Trading Fear for Truth: One Man’s Journey

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:1-10

Count Your Blessings

Before starting a devotional, you might brew a cup of coffee, put some tea on the stove or pour a cold glass of water. I’m sitting here writing this devotional with a cold glass of water next to me right now!

While that’s a very normal thing to do here in the States, this simple act would’ve been a miracle for me growing up.

As a 7-year-old in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, I expected water to be lukewarm and brown. Taps seldom had water coming out of them, so we had to find water elsewhere.

My family’s main source of water came from a nearby river that slithered out from a slaughterhouse. It certainly wasn’t like anything we’d drink here in the United States.

It’s easy to focus on what we don’t have, isn’t it? And those “don’t haves” often cause us to fear or experience anxiety. However, Philippians 4:6 (NIV) says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

The key here is “thanksgiving,” thanking God for being the Giver of all good things. You can put this into practice by shifting your focus to the things you do have. Ephesians 5:20 (NIV) reminds us to give “thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the simple things in life, like a glass of clean water. But if we look carefully around us, we’ll see that we are surrounded by blessings that we often fail to see.

Until I joined a child sponsorship program through my local church, simple blessings were a struggle to acquire. Once I was sponsored, I was given food, clean water, access to a hospital, and the ability to go to school. Most importantly, I received Jesus in my life. I’m so thankful!

Now it’s your turn. Do you have clean water or food that you don’t worry will run out? Can you access a hospital when you get sick? Are you or your kids able to attend school? Then you are blessed and highly favored. You don’t have to fear. God will continue to provide for you!

Scripture: Psalms 20:1-5

Don’t Fear Your Future

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’sprobably one of the first questions an adult asks a child.We are born with dreams for a better tomorrow. Kids dream about becoming doctors, lawyers, pilots, teachers and police officers.

My dream was a little different. I knew as a little boy that I wanted to become an accountant. You heard that right — an accountant. Numbers were cool! But I found out soon enough that no one believed in my dreams. My family could never provide me with the opportunity to pursue them.

I grew up in extreme poverty in Kenya. My two brothers, my mother and I lived on a meager budget of $10 per month. That’s the best she could do with what she had been given.

When people asked that favorite question, I responded with a big smile on my face: “I want to be an accountant!” Adults and children alike proceeded to tell me to stop wasting my time dreaming. None of my dreams would ever come true.

I would live poor, I would die poor and life would go on without me.

In second grade, I was invited to my local church to eat some good food and play with my friends. At least that’s what it looked like to me. But that church also introduced me to the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The truth in the Word of God exposed me to Scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV): “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

I didn’t have to fear the future. God had a plan for me! Knowing the truth in the Word of God about who I am and whose I amset me free. Poverty left my life the day Christ came into my life. And yes, eventually, I became an accountant with a CPA status in the United States.

God has a plan for your life too. Through him, you have hope and a future. Allow that truth to settle in your heart today and watch your fear fade.

Scripture: Romans 8:22-30

Let Go of Control

I love to be in control of my life. But the truth is, much of my life is beyond my control.

Paul the Apostle writes in Romans 8:28 (NIV), “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

The verse should reassure Christ followers, but that’s much easier said than done. Try as we might, we can’t control what comes our way. We can only control how we respond to the situations we’re given.

Poverty was a thorn in my side. And there were so many nights I spent as a child strategizing how I would get myself out of it. It felt like I was stuck in this cycle that no one in my family could break. The more I thought about my poverty, the more hopeless I felt.

But Matthew 6:34 (NIV) became a great encouragement for me:

“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Realizing that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose, I made a choice to approach things differently.

I took a shoe box and used it as a representation of God’s love for me. I called it my “God Box.” I would take a piece of paper and write down something that was beyond my control, troubled my spirit, or was a problem I faced. Then I would fold the piece of paper and place it in my God Box.

As long as that piece of paper was inside the box (in God’s control), I wouldn’t discuss it, worry about it, or have anything to do with it.

With time, my life became more joyful! And I started to have the peace of God. To worry about a problem, I had to go to the box, open it, and manually pick it up.

Why would I want to pick up something that would make my life more stressful? Why would I pick up something I couldn’t control?

Let God take care of the things you can’t control. He is far more powerful than your anxiety, fear, or worry.

Scripture: Romans 8:31-39

Fear Not, For I Am With You

I’ve heard others say that the enemy of progress is fear. And I agree. Nehemiah was tasked with rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall, a daunting task that seemed impossible. He had to overcome opposition from outsiders and the internal turmoil of self-doubt, worry and denial.

Nehemiah 6:9 (NIV) stands out for me: “They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.’ But I prayed, ‘Now strengthen my hands.”

The enemy seeks to fill you with so much fear that you remain crippled,frozen and unable to do anything. The only counter to that fear? Stepping out in faith.

2 Timothy 1:7 promises that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. We were not made to be fearful!

In December 2009, I received life-changing news. I received a scholarship to complete my master’s degree at North Dakota State University! It was a fantastic opportunity—what could go wrong?

Although that news changed my life, it also meant leaving all my family and friends, traveling to a state that would get frigid cold, and living in a culture I knew very little about,roughly 8,200 miles (about 13,196.62 km) away.

I was afraid. But if I had let that fear stop me from getting on the plane and taking that step of faith, I would have missed so many blessings I now have.

When we fear, we are so often believing lies. Lies that things will go poorly, that God won’t be there to take care of us or that something terrible will happen. But most of the time, these things never come true.

In other words, we often feelworry and anxiety when we don’t need to! 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) reminds us to stay alert: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

The devil understands that if he can distract you with fear enough to immobilize you, you’ll be unable to live the life God has for you. Remember that where God gives a vision, he also gives provision. If God is for us, who can be against us? No one!

Scripture: Psalms 34:8-14

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus 

Jesus promises that the world will bring us trials and troubles. Things you’d never expect will come out of nowhere andattempt to derail your life. When COVID-19 hit the global stage, so much of our world collapsed. Business closures meant many lost their jobs. I wasn’t immune. 

When I received the call that changed my life—I had lost my job—my natural response was to worry. How would I provide for my family? Would I be able to find a different job? How would life look different now that I’d be at home? The change looked like a huge roadblock in my path. 

Often, we draw comfort from the positions we hold in the workplace or community, the financial stability we’ve put together or, in some cases, the name or fame we’ve built for ourselves.It’s easy to fall into our comfort zones and lose track of who we are in Christ. 

But after I was reminded to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2), losing my job turned out to be a much smaller bump in the road than I had anticipated. 

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) says: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

God is faithful. He will never leave us or forsake us. I saw him release me from the cycle of poverty that I never thought I would be free from. I have had the privilege of watching the many promises he made to me as a kid come true. 

If we stand on the solid rock that is Christ Jesus and focus on what matters, no storm will take us out. God is on the throne and in control; the victory belongs to Jesus. This too shall pass. 

Compassion International is proud to provide readers with real stories about how their ministry has lifted children out of poverty and into the hands of their Lord.