Street violence is on the rise in Atlanta. Every day, in College Park, there are hundreds of teenagers and young adults who walk the streets looking for drugs, trying to make fast money, and acting out. Shootings happen four times a month, and the number of children who are in the foster system is growing. By the time these kids reach adulthood, they feel like they have no option left but to continue to live on the streets. They end up in gangs, getting arrested, and often... they end up in prison. And their children will continue the vicious cycle, too. On this show, we’re going to talk with Minister Anthony about the organization he began to stop the cycle and help those on the streets get out of that life for good. [Video Below]
NO FEAR HERE
by Taffi Dollar |
It’s no secret that fear is running rampant everywhere we look. Many of us learned to be afraid as children when we saw how fearful our parents and family members were. Whether the threat is real or perceived, our natural response to danger is to fearfully seek protection. When we trust in God as the only one who can give us perfect and complete protection, we can boldly declare, “No fear here.”
In its proper context, fear prompts us to jump out of the path of a speeding car or run outside when the house is on fire. However, we have a problem when we let it take over our lives and keep us from doing what we know we should do. There’s a devil loose in the world and he’s bent on spreading destruction and fear, but we don’t have to put up with it. Entrusting our safety to Christ empowers us to take a stand against the spirit of fear. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
Living in fear is actually living outside the will of God. We somehow sense that in our spirits when we realize just how miserable fear makes us. God has wonderful plans for everyone, but allowing fear to paralyze us from moving forward in life keeps us from learning what those plans are. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT). God is stronger than anything that could hurt us, and trusting that He wants the best for us helps us overcome our fears.
Fear robs us of our peace of mind and keeps us looking over our shoulder. It can keep us awake at night, and make us jump in alarm at every little sound. When we’re constantly wondering if harm or danger is lurking around the corner, our need for some kind of protection can drive us to do irrational things. The world can boil over and explode, but those who trust God have His promise of protection from evil and deliverance from trouble. “When I walk into the thick of trouble, keep me alive in the angry turmoil. With one hand strike my foes, with your other hand save me” (Psalm 138:7, MSG).
Some people don’t believe that anything they can’t see could actually protect them, but this supernatural level of protection from God is real. He created the universe, and then us, simply by His Word; we can take Him at His Word in everything He says. “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19, NKJV). We have nothing to fear.
God promises never to sit back and do nothing when we’re trouble. Whatever happens, we can call on Him and He’ll pluck us out of danger. “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work…” (2 Timothy 4:18). God is always there for us, and whatever evil situation threatens us, it won’t prevail when we make Him our refuge. “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). He’ll ensure that our safety is firmly in place.
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