1
00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,720
Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

2
00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:12,559
Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com.

3
00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:17,760
Speaker 1: You're listening to daily devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stangey,

4
00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,840
Speaker 1: and today's devotion is inspired by Psalm sixteen, verse eight,

5
00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:27,840
Speaker 1: which says, I have set the Lord always before me,

6
00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,600
Speaker 1: Because he is at my right hand, I shall not

7
00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:36,800
Speaker 1: be shaken. One of the most difficult things to avoid

8
00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,880
Speaker 1: in this world is fear. For some people, the older

9
00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:44,960
Speaker 1: they get, the more fearful they become. Because of a

10
00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:51,000
Speaker 1: series of difficult circumstances, tragedies, or unpleasant events. They begin

11
00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,760
Speaker 1: to worry about what might be coming along next. They

12
00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:59,960
Speaker 1: frequently wonder if misfortune awaits them in the near future. Now,

13
00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,960
Speaker 1: there certainly are difficult things will endure during our lives,

14
00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:09,280
Speaker 1: but if fear becomes our dominant emotion, we'll find ourselves

15
00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:14,360
Speaker 1: operating from an unhealthy and unhelpful perspective instead of the

16
00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:20,080
Speaker 1: perspective we're encouraged to adopt in God's word. In Jesus,

17
00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:26,040
Speaker 1: we find strength. In Jesus, we find hope. In Jesus,

18
00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:30,480
Speaker 1: we find guarantees that should put our hearts at rest.

19
00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,240
Speaker 1: He will never abandon us. He is working all things

20
00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,520
Speaker 1: together for our good. He is sustaining us, and he

21
00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,600
Speaker 1: isn't ashamed to call us his own during this season

22
00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,000
Speaker 1: of life. What has the most potential to shake your

23
00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:51,400
Speaker 1: confidence in Christ? What seems to produce the most fear?

24
00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,600
Speaker 1: If you can identify it, what will you do with

25
00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,720
Speaker 1: it next? There may be many things in this world

26
00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,480
Speaker 1: that have the potential to produce fear in our hearts,

27
00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:12,600
Speaker 1: But through Christ we are not shaken. Let's pray. Lord,

28
00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:14,880
Speaker 1: we thank you for your word, and we thank you

29
00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:16,520
Speaker 1: for the privilege that it is to be able to

30
00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,160
Speaker 1: look at this portion of scripture from the Book of Psalms.

31
00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,960
Speaker 1: And Lord, we recognize that over the course of our lives,

32
00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:25,560
Speaker 1: there are many things that will come into our lives

33
00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,840
Speaker 1: that try to shake us and try to produce fear.

34
00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:31,600
Speaker 1: But we know that through You, we don't need to

35
00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,840
Speaker 1: be consumed by fear. Just as the Psalmist says, you

36
00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,560
Speaker 1: are right before us here, you're right in our vision,

37
00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,840
Speaker 1: you're right in our perspective. We understand that you're present

38
00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:47,040
Speaker 1: with us. And because you're right here at our right hand,

39
00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,359
Speaker 1: and you're lifting us up, and you're propping us up

40
00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,280
Speaker 1: and you're encouraging us all along the way, and you're

41
00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,480
Speaker 1: giving us your wisdom and your strength. We don't need

42
00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,359
Speaker 1: to be shaken. We don't need to go through life

43
00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,840
Speaker 1: consume with fear the things that typically produce fear in

44
00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,119
Speaker 1: our lives. We can start putting those things in their

45
00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,400
Speaker 1: proper place. We can have the right perspective toward them,

46
00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:16,160
Speaker 1: because you are our God, and you hold us in

47
00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,120
Speaker 1: your hand, and you keep our lives and our futures

48
00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,880
Speaker 1: secure in you. And we're grateful that this is our

49
00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,160
Speaker 1: reality and that this is the perspective we can enjoy

50
00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,600
Speaker 1: as we go about our day to day lives. Lord,

51
00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,839
Speaker 1: thank you for assuring us of these truths as we've

52
00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,760
Speaker 1: looked at your word together today, and we pray that

53
00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:38,880
Speaker 1: as we approach this day that we would do so

54
00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,120
Speaker 1: as men and women who know you are present with

55
00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,960
Speaker 1: us and who rejoice in the protective care that you

56
00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:50,320
Speaker 1: supply your children. We're grateful for these reminders. We're grateful

57
00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:52,920
Speaker 1: for your love, and we thank you for all of

58
00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,640
Speaker 1: these things in Jesus' name. Amen.