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I really didn’t think about fear much in my early days. I was young, naive, and really only had to “worry” about myself. Once I had a family to be responsible for however, I thought about fear a little more. I had these other lives I had to think about. But I learned quickly that I had to lean into my faith for help. I knew that I couldn’t control every part, every moment, or every situation of the lives of my family.

Everything is planned and in God’s time. Isaiah prophesied about things coming soon (next 200 years), farther away – Jesus birth (700 years later) and things that are yet to come. Amazing how God works!

Psalm 100: 4-5 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

This promise has always been difficult for me claim or find victory in. I just always seem to give in to the enemy. Yes, I know that even though I’m a believer, I’m still a sinner. But it just seems like I can do better. Even the apostle Paul said when he was fighting temptation in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do.”

Think back 12 years ago… What job were you at? What did your family look like? Where did you live?

When I was growing up I remember my grandpa being a man of such contentment. He had hurt his back in a farming accident as a young father, and it changed the trajectory of the life that he knew. But to my recollection, he always seemed to be full of joy. His pain never seemed to phase his attitude towards life. He never complained or made a big deal about it. He seemed to be at total peace. I believe it was a peace that can only be explained with his walk with God.

When I was young and coming out of college, I was pretty idealistic. I thought I knew all the answers. It didn’t take me long, however, to be humbled by life. I realized pretty quickly that I needed to lean into the promises of God, seeking His wisdom and guidance to navigate this world.

The fact that God will take care of those who believe and follow Jesus is found throughout Scripture. Matthew 6:33 says that if we seek first the Kingdom of God, everything else will fall into place.

The Holy Spirit is one of the great promises from God to those who believe and follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit can be found mentioned throughout the Bible, but in Acts 2:2-4, we see Jesus’ promise of a helper come true. The Holy Spirit is promised to live in, around, and flow out of us. But there’s more to it….

Forgiveness is one of the great promises from God to those who believe and follow Jesus.

When I was a child, our Sunday school teacher told us his definition of forever. It was something I’ve never forgotten. He said, “if a bird flew to the mountains every year, took a bite of the ground, then flew to the ocean and dropped it in, when the mountain finally became flat, that wouldn’t even be the beginning of forever.” I remember thinking that it would take forever for that bird to get that mountain flat. But then I got it, that was the point he was making. Forever is a very, very long time.

One of the most difficult things about training for a half-marathon isn’t necessarily the running itself, it’s the constant repetition of having to go…