Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

I am really afraid of dogs and I know why. When I was younger I vividly remember 2 times where a very mean dog got in between my mom and I, it was terrifying and apparently tramatizing. Another time I was playing at a friends house and as I crawled under the bed to hide I came face to face with their dog, who mind you wasn’t very big, but was just as scard as I was in that moment. His reaction was to bite and his target was, unfortunatly, my nose. I am pretty sure he didn’t leave any marks but again it was tramatizing. Since then I mostly avoid dogs whenever and where ever possible.

Romania, is suprising the country where the dogs have been the worst. It is impossible to go out for a run with out being chased by not just one dog but a pack of dogs; they are dirty and mangy and roam around all over Bucharest in packs. I was literally carrying handfulls of rocks and praying continually against them for fear of being chased or worse bitten. This did make our runs go by very quickly because my focus was definatly not on how tired i was. But I have none the less pretty much given up on running outside the gate of our house for fear of these ferocious dogs.
 
             Pack of dogs - google image

This almost crippling fear of dogs that I have got me thinking and reflecting. When we were in India, a largly hindu nation, we entered the house of a family that claimed to be christians. Yet they still had the faces and statues of all their other gods scattered throughout their yard and house. I suddenly realized, they were afraid. All they had ever known were these gods, and the rituals and beliefs that came with them; the punishments and curses that they were told and believed would be over their lives if the neglected their sacrificing. Their fear was crippling them and I understood in some small way what this fear felt like.But fear is not from God, fear is us allowing the devil to enter in and hold us back from experiencing more of God. When I voiced this to the family they confirmed the fears they had. We quoted the scripture

1 JOHN 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

and explained this perfect love. We then asked them to take down the other gods and throw them into the trash pile as a symbol of denying these other gods and turning to the one and only true God. I pray that after we left they continued to trust in Gods perfect love for them and deny all their other gods.
                                   Praying children - India

PSALM 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?

What are you afraid of? what fears are you not surrendering over to God even though he promises to cast them all out?

Fear is very real, just like my fear of dogs its real and I personally think is justified, nothing should ever get between a child and their momma. But there is no reason for it to cripple us, to stand between us and our pappa in Hevean and prevent us from experiencing more of God. God has given us a promise, and as far as i have seen in my own life and in the scriptures he never backs out of his promises. So when we can surrender our fears over to God, take that step of faith over our fears and say “God I trust you with this” God will honour that. He will show up in big ways and His perfect love will cast out your fears.

ISAIAH 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.