Faith Greater Than Fear; 10 Days Of Faith Using God's EquationSample

SAY WHAT? Our God wants everyone to know that He will be your lifeguard and rescue you so there is no need to fear. BREAKDOWN: I remember when I was a camp counselor in the beginning of my faith walk. We took the kids every year to a camp in Maryland from NYC and every year I was the “cool” counselor. Now I was "cool" partly because I was young and new in the faith and as such I had the least amount of time in the group compared to the other counselors. This made me look cooler than I was - often times because I didn’t have all of the Church talk and actions together. I will say here that while God wants you as you are, it’s always God’s intent for you to grow beyond where you are.  Anyway, as counselors we prayed with students, taught students and protected students while at camp. This camp, like most camps, was on a beach, and of course one of the things that the students liked to do most was swim in the ocean. As the leaders, we would go out into the ocean with them and make sure that no student went beyond where we as the leaders were. One day a student didn’t listen to this rule and decided to go past where I was standing/floating. I ended up having to get him from a dangerous part of the ocean where the undertow was strong. When I had gotten him, little did I realize I also would be caught in the undertow. Within seconds, I was in trouble and so was the student that I was helping. However, through God’s grace, a real lifeguard was seconds away and led us both to safety. In short, I was rescued. In our scripture, God promises to rescue us even if we are discouraged or afraid. This rescue reminds me of the lifeguards who responded to the student and me. In order for us to be rescued, we had to be honest about needing the help and we also had to be within eye-shot of the lifeguard. The truth is that God has called us not to fear or be discouraged because God is the ultimate lifeguard. God is able to go into the deep waters of fear in order to bring us out and bring us toward Him. What is important for you to understand is the fact that God plans for you to be rescued by Him, but only when you acknowledge your need. LIVE IT OUT: Today work on acknowledging your need for God to be your rescue. Also, today, do what the scripture says in telling everyone who is discouraged to trust in God. No matter what they are going through, God has the key to their next steps forward. PRAYER: Lord, today help me to move forward in my faith in You. God, allow me to remove discouragement and embrace your rescuing ability in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.