle for their souls. Peer pressure is just as real here as in the U.S., and despite the hard life, Christians here can get "comfortable" too! Please pray for an outpouring of God's Spirit here in Juan Tomas, and the continual strengthening of those who sincerely desire to walk moment-by-moment in the Spirit.

As a side note, I am hearing reports of the cold, rainy weather back home in Georgia. Somehow, I'm not sure I remember what "cold" is!! However, if any of you get tired of the cold, you always have an open invitation to come visit the WARM Dominican Republic! (Just let me know before showing up on the doorstep...)

May God bless all of you, and thank you for your prayers!