Daily Devotional #1,736

One of my favorite movies is called “The Replacements”. The setting is an NFL player’s strike where they  walk off just before the end of the season. The NFL isn’t going to shut down and instead, each team starts  looking for any football players to fill their ranks. They focus on one team and the guys that are getting a  second chance to play football...now at the pro level for whatever time the strike lasts. The coach holds a team  meeting and to try to give his rag tag team a sense of unity he asks them the question “What are you afraid of?”  One of the guys says “spiders” and then another “quicksand”. But he asks them, “What in your heart are you  afraid of?” The team gets quiet and then one player says “I’m afraid of having to back to the service station.”  Another says “I’m afraid of going back to jail.” And finally an other says “I’m afraid of messing up this last  chance and failing”. I am always touched by that scene where all these big football players admit that they are  afraid of something. How about you? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of failing in school? Are you  afraid of being alone in life? Are you afraid of dying? Or are you afraid that life will never get any better for  you? What do you do when you are afraid…of anything? There is a great verse that I’ve come to use a lot in  my life, Psalms 56:3. It was written by David, the one who stood up to the giant Goliath…and killed him. He  was king over Israel. And he was the linage from which the Messiah, Jesus would be born. But he was afraid.  He failed many times, but the Bible says that he was a man after God’s own heart. Part of what that meant for  him is in that one verse… “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” That’s what I am trying to do every  day. There is always something to be afraid of. And Satan preys on those fears, real and imaginary. But the  Bible is telling us that we need to simply stop and quit putting our trust in others, in ourselves or in any other  thing. When fear comes calling…tell God “I will put my trust in you.” When you do that, you open up the  door for God to work fully in your heart, but also in your circumstances. And the good news is that God has a  great track record for coming and working and meeting us right were we are the weakest. And as the scriptures  say…when we are weak…he is strong. Let his strength work in your heart and mind and soul today. Here’s our  Bible verse for today… 
Psalms 56:3 NLT But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.  
Remember I’m praying for you!  
With love, PJ