Dear Wonderful Friends,

Much of the world was shaken today...not by an earthquake, volcanic eruption, or powerful hurricane. No, this was an unexpected tsunami of evil, suddenly releasing terror in France.

The beloved city of Paris, noted for love and romance, is now submerged in panic, disbelief, and chaos.

As death counts emerge from 5 different locations, waves of fear wash over the city.

Going from a national crisis to individual lives, certain elements bear some similarities. The sudden, unexpected probability of death, our own helplessness and inability to change the immediate situation, the instant revelation of our own vulnerability are all breeding grounds for fear. Fear and death appear to be no respecter of person. The difference would be in our response.

Fear is defined as an anxious feeling, caused by our anticipation of some real or imagined event or experience.

In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Such wisdom!

The more attention and focus we put on fear, the more we experience it. As such, it is like the law of attraction...the very things Job feared came upon him; what he dreaded came to pass. (Job 3:25)

The list of fears is beyond extensive, but one thing is certain. Fear is not of or from God. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

We are to resist things that are not from God...therefore, refusing to fear would be a good starting point. The decision to be fearless has to be backed up by more than what we in ourselves are capable of doing. Trusting totally in ourselves would be an open door to additional stress and anxiety. The President of France, Hollande, said the terrorists want us to be afraid, but in the face of terror we must be united.

True, united we stand together, but what is the foundation of our unity? The unity of agreement that destroys fear is only found in God's perfect love. (1 John 4:l8). We can have peace when we truly trust in God...He has told us not to fear...that He is with us...always. (Ps 56:3; Isaiah 4l:l0)

Refusing to be bound by fear, we live in God's presence, trusting in His promises (Ps 91), believing He has also given His angels charge over us.

As we train our minds to believe God's promises in our hearts, this becomes our daily bread and our preparation for things to come. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Mt. 6:34

United in love...Loving you....praying for you,

pastorbb@refocusministries.org

www.refocusministries.org

www.LSFonline.org