2 Dec, 2008
Full-size cardboard figure causes NJ bank standoff
TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A standoff at a New Jersey bank is over after police learned a "person" seen inside was actually a full-size cardboard figure.
Officers went to the PNC Bank in Montgomery Township on Thursday night after an alarm went off. They saw what they thought was at least one person through the windows of the bank, which had its blinds drawn.
The area was sealed off and three nearby apartment buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Meanwhile, authorities used bullhorns and made telephone calls in a bid to make contact with whoever might be in the bank.
After repeatedly failing to get a response, a SWAT team entered the building and discovered the cardboard figure.
Story courtesy of news.yahoo.com 11/30/08
Scared Silly
2 Timothy 1:7
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV)
What does God's Story scripture teach us about living in fear?
Today's lesson from God's Word is quite simple...God's children are not supposed to live in fear...of anything on earth! Check out what His Word says in some other passages.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all of my fears.
Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe.
Romans 8:31 If God is for us who can be against us?
Connecting today's story and God's Story to my story
It sounds a bit silly to hear of an entire police squad having a standoff with a cardboard figure. The whole block was paralyzed with fear, three buildings were evacuated and the SWAT team was enlisted...all over a corrugated cutout. This was the POLICE for cryin out loud!!! They carry clubs, tazers and guns! Why were they afraid of something as harmless as this?
We can laugh at that, but if we are honest...we also have fears...and we are GOD'S CHILDREN for cryin out loud!!! We carry weapons such as prayer, God's Spirit and His Word! Why are we afraid of...
...what others think of us?
...what is in the past?
...making mistakes?
...letting others down?
...not being good enough?
...being accepted?
Go to God and admit to Him that you are afraid of whatever it is. Ask Him to give you courage and boldness. Ask Him to fill you with the power that is spoken of in today's scripture...and live no more in fear of the "cardboard cutouts" in your life!
Connecting today's story, God's story and my story to my friend's story
- Share a funny story with a friend about a time when you were little and you were afraid of something silly...maybe the dark or the monster in the closet.
- Go a step deeper and be real about something that has been a fear of yours even as you have gotten older. This may be tough. Maybe God will lead you to share something you have never told anyone before.
- Then share with them about the God that you trust and how He has set you free from such fears! (Or how this is in process.) Pray and ask God to set your friends free as well. Perhaps your transparency is what God will use to help this process begin.
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