“Do not be afraid…” These were the words the angel told Mary and the Shepherds…they were also the words spoken to Daniel (Daniel 10) when a hand touched him and said to him… “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.” (Daniel 10:12) I have been doing a study on the book of Daniel this fall. It has been an amazing experience with G. Everything G. says and said, He has done and will do! I’ve also been thinking about fear …it is the easy way out to fear other things and situations more than G. and when I do begin to “fear” what can happen or what did happen and might happen again in my heart and life, and I become so discontent and anxious…I used to fear that If I didn’t do enough “godly stuff” God wouldn’t love me as much as he loves other people… I feared my insecurities taking over my life…. I now struggle since my brother died of fearing people I love dying much sooner than I think they should….and the list goes on. Right before I came to China God began to change my life drastically and open my eyes to my fears and insecurities being in control…the past 2 1/2 years he has begun to change those fears as I feel strengthened by him to open my hands a little wider and give all my fears, hopes, and dreams to Him. It is a daily surrender…and his thoughts certainly are not mine and His ways are definitely not mine. But “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33) His ways are amazing leading to a level of relationship with Him that is irreplaceable. Not only does He give beyond what we can ask or imagine, but He does what is necessary to humble our hearts so that we can truly be alive. Humility leads to an alive life with JC. I pr. He will give me such a life and keep my heart longing for what HE Desires…and strengthen me to endure and enjoy what is to come!