Trading Fear for Truth: One Man’s Journey Prøve

## Count Your Blessings Before starting a devotional, you might brew a cup of coffee, put some tea on the stove or pour a cold glass of water. I’m sitting here writing this devotional with a cold glass of water next to me right now! While that’s a very normal thing to do here in the States, this simple act would’ve been a miracle for me growing up. As a 7-year-old in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, I expected water to be lukewarm and brown. Taps seldom had water coming out of them, so we had to find water elsewhere. My family’s main source of water came from a nearby river that slithered out from a slaughterhouse. It certainly wasn’t like anything we’d drink here in the United States. It’s easy to focus on what we don’t have, isn’t it? And those “don’t haves” often cause us to fear or experience anxiety. However, Philippians 4:6 (NIV) says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” The key here is “thanksgiving,” thanking God for being the Giver of all good things. You can put this into practice by shifting your focus to the things you do have. Ephesians 5:20 (NIV) reminds us to give “thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the simple things in life, like a glass of clean water. But if we look carefully around us, we’ll see that we are surrounded by blessings that we often fail to see. Until I joined a child sponsorship program through my local church, simple blessings were a struggle to acquire. Once I was sponsored, I was given food, clean water, access to a hospital, and the ability to go to school. Most importantly, I received Jesus in my life. I’m so thankful! Now it’s your turn. Do you have clean water or food that you don’t worry will run out? Can you access a hospital when you get sick? Are you or your kids able to attend school? Then you are blessed and highly favored. You don’t have to fear. God will continue to provide for you! Scripture: 1 Timothy 6: 6-10