Category: Faith Over Fear

Spiritual Bridges: Do they exist? If do, what are they?

At times, HOPE
can lighten The Load…
other times it
Strengthens The Bridges

Spiritually, the Bridge is symbolic of communication and union. For example a bridge is symbolic of communication between God and man. It could refer to the connection/communication between heaven and earth.

Besides communicating with God, a bridge can symbolize the following:

  • Transition – transporting you from one place to another; it could be a physical place or a change in one or more areas of your life.
  • Unity – uniting two pieces of land, or two people or families.
  • Conquering Fear – Bridges are a means for overcoming your fears.
  • Romance – bridges are romantic places to express your love ❤️. Some people place locks on bridges as a symbol of how their love ❤️ will last forever.
  • A break from the past ( Burning Bridges) – putting your past in the past and not looking 👀 back. Only looking 👀 forward to what lies ahead.
The hardest thing in life
is to know which bridge to cross
and which to burn.
— David Russell

There are many other symbolism for bridges which I leave you to discover on your own. I will however, deliberate more regarding the Bridge of communicating with God.

Prayer is more than a wish; it is the Voice of Faith directed to God.
—- Billy Graham

In previous posts we’ve learned that prayer is simply talking to God. Prayer is the bridge of communication between God and man. Do you believe prayer 🙏🏼 is a bridge? Do you believe in prayer, talking to God? I believe prayer is a bridge to communicating with God. Do I pray? Not often enough, even though I believe God answers prayers.

Is the only time we pray when we make a mess of our lives or when we panic? Why is it that in times of difficulty we turn to prayer? Is it because our instincts, our beliefs, lead us to pray in hard times? The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Do we put God on hold until we realize we cannot fix our own problems? I know I am not in the habit of praying like I should.

Why do we choose to pray? Has someone suggested to us? Have we learned it from others? We choose to pray to God because we have faith that He will answer. Our faith leads us to choose to communicate with God. Our faith leads us to believe that God can fix any problem or situation we find ourselves in.

” Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1 NIV (New International Version)

Faith is the bridge we build to heaven each time we feel drawn to pray and desire to be closer to Jesus. The more our faith increase, the more we choose to pray and develop a strong bridge of communication between ourselves and God.

Therefore, we have discovered that both prayer and faith are types of bridges that can and will connect us to God if we so choose.

Whether you choose to build a bridge to God through Faith and Prayer is up to you. I believe God holds the answers to any and all problems, therefore, I choose to have faith in God and pray to Him. Faith and prayer are my bridges to a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ. What are your bridges? Do you choose to pray? Build your bridges to a better life.

Primary Emotion: Which are you feeling right now?

Before the pandemic began, I felt happy. Since lockdowns in 2020, I have felt a mixture of emotions. I feel Fear, Confusion, and anger.

Mixed Emotions

It is difficult during this time period to only discuss one feeling, one emotion. Especially when I am so mixed up and confused.

I am confused about the Coronavirus, CDC guidelines change frequently, it seems. Wear masks, okay not to wear masks. Stay six feet apart, social distancing is mandatory. We changed our minds, you don’t have to stay home. You can go out in group, Covid-19 is under control. While everything was supposed to be shut down, kids were still allowed to meet in groups and play sports ⚽️ or other activities. I’m confused regarding how that was safe when we were mandated to social distance and stay six feet apart. How is it safe for some and not for others to meet in groups?

Even when mandates were in place, some people ignored them. Nursing homes were locked down, but residents still died from Covid-19. People were told they couldn’t visit the loved ones not even when they were dying. The guidelines send us mixed signals, so I’m confused, frustrated, and angry.

I’m fearful the Coronavirus will affect my immediate family. I’m fearful that working family members will bring it home. I’m fearful that everything they touch or breathe on will be contaminated with the virus 🦠. Should I be? At this point I don’t really know. I’ve had older relatives die from Covid. I’ve had other relatives and friends that have had it. Some with severe symptoms and some with only mild symptoms. I am fearful about catching it, about how I would be affected by it. I’m fearful that my two year old grandson will come down with it from his parents possibly bringing it into the home. Should I not be afraid?

I continually see people going about the lives as if the coronavirus never happened, didn’t exist. It does exist and people are still dying from it. Maybe not as many as in the beginning, but they still are. The coronavirus has not been eliminated. It will be around fir a long time yet.

