JANUARY 2000
January 29, 2000
"Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
- Joshua 1:9 (TLB)
Have you ever had the misfortune of suffering a line-of-duty death in your agency? How well did you know the person? Where you there when the fatality occurred? In our business, line-of-duty death is absolutely the most stressful thing we will ever go through, especially if we knew the person and we were at the scene of the mishap. It seems that you begin to not only question your actions, but that you actually start to blame yourself for what happened.
The death of a colleague floods the mind with emotions. I have heard the question, "I was scared, is it okay to be scared?" I have heard, "I should have ________" or "I could have ________ " and "It was my fault."
In this week's verse, Moses, the chosen leader of the Hebrew nation, had just died. God begin speaking to Moses assistant, a man named Joshua. God was telling Joshua that he was to step into Moses shoes and to lead God's people into the Promised Land. I have no doubt that Joshua (who had just gone the seeing Moses, his mentor and leader, die) was in extreme pain. I also have no doubt that Joshua was beginning to question his own abilities and his own courage.
God instructs Joshua, and us, to rid ourselves of fear and self-doubt! And here again, God reminds us that He is with us no matter where we go... even when we have to continue on in the path of a fallen comrade.
Just knowing that God tells us that He is with us is not all the He wants. God also wants us to talk (pray) to Him and ask Him for the strength to carry on. Talk to Him today. Ask Him to be the source of your strength, the reason for your courage and the center of your life.
As I am sitting here writing this,
God reminds me of another verse that you need to know right now.... so, we get a
"BONUS VERSE!" Isaiah 61:4 - "To all who mourn in Israel he
will give: beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness.
For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory."
January 22, 2000
Jesus said, "So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time."
- Matthew 6:34 (TLB)
It seems that it is so very easy to worry. I believe that "worry" is one of the most effective weapons that the devil has. If Satan can attack our minds and stress us out by worrying about things we have no control over, he has won a victory.
Too often, all of us allow our minds to be flooded with "what if" questions, "Oh man, I have to go to the doctor tomorrow. I bet it is something serious." OR "I wonder what my Captain thinks about my performance? How on earth am I going to stay calm at that meeting tomorrow?"
This week's verse has Jesus Himself speaking to us. Our Real Chief instructs us to not worry. He also reassures that God will take care of things. In other words, why allow Satan a place in your mind? Worry is a cancerous disease that destroys our spirits.
I think advice from our Lord is advice worth taking... stop worrying. Let Him take care of things. That means you must turn your worries over to Him on a daily basis and live for today. God will handle tomorrow for you. God IS in control.
January 15, 2000
God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.
- Psalms 46:1, 2 (NIV)
Have you ever been in a working fire? Have you ever been crawling along on your hands and knees in full gear, blinded by the smoke, feeling along a wall for a doorway to the next unknown? There you are. All of sudden you feel like you are crawling on top of cardboard. The floor is sagging, about to give way to the weight of the water and you. Definitely a moment of stress.
In this week's verse from the Book of Psalms, we are reminded that God is right there with us ("...an ever present help..."). In "church talk," that is called God's "omnipresence" - HE is with all believers, wherever we are... is that awesome or what? The verse goes on to say that because of His omnipresence, we will not be afraid. Kind of like the firefighter stickers that say "NO FEAR", huh?
Friends, this particular Psalm was written as a song. A song of praise. Later in the song, our Real Chief reminds us, in verse 10, "Be still and know that I am God."
Whenever you are faced with a situation where it seems like your ground is giving way and everything in your life is collapsing, remain calm and KNOW that He is God. It doesn't matter if it is a weak floor in a working fire, a marital problem or a sickness in a loved one....KNOW that HE is omnipresent. KNOW that HE is your strength.
KNOW JESUS = NO FEAR
January 8, 2000
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.
- Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)
I am speaking now to the "white shirts." You know, the "gold badges." Oh yes, and I am speaking to the politicians who generally control what our departments do. And, I am speaking to all of us. Huh? You see, all of us have been given some type of "authority" over another. You may be a Chief or a Captain. You may be a Commissioner or you may be a parent.
I have observed some things lately that sicken me. Not just as a Christian, but as a member of society. It is how I have seen political entities seemingly flaunt their "power" and do everything they can to crush the spirits of the men and women who serve.
God's Word reminds us, in this week's verse, to hand out the "atta-boys" to those who serve. All too often it is easy to discipline... easy to condemn...easy to demote.
How about this week we look for the good in others? We should intentionally find things to compliment people on. It IS in your power to act. Act accordingly. Follow HIS example.
January 2, 2000!
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come"
- Mark 13:32-33 (NIV)
Can you believe it??? Yesterday was the start of:
a new day
a new month
a new year
a new decade
a new century
and...
a new millenium!
Lots and lots of people have been stressing themselves out for almost two years over this ridiculous Y2K phenomenon. I spent the evening at our main station, manning the units for the Y2K disasters that never came. I imagine most of you did the same.
There was a lot of mumbling, too, in the last few months... talking about that the new year would usher in the return of Christ. But, as Jesus Himself tells us in our study verse this week... we won't know the time. SO, if everyone thinks it is going to happen at midnight on January 1st... WRONG!
Therefore, brothers and sisters of the badge, take Jesus' advice... be on guard. Be watchful. Be prayerful. Let HIM take care of your future. You can, ya know? Simply say:
Y - yes
2 - to the
K - King
Trust in Christ in this new year and HE will give you peace for all the milleniums!
It is my prayer that the verses we discuss help each of you as it has helped me deal with the amount of stress we are all faced to deal with.
If you are not yet saved, I have Good News for you. Jesus loves you very much and His Holy Spirit is drawing you to Him. To learn more, click here.
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The folks at the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation can also help if you have been involved in a Critical Incident. If you are in the Greater Houston, Texas area, BLUEBONNET CISM team will respond at your department's request.