Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalms 23:4 WEBIt was dusk dark and I was alone in the middle of a swamp we called the Beaver Dam. I had ridden my dirt bike over to my cousin's house that day. He stayed about four miles from us through dense woods and swamp. We had made a path to ride through the beaver dam to each others house.
We were both about ten years old, and after playing video games later than we should have, it dawned on me that it was getting dark. I had no headlight, so I started the journey home. Now riding through the swamp on a motorcycle at night alone with no lights was scary, but I soon found it could be made much worse.
The bike was a Suzuki RM80 that was professionally built and raced in motocross before I got it. I had paid for it by working in the tobacco fields, and it was the fastest in the community. There are bears and panthers in the area, and I could just feel one behind me. I kept glancing back into the shadows, and I would give the bike a bit more throttle each time. Before long I was almost wide open, and that was fast.
I was flying down the muddy, rutted path, and I forgot all about the canal ditch that I had to slow to cross. It was dark and I came up on it suddenly. I hit the far side of that ditch and launched way up into the air. As the bike and I were flipping end over end in a tangled mess, I was already kicking the starter to get moving. I landed in a huge pile of mud, rolled a few times, and took straight back off. I don't believe the wheels ever stopped turning. By then I was so terrified that it seemed that my life was flashing before my eyes. Thank God, I made it home safely.
The moral of the story is this: You can make a bad situation, so much worse than it really is. The more that you dwell on it, think about it, talk about it, the more that it will grow in your mind, until it will consume you in pure panic. I believe that was the most scared that I have ever been in my life, and it was all in my mind. I would have been perfectly safe to have stopped, built a fire, and spent the night camping. Don't let your fears snowball and consume you. Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Never allow your circumstances to deceive you into believing that God is not with you.
Remember: What you feed in your thought life will grow, and what you starve, will die.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that You cover me with Your peace, fill me with Your Spirit, and remove the fear and anxiety from me. Lead me into living a truly victorious life, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.Note: For those who are participating in our Creation Photographers theme of the week: Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." - Our next fun theme will be "If You Love It, Take a Picture of It" and is open wide for creative interpretation. We also encourage you to post anything else inspiring as well. My photos this week (in the group) reflect some of what I love about this weekend. May you all Love the Lord with all your heart and soul! Have a fantastic week everyone and God bless!" Here is the link:
Creation Photographers > You can subscribe to our daily devotional here <
Amen! Thank You Lord!
Amen!!
Amen Lord
Amen
GM, Pastor Todd, thank-you so much for the devotional this morning. You always have a Godly word. I pray the blessings of the Lord continue to be upon you, this church and your wife. Be Blessed.
Amen
Amen!
God help me to not dwell on the bad and to put my faith in you always. Praise God in the name of Jesus Amen
Thank you Bro. Todd. Amen!
Amen. Thank you Pastor Dion for your testimony. I truly need to be reminded that my mind is my worst enemy. Thank you God for being in my life and leading me without fear. Amen
Amen!!!
Yes, the mind is our battlefield and Satan loves to use fear. Thank You Father, I can trust You when I am afraid. Great message Pastor Dion! Amen.
Right on time message from the Lord for my life this morning, Pastor Dion. Thank you for your faithfulness. Father, I pray that You cover me with Your peace, fill me with Your Spirit, and remove the fear and anxiety from me. Amen
Amen,please help us to overcome our fears. Thank you Jesus.
Never better said. Thank you Pastor Dion for the reminder. God bless and have a great day.
Amen thankyou it was like God was talking to me reading the word praises to our God in heaven
Amen
Heavenly Father I thank You for Your loving care and protection, remove from my mind the scary thoughts and fears that at times are consuming me. Give me Your peace and spirit to keep going and follow Your designs, in Jesus name I pray. Amen. Praise the Lord.
Thank you Pastor awesome message, God bless you.
Amen! So true!
Amen!
Amen and Amen!!! Thank you Pastor Dion!
God hasn't given us the spirit of fear but power, HIS power, praise His holy name!!!
Amen
Amen!
Wonderful reminder thank you so much!
Thank you so much Pastor Dion. This comes at a perfect time for me because this is what I am struggling with right now my fears are worse than they need to be. Well it's an ongoing struggle for me. Praise God we have a loving savior that we can draw near to, and be our rock ease our fears!
AMEN