WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR TRUST?
Written by Cheryl Boyce
Welcome to a new weekly installment here at Impact Church Toronto, online. The world has changed. Church and parenting have quickly become quite different.
In the past few months, our conversations have become filled with uncertainty.
Political viewpoints and healthy debate devolve into insults and name-calling all too easily. Traditionally, these are what have been referred to as “fighting words.” Gratefully I’ve found through my engagement in Sunday School that I have had access to different kinds of “fighting words.” The scriptures I learned as a young girl during Sunday morning classes have often come to mind as I have faced trials and victories in my life. They have served as anchors of hope, perseverance, gratitude...and the list goes on.
We call THESE our “FIGHTING WORDS.”
Just because things are different now and we are wading into the waters of a “new normal” doesn’t mean that our children have to miss out on having these important truths being imprinted on their hearts. I, like you, want my children to have life-giving truth embedded into their spiritual DNA.
I don’t want to let any of this precious time slip by without helping them grow in their faith and wisdom.
As a mother of 4, in the past, I have relied heavily on the routine of church and the different activities it offered my children to “train them up in the way they should go.” Physical distancing has changed all of that.
Parents need support more than ever in helping their children through these unusual times.
Just because we are physically distant doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to hold each other up while raising our children. Let this space be a resource for you. Every week we will have a new scripture for you to remember as a family with a short devotion, printout, and graphic that you can save to your devices to keep it in front of you as you tackle your week.
We’d love to hear from you if you are participating. You can show your participation by following us on Instagram at @impactchurchto and post a pic with us tagged using the hashtag #fightingwords.
DEVOTIONAL
This week we’re memorizing scripture that talks about feeling afraid. God knew that there would be times when we would feel frightened. It’s totally normal to feel frightened when something scary happens, or unsure about things that are happening in life. God didn’t want us to live a life where we had to struggle with feeling fear, and he left lots of lessons for us to help us learn how to handle our fear healthily.
In this scripture, King David, a super-strong fearless leader, admitted that even he felt afraid sometimes, but he taught us how to handle it.
King David handled it by putting his trust in God. This makes perfect sense because God is the only one in complete control, and he loves us so much that we can always put our trust in him.
King David knew that God was always truthful and could count on every word that God has ever spoken. That’s why it’s so essential for us to understand what God says and remember them. Remembering his words is like having superpowers to fight fear and difficult circumstances that come our way. God’s words are our “fighting words” when tough times come our way.
King David knew that if he put his trust in God, he wouldn’t have to fear what people could do to him or anything else, for that matter, because God is ALWAYS trustworthy and loving.
That’s true for you too!
Have you felt afraid or anxious about anything lately? That’s ok if you have. We all feel scared sometimes.
Prayer
Here’s a prayer below that you can pray alone or with someone when you feel afraid.
“Heavenly Father, thank you so much for always being trustworthy. Thank you for always having my back. Please help me remember that you are in control when I am scared and have big feelings about what’s going on in my life and the world. Lord, I pray that you would help me to count on you and to remember your words. Lord, I pray that no matter what is happening, I would know your peace.
In Jesus Name I Pray,
Amen!”
* Don’t forget to print off or save the scripture graphic so you can use it to help memorize this week’s fighting words.
Please join us at 10 am on Sundays in person or online at Impact Church Toronto.
We are located in the Yonge and Eglinton area.
Impact Church Toronto
27 Castlefield Ave
Toronto
Or join us online here