List of emotions

What should I be doing to manage my emotions? There are many things I might could use. The following is a small list of things I could or maybe should be doing.

  • Label the Emotion
  • Engage in a healthy coping skill
  • Fake it till I make it
  • See a therapist
  • Let myself feel whatever it may be

The Bible has several things to say regarding turning our concerns over to God. Let God know how you feel, tell God what I’m feeling. Sometimes I keep things bottled up inside, and talking to God falls by the wayside. I need to trust Him more and turn my fears, my worries, my emotions over to God. I need to believe He’ll take care of everything, that He is in control. Not me.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4: 6-7 KJV

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Psalm 55:22 KJV

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

1 Peter 5:7 KJV

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

Emotions are real. Your friends and family may not understand why you feel the why you do. That doesn’t matter as much as the fact that God understands. He cares about every aspect of your/my life. I need to remember that more, like every day.

Psalm 56:3 NIV
1 Peter 5:7 KJV
Psalm 55:22
Proverbs 3:5-6
Philippians 4:6-7 KJV

God bless. Turn your emotions, your fears, your concerns over to God. He can manage them better than we can. Stay safe. I appreciate y’all.

Fear: Do you fear? Are you afraid? Are they the same?

What is your biggest fear? What is my biggest fear? Is having fear the same as being afraid? These are questions that need time to deliberate and ponder.

Fear

What is fear? It could be an anxious concern, a profound reverence and awe toward God. One of the definitions is as follows:

Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.”

Oxford Dictionary.com
False Evidence Appearing Real

Is fear a false or a real emotion? When you perceive or experience a threat, your body stimulates your brain and may cause an increase your blood 🩸 pressure. Fear is a very real feeling and has physical manifestations.

From childhood through adulthood we face many fears. The types of fears you have as a child may going away in time as you face and overcome them. However, some fears maybe carried on into your adult life. Sometimes fears are hard to face. Sometimes you are too afraid to face them.

Let’s take a look at the basic types of fear we may face.

  • Fear of poverty…. Symptoms include worry, doubt, over-cautious, and procrastination. No one wants to be poor but worrying about finances isn’t the solution.
  • Fear of criticism…. often begins in childhood. We believe what we hear and imitate what we observe. If we hear negativity & criticism regarding what we do or say, we believe it. And it affects our self-esteem, our whole attitude.
  • Fear of ill health…. Worrying too much about whether you’ll get seriously ill. This probably became very true regarding the coronavirus. Being afraid of catching it, afraid of its effects on your body and how it would affect your life, work, and family.
  • Fear of loss of love of someone…. The loss of someone you love could be due to death or divorce. The loss of someone you love because of divorce is just as real as if you lost them to death. And go through the same coping mechanisms.
  • Fear of old age…. Apart of this is worrying about your health’s declining, losing your independence, finances, amongst other things.
  • Fear of death…. Being afraid of dying. May stem from anxiety and depression. Sometimes is due to worrying over projects or other things you haven’t finished. Sometimes you worry about leaving your loved ones behind, and how they will cope with you being gone.

There are many more things which people could be afraid of, including fear of the dark. Most children outgrow this fear. It doesn’t matter what kind of fear you have, the ways to combat them are pretty much the same. One must also know that Fear refers to the emotion being afraid whereas Afraid is used to indicate a state of fear. The following list are ways to help combat or rather get over your fears.

  • Take time out. When you’re overwhelmed with fear it is hard to think clearly.
  • Breathe through your panic…
  • Face your Fears…
  • Imagine the worst…
  • Look at the evidence…
  • Don’t try to be perfect…
  • Visualize a happy place…

The Bible speaks about fear in both the Old and New Testaments.

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7

When we turn to God, He is more than willing and able to help us overcome our fears. God is with us every moment of every day. Trusting God allows us to rely upon His strength to assist and guide is through every circumstance that may come our way. Our trust in God empowers us to have Faith over Fear.

Faith Over Fear

God Bless. Faith triumphs fear. Releasing our fears to all mighty God may not come easy. We tend to want to do things for ourselves, but overcoming fears is not an easy task without God’s help. I know it is easier to withdraw into myself and not let others help or turn my fears over to God. That is a lesson I still need to work on. I will leave you with one last thought to ponder on.

Courage is not the absence of fear,
but the triumph over it.

I appreciate y’all. Feel free to like, comment, and follow. Have a Blessed day.