"The entrance of thy words giveth light (Psalm 119:130)."
Overcoming Fear
The following excerpts are from the book Overcomer by Dr. David Jeremiah.
"Before he became the president of Child Evangelism Fellowship, Reese Kauffman was a successful manufacturer in Indianapolis. Some of the lessons he learned in business have helped him in every area of his life and ministry. One of those came in the shape of a canoe."
"One Friday afternoon I drove home in a state of depression," he said. "I lost four major accounts that week, customers I had worked hard to develop. Losing just one of them would have been a blow, but to lose all four in one week! I could see my business crashing down."
His wife, Linda, suggested he take the canoe out on the river awhile.
"So I launched the canoe into the White River and started paddling upstream toward the bridge. As I paddled I talked to myself, asking myself questions and working through my emotions verbally."
"Is God sovereign over my affairs? Yes. Does He love me? Yes, with a love beyond comprehension. Would God hurt me? No, He would never hurt me. He's my heavenly Father who works everything for my good. If those things are true, what am I worried about? I don't know."
"As I thought through things from a heavenly or biblical perspective, the cloud lifted. My countenance changed and my joy returned. I turned the canoe around and returned to the house a different man. Later I realized the Lord was deleting some smaller accounts that weren't very profitable anyway. He cleared them out of my agenda to make room for larger and better accounts that were coming. I also realized afresh that it grieves the Lord when we don't trust him. He has never once failed us. I can't tell you how many times both in business and in ministry I've had to metaphorically get back into that canoe and remind myself that whenever I am fretting it's because I'm not thinking biblically or seeing clearly."
"Its all right to talk to God about your problems. But sometimes you need to talk to your problems about God."
Dr. David Jeremiah also stated that, instead of striving to overcome a difficult obstacle, ". . . the way we gain strength is by retreating into the quietness of His presence and waiting upon Him."
"I've tried it both ways. Sometimes I've tried to run to every colleague, read every book, recruit every rally—and I end up more stressed than when I started."
"Other times I've gone to God at the outset and said, 'Lord, these things are too much for me. I don't know what to do or how to handle them, and I'm simply coming to You. You're the God of my life. Calm my soul and strengthen me for what lies ahead.' And that is when peace and strength have come."
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