#FEARLESS365 is a yearlong study of God’s commandment to us to live without fear. For 365 days, we will focus on one scripture and volunteers from all over the world will share their personal thoughts and what God has shared with them on the specific verse. For more info… go here.

Enjoy! ~Nichole

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.” 1 Thessalonians 3:7

For me, this verse is God speaking to me about those I have around me. Not the ones on an everyday basis, but my inner circle. There have been many times throughout my life that I have retreated away from those I’m closest to and every single time that it’s happened, I’ve eventually realized that it was the enemy trying to get me alone to attack. We know he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He doesn’t only want to injure us, he wants to take us OUT! One of the biggest plans he uses is, divide and conquer. When we are linked up with an equally yoked, unified, trusted group of believers, confidants and friends who we have each others back through the good, the bad and the ugly, he is defeated every time!! Can we defeat him alone? Yes of course, but it takes much longer when we try to work alone.

Every time I would retreat and close them out and go into my own secluded little world, I would fight battles God never intended me to. Depression, oppression, bad thoughts, fear, just everything the enemy would try to throw at me was easier to hit me because I was alone and vulnerable.

Now that I have learned from it, the only time I isolate myself, is to have alone time with God. Do times come when I want to retreat? Yes. It’s a familiar spirit that tries to come back from time to time but now I know how to fight and overcome it.

I am extremely blessed in that I have a group that are my confidants. However, that inner circle is very small and I GUARD it with all I have. I don’t cast my pearls before swine. There are 3 people who know everything about me, that I talk to about everything and who I know even my wounds are safe with. I do have a larger group of friends outside of that, but these three are special, appointed, predestined and placed in each of their positions in my life. We all talk often and when one of us is going through it, we stand with them. One of them told us how God had revealed to her that when we talk about an issue, it loses it’s power over us and my how true that is!!!

So this verse really speaks to me on how we hold each other up. “In our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith”  We have been placed with our groups to encourage one another and it’s an exchange. When one is going through, the others stand and we all take turns. Just like Moses, Aaron and Hur. “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” When Moses’ arms got tired, Aaron and Hur helped hold them up, one on each side so that his hands stayed steady until sunset. It may not be our physical hands that get tired, but just like Moses, we have been chosen and called to a purpose ordained by God. To reach, show, and save His people! In that process we can get tired if we go at it alone, but God has placed our Aarons and Hurs in the battle with us and when we encourage each other with our faith, VICTORY is ours every time!!! #Fearless365