Grit and Glitter

What you focus on you fuel.

Fear has the unique ability to consume. To consume and control our entire being. Once it grabs hold of us it then dictates not only how we act and react but also how we filter new information. Fear is hope distorted. 

Most things we fear are things that have not yet occurred but have either occurred in the past or we have seen/heard of happening to others. Fear is often grounded on past experiences and hurts. It is a weight of past pain that distorts the potential of our future. 

Hope is for things that have also not yet occurred but have either occurred in the past or we have seen/heard of happening to others. Hope is often grounded on past experiences and peace. It is a conduit of faith in the potential of our future. 

Both are fueled by focus. One leads to destruction. And one leads to life. 

We encounter fear and hope everyday and often at the same moment. But we can only pick up one emotion at a time. We cannot hold both. One will always push the other out. Both are an all consuming emotion. Jesus said “No man can serve two masters.” (Matt.6:24-26) You cannot be controlled by both Hope and Fear at the same time. Only one can be your master. What you focus on you fuel. 

Have you ever walked away from an altar moment or your prayer closet and just felt hope and peace from having cast your fears and burdens at the feet of Christ and then a few hours later the same challenge pops up in your face and that hope and peace seem to just “poof” away…almost completely forgotten; and you suddenly feel the same gripping force of anxiety and fear and at a loss once again of what to do? 

If you have been in the church world for any length of time, the antidote can be almost rote. We KNOW that we should quote scriptures in that moment. Popular ones like “I have not been given a spirit of fear…” (2Tim. 1:7) “Cast your cares on him…” (1 Peter 5:7) “With prayer and supplication let your request be made known to God…” (Philippians 4:6) “Do not worry about anything for the worries of tomorrow are sufficient in themselves” (Matt 6:34)

And we try it. We do it. For a little while. But when we don’t see or feel the immediate result, we grow weary in the well doing and stop. 

But much like going to the gym for one week won’t give us rock solid abs and Schwartnegger arms, neither will just a week of quoting the antidote give us victory over fear. 

For just like exercise, consistency over time equals results. And for quicker and optimal goals, nutrition must be changed for the rock solid abs to become defined and the Schwartznegger strength to become ripped and vasculated. The same for our spiritual exercise.

Consistently quoting the antidotes of scripture is great and will yield strength results. But in order to gain a higher capacity and a more defined ability to overcome and not just ward off fear, you must change your spiritual diet. What you focus on you fuel. 

What is your spiritual fuel?

A Sunday sermon  is not enough food to last you all week. A girl’s night out at the next women’s conference is not enough food to last you all week. Listening to a Christian podcast is not enough. Listening to only K-LOVE is not enough. 

When the disciples asked Jesus “How should we pray?” Jesus answered with “in this manner shall you pray,

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matt 6:9-13 KJV

This entire prayer dictates a daily and consistent action coupled with a specific spiritual diet change. 

Our Father:

During the adoption process of a child, that child may not at first be willing and want to address his/her new parent as Dad. The title of Dad or Father is one reserved for that individual that you know deeply and trust implicitly. Although the Father has already demonstrated love and devotion by paying the price for the adoption, it’s up to the child to let down their guard and seek a relationship with and discover how deserving the parent is of the title of Father.

That kind of relationship takes daily communication. Daily talking to the Father and discovering how trustworthy He is. 

Hallowed be Thy Name:

Hallowed is a fancy way of saying Holy. Holy is your name. Holy means to be separate from. When we understand that our Father is Holy, we are understanding that His ways are separate from ours. They look different. They feel different. We may not understand them. But they will ultimately yield the results that we desire (peace, hope, love). Much like a personal trainer will ask you to do things physically that make no sense in our mind–have you seen some of the exercises these people ask us to do??? Crazy!–but they yield incredibly lean and strong results when done consistently over time.

Thy Kingdom Come:

Inviting His kingdom into your space. Have you ever visited a mansion or an ancient castle? Or even a super ritzy hotel? Somehow just being in that space makes you feel that the world is okay. As you bask in the grandeur of your surroundings, your problems and fears seem to melt away and you find yourself saying, “Man. I don’t want to go back to reality tomorrow.”

This is what the Father’s kingdom does for you. When His kingdom is invited into your space daily, the grandeur of His kingdom fills His home here on earth–which not so coincidentally is you. For you are His temple. His kingdom becomes your reality and you can bask in the grandeur of His glory and cause your feelings of inadequacies, fears, and uncertainties to become insignificant compared to His resources.

Thy Will Be Done:

I like control. Some people are surprised by that fact because of my quiet demeanor. But I like to be in control. “Letting loose” is something that I have only learned to do after marrying someone who is not shaken by circumstances and easily empowers others to do things. 

He has taught me the very thing the Holy Spirit has been trying to teach me for years…to surrender my control. 

