Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a beautiful day! I am writing very early as I am going to have an MRI at 6:15 this morning. It is to help rule out why I am having hearing loss, so I am eager to get the results. Prayers appreciated! Later I have exercise class and Bible Study in the evening. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  We are never ever alone so why do we fear? If we know the Lord is always, always with us then why do we feel fearful and anxious at times? Certain temperaments lean more towards fear and other ones seem to lean more towards anger. My personality is the fear one which I have lived with all my life. I especially feared speaking in public and would rather serve in the kitchen than to be upfront giving a talk, particularly to a big group. Your fears may be different than mine but very real. You know the feeling! Our culture is so fear orientated, and most advertisements try to manipulate us by tapping into our fears to make a sale.
  Today I am getting my first MRI and fear would be my natural tendency. I wonder if I will get claustrophobic and what if my nose itches, or I move, or if I get really cold? But I was reading Gen and Alan Fadling’s book (What Does Your Soul Love) and was amazed how open about their fears they both are. They advocate not pushing fears away, but to face them and feel them and speak aloud of them, so they can dissipate. I am going to try it and will let you know what happens.
  The bottom line for all of us is that we need to find rest for our souls, rest from our fears, in the person of Jesus. I am going to picture myself wrapped warmly and snugly in His embrace as I am put in the tube. He will be present and with me. I am refreshing my mind with scriptures that I memorized while going through hard experiences in the past, so that I might let them fill my mind while in the “tube”. I think of Psalm 16:8, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Also, I may picture the “tube” like a shelter as I rehearse Psalm 91, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”  Also, Psalm 27, “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?”
   Of course, we need courage for there may be some fear left in us as we battle the enemy of anxiety, insecurity, self-doubt etc. Fadlings wrote, “Courage is acting in the face of anxiety and fear.” They go on to say that where there is trust in a loving and powerful God, that the roots of fear wither. I’m all for that! We can lean into the fearful things as we see them in light of God’s power and remember that He is with us. 
  Challenge for today: Memorize a verse that will help you face your fears.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy