Lately God has been revealing roots of fear in my life and attacking them head on. This is not necessarily an easy exercise to go through with the Lord, but definitely "health to my bones". I think that most people would admit that worry is a frequent characteristic of their thought life. In this months "Hearts at Home Magazine" there is an article on just that, "WORRY". At the end of the article the author shared many quotes. One that hit home with me was "Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear."-Corrie Ten Boom. Can we all agree that worry stems from some specific root of fear? I worry that I am going to be misunderstood. I worry that I am going to, at some point, permanently scar my children with one of my mistakes in parenting. I worry about what life would be like if I lost my husband to some unthinkable tragedy. I worry about someone hurting one of my kids. I worry about what people think of me. I worry about material things such as food, clothing etc. And even though I would not classify myself as a "worry wart" I indeed worry...I worry...I worry. All of that translates to fear. Our culture recognizes the common trend of worrying. In movies, lyrics and advertising, there is a call to "Don't Worry". Sounds great. Very attractive. Let's all just not worry. It's as simple as declaring it, right? Wrong. There is nothing in this world that can take a fearful spirit and set it free. God, however, is ready to release us from our anxieties, our strongholds, our fears. He desires to give us a life full of hope, trust and security. We are not promised to not encounter any danger or harm, but we are promised to be able to stand in the end and receive God's "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading" (1 Peter 1:4) inheritance. We need to set "(our) hope fully on the grace that will be brought to (us) at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet.1:13). He has promised to provide for us even as he does for a tiny sparrow. When we belong to Christ there truly is nothing to fear. What can man do to us? What do we lack? As God has been convicting me of the sin of fearing anything but Him, I have repeatedly declared this back to Him, "Come what may, Lord, I will seek You." Come poverty, come sickness, come death, come mistakes come sin...I will seek the Lord and I will find provision, healing, endurance, forgiveness, mercy and grace. Worrying is a tool of our enemy. He desires to entangle us in our fears and keep us from moving forward in our walk with Christ. God has already promised to bring us to completion so why do we worry about the steps in between? We waste our time with these types of thoughts and they zap our spirit's strength. Here's one more quote that has been imprinted on my mind:
"When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened." -Winston Churchill
Join me in praising God for His faithfulness. Find freedom as you seek Him and leave everything else up to His control.
Are You Not Entertained?
13 years ago
7 comments:
thanks for you post....it's very encouraging!! hope you're doing well!
I think it's true that worry is rooted in fear. Jesus commanded us not to worry. However, anxiety is a slightly different issue. If we had no anxiety, we would never remember anything. In one case, Paul tells the Philippians not to be anxious for anything. However, he describes Timtothy's "concern" (same Greek word meaning "anxious") for the Philippians. What God wants to do is channel our anxieties to truth, so that we are constantly aware of His guiding, merciful hand. Our anxieties wake us up, but we have to lead them by the hand to the solid Rock of Christ.
Oh, and by the way, I'm so stinkin' glad you're writing your posts again. This one is good medicine for both of us.
Good word, my dear Sarah, good word. We have to "take every thought captive". (one of my daily struggles). Love you!
So true! It's hard to conquer unhealthy fears--much harder than just declaring it, that's for sure. For me, asking God to conquer my fears is something I have to do daily. Some days, I have to ask Him to help me hourly!
Thanks for sharing, Sarah! Worry has been a reoccuring stronghold in my life, so I appreciate your words. I am constantly having to give that weakness of mine over to our Faithful Father. When I think about it, it is such a silly struggle. I know of and have experienced HIS faithful provision, grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness over and over again. Worry just distracts me from resting and growing in HIM! I pray this finds you doing well!
Thank you, that was extremely valuable and interesting...I will be back again to read more on this topic.
Post a Comment