• Home
  • About
  • Welcome
  • Roll the Credits
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook

Nancy Bentz

embracing your design for redemptive living

  • Redemptive Living Teachings
    • Redemptive Gifts
      • Redemptive Gifts Checklists
    • Wisdom
    • The Person of the Holy Spirit
      • Blessings For Your Spirit
  • Blog
  • Redemptive Living Stories
  • Prophet
  • Servant
  • Teacher
  • Exhorter
  • Giver
  • Ruler
  • Mercy

From the Archives How to Grow a Life (Spiritual Development)

From Scared to Death to Scared to Life

From Scared to Death to Scared to LifeCall me a buzzkill, but there are few things I like about Halloween. My list is short:

• little bite-sized candy bars (ok, full size too…)
• little stinkers in adorable costumes
• little orange and white pumpkins

I think there’s a pattern to my list. Unlike Halloween, where the bigger the scare, the better.

Having grown up as a somewhat fearful child, purposely trying to be scared to death is not my idea of fun. I’d much rather shift from scared to death to scared to life. Those of you who get off on a hair-raising good fright, go for it. I’ll just savor my Reese’s, thank you.

On a deeper note, being scared to death through a number of defining occasions eventually brought me to a crossroads of decision. The same decision Moses laid out to the children of Israel:

Look, I’ve given you two choices today: you can have life with all the
good things it brings, or death and all the bad things it brings.
Deuteronomy 30:15 – The Voice

Talk about a decisive choice over how to grow a life.

Scared to Life

When the legitimacy of that scripture for my own life made its impact, the resounding thud delivered the understanding that the choice was mine. Two clear options from God, spoken through Moses’ mouth.

I faced continuing this-a-way, the familiar scared to death responses to fears in my life. Or, the option of that-a-way, which though less familiar, held out promise of life and good instead of death and destruction.

To be frank, I’d been entertaining death in all sorts of ways. Learning from those death lessons fuels in part my passion as a life coach, counselor, and being Nancy. A day came when I decided to fully choose life. And I continue to do so, because choosing life is not a one-time event.

If we’re honest, “Look, I’ve given you two choices today…” is still operative and applicable on a daily basis. Especially when we notice death responses threatening to climb out from six feet under.

For me, eliminating dark icons from my October, and especially from Halloween, is just one of a multitude of ways I outwardly testify to an internal decision to choose life and God’s promised good.

For you, it may be something entirely different that represents ‘two choices today’ between life and death.

  • How or when have you entertained death in emotion, thought, or deed (activity)?
  • What good things can you recount as a result of the times you have chosen life?
  • Personally, what does it look like to outwardly testify to an internal decision to choose life?

However you answer these questions, my prayer for you this season is that you will take another step from scared to death to scared to life. Life brings good things with it. God promised, and He does not renege on His promises!

~ Nancy

P.S. Ring my doorbell here to be greeted with a basketful of life – and maybe some death by chocolate, with a hint of peanut butter 🙂

Photo Credit: Title photo SHTTEFAN on Unsplash; Reeses hersheys.com; video still from Costomize; pumpkins free image

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related


4 Thoughts

Previous Post: « je t’orange
Next Post: What to do when Guilted into Giving »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Cheryl says

    October 17, 2017 at 7:24 am

    Great word, Sis!

    Reply
    • Nancy Bentz says

      October 17, 2017 at 10:26 am

      Thank you, dear sis of my heart and life. Love you bunches ♥

      Reply
  2. Jan Torres says

    October 17, 2017 at 9:53 am

    Very true! Choosing life (Jesus the Anointed One) living His Life in and through me is a daily and at times, a moment by moment choice.
    Practicing speaking the language of Life is also a continual choice to be made. I encourage everyone who reads Nancy’s posts to give substance
    to what Holy Spirit speaks through her. You will be blessed!
    Jan

    Reply
    • Nancy Bentz says

      October 17, 2017 at 10:40 am

      Thank you, Jan. Surely He is the Life that is our life, as we continue to choose ‘Jesus the Anointed One’. Love that, you, and Him. Appreciate the word of godly affirmation too ♥

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hello! I’m Nancy Bentz

Nancy Bentz

I’m fascinated with God’s design of our lives. Each one unique and prepackaged with potential. Each person created with distinctive redemptive gifts our Father intended to be expressed. He has given good gifts to all. That’s why I am dedicated to sharing, teaching, and delighting in the growth and spiritual development of who we are designed to be ~ spirit, soul, and body.

stay engaged for more

Click Here to Read My Privacy Policy

Must Reads

window pane overlooking trees

New Grid on the Block

Redemptive Gift versus Personality Profile

What is a Redemptive Gift?

Embracing Your Design for Redemptive Living

Popular Categories

  • Redemptive Gifts
  • Redemptive Gifts Checklists
  • Redemptive Living Stories
  • The Person of the Holy Spirit
  • Blessings For Your Spirit
  • Wisdom
  • Prophet
  • Servant
  • Teacher
  • Exhorter
  • Giver
  • Ruler
  • Mercy
  • Communiques
  • From the Archives

Looking for something?

Click Here to Read My Privacy Policy

Footer

Shammahs Field

Copyright © 2025 · Nancy Bentz | Shammah Ministries · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy

%d