whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[a] of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me,
uttering slanders against me,[b]
my adversaries and foes,
they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though a host encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent,
he will set me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies round about me;
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 Thou hast said, “Seek ye my face.”
My heart says to thee,
“Thy face, Lord, do I seek.”
9 Hide not thy face from me.
Turn not thy servant away in anger,
thou who hast been my help.
Cast me not off, forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord;
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
yea, wait for the Lord!
Dear friend,
There are many types of fears but probably the biggest fear in most people is the fear of death. The thought of physical death motivates most people to watch their health by eating right, exercising and avoiding bad habits. For some the fear of physical death is the fear of spiritual death; the death of one’s soul to eternal damnation. This kind of fear can be very motivating to really get to know God and His commandments.
Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It’s a time to overcome our fears by disciplining our bodies in honor of God and for His son’s great sacrifice on the Cross. Praying is being in conversation with God one on one. It affords us the time to share our concerns and our needs but more importantly, it’s a much needed time to listen for God’s direction for our life.
Fasting is challenging to say the least, but when we discipline ourselves by praying for the strength to follow through with our fasting we become stronger and grow closer to God. The amazing benefit of fasting is that it builds up our character; a character that God blessed us with to serve and honor Him.
Almsgiving can be given in the form of a monetary donation or by volunteering your time and energy to a charity or any needy cause.
How are you coming along this Lent? If you are doing something for God, are you putting your whole heart and soul into it? If you’ve given up something, have you been very successful at it? Have you boosted your prayer time with God? Have you been able to give financially or assist personally to a worthy cause?
Let us work together this Lent to truly honor God for He is our light and our salvation, do this and you will have no fear. ‘Be strong, and let your heart take courage’.
Prayer:
Dear God, have mercy on us as we humbly pray. Continue to be with us this Lenten season, fill us with your grace to strengthen our character that we may be successful with our prayer life, fasting and almsgiving. Please continue to be with the people, leaders and military defense of the Ukraine. Fill them with courage and hope for a peaceful settlement. We ask this in the name of your son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen
May God be with you and may He continue to protect and guide you and yours!
Peace, love, joy and thanksgiving in Christ Jesus, our Savior!
Marie Antoinette
All live matters – from conception on!
His Righteousness 