Fear typically causes us to want to hold tighter to the reins and attempt to micromanage our surroundings in order to prevent the worst from happening. Fear feeds into the desire for control–the very thing that the Lord tells us to surrender daily. 

When we pray, “Thy will be done” we are very literally declaring that we will not micromanage and choose to not choose the outcome. That we will show up no matter the outcome. We will celebrate and worship no matter the outcome or the journey to the outcome. 

This is more easily done when we have understood and practiced the “Holy is your name” prayer. Knowing His way is higher and therefore His way is safer and for our good.

Give Us Our Daily Bread:

This is more than just physical provision. I believe this does truly apply to us praying for His daily provision of physical needs, but also the provision of what our spirit needs to feed on that day. “May the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight oh Lord”–if the meditation of our heart is on fear and anxiety and worry, it is impossible for it to be “acceptable” in his sight for they are not of God. My daily spiritual bread is often found in my daily S.O.A.P. (Scripture-Observation-Application-Prayer). The scripture that I conduct the remainder of my S.O.A.P. on is often something that speaks to me throughout the day. If not, being intentional to find the scripture that does in fact speak to you and your current circumstance and meditating on that–chewing on it throughout the day. 

Treat your spiritual food just like your physical food. You must eat small nutrient dense portions of food frequently throughout the day in order to reach your optimal physical goals. The same for spiritually fueling yourself. Frequently chewing on (meditating, quoting, praying) that small portion of hope into your spirit throughout the day. Remember, Hope and Fear cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Don’t allow your spiritual stomach to become empty and therefore tempted to feed on fear.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses:

Various translations of the Bible use various words for this passage of prayer. Some use the word debts, some use sin, etc. I prefer the word “trespass” because it holds both the insinuation of both knowingly and unknowingly sinning. It can be easy to trespass onto someone else’s property without necessarily knowing. Or sometimes it happens “innocently” just to retrieve a ball or toy. It also can be very intentional with the intent to do wrong or harm.

Either way, daily searching out ourselves and praying forgiveness for trespassing against the Kingdom of Heaven allows for that open communication to remain between the Father and yourself. Communication naturally dwindles when there is hidden hurt or guilt between two people. If we don’t feel free to share our fears with the Lord, we will then attempt to carry them alone since we are “unworthy” of taking them to the Father.

As We Forgive Those That Trespass Against Us:

Jesus says in Matthew 6:14–15, ‘If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” 

Forgiving others of their trespasses (known and unknown harm against you) is a prerequisite to the previous portion of this daily prayer. “Forgive us AS WE forgive others.” 

Unforgiveness is a breeding ground for bitterness and pessimism. Pessimistic people tend to be fearful people. They are twins conceived by the same seed. Searching your life for unforgiveness can be a useful tool in overcoming fear. It’s kind of an awkward and seemingly useless exercise, like the hip thrusters you do in the gym; but after consistently doing it over time, those buns don’t lie…the small seemingly unrelated exercise makes a mighty impact.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation:

This line used to confuse me because in James 1:13 it says, 

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 

We know the Bible in it’s inerrant ways does not contradict itself; therefore, there must be an explanation as to why we must pray that we are not “led into temptation” but also know that God is not the one tempting us. 

I believe the answer lies in the accompanying line in the prayer, “Lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil.”

James says that we are tempted when we are dragged away by our own EVIL desire and enticed.

So when we pray we are praying that the Lord will deliver us from the evil that tempts us, you could say it as “lead me away from the things that tempt me, Lord; deliver me from the evil desires of my heart that I may not be tempted.” What are the evil desires of our heart? Anything that doesn’t align with the will of God. Fear, Control, Security in Worldly Things. So we have already prayed that His will be done; but now we are safe guarding it with, lead me away from the things that entice me. We are giving Him permission to use His voice and wooing in our life. We are saying, I give your voice precedence and will stay close to hear your voice louder so that I follow it instead of the fear that easily besets me. 

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory:

This is where we surrender every last thing. I believe that this being the final declaration of our prayer is so powerful. This is no longer a plead. This is no longer a request. This is a declaration that today is His. And it’s by His power and For His glory. This declaration gives no room for “us” in it. It completely removes us from the course of our day and says “It is all You, Lord, and all for You.” When we make this bold declaration, we are no longer living out our day for ourselves. Fear tends to be self focused. If we are not focused on ourselves but focused on His kingdom by His power, and for His glory…there is no room for self and the fear that resides with us. In fact, it fills that void with a renewed hope. For the Father’s kingdom is light and life. His power is fierce and full of love and justice. His glory is eternal and never darkened by circumstance. Therefore, when we declare His kingdom, power and glory FOREVER, we fill that space with Hope. And when hope is present fear cannot take up residence nor can our heart become sick. (Prov. 13:12). 

What you focus on you fuel. Focus on the giver of hope and life. The consistent daily exercise of intentional focus and the consistent diet of chewing on hope, over time will yield the result of a life marked by peace and joy rather than fear.