Worry is a stubborn scab. For some, it is a scar that doesn’t fade. Worry is a state of being that even the most masquerading among us cannot remove from their countenance. If I am not mistaken, the most often repeated single command in Scripture is the command of God for us to desist in being afraid. When I am reminded that to live in ongoing anxiety is a sin and a violation of the will of God, do you know what I do? I worry about it! What a tangled up situation it is when we find ourselves locked in cold, shadowy cell of a troubled heart.
Count yourself fortunate if you’ve never battled with this beast. I was raised in my very young years by a mother who was worrier. After ten years of being subconsciously trained how to fear the world I lived in, I’ll never forget being in sixth grade and going on a summer vacation to Florida with my mom and one of my childhood friends. What joy we two boys had when we saw the big blue ocean and the white sands on the Gulf of Mexico. Darting from the hotel room down to the beach I remember hearing my mother’s injunction echoing through the dunes, “DON’T GO IN THE WATER ABOVE YOUR KNEES!” My mom was certain that if two eleven year old boys waded in the salty gulf waters up to the life-threatening level of their thighs that they would immediately encounter an awaiting group of great white sharks or ravenous squid that were ready to pounce. Worry is an ugly trait that can be passed on from generation to generation. I’m not an obsessive worrier but I find that I too have my weak spots: my children, my ministry, my opponents…it should be admitted that this is a sin that I have found recurring in my life over the years. So we all want to ask, ‘How do overcome our anxieties?‘
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” – Isaiah 12:2 {ESV}
I’ve found that the only successful remedy in overcoming worry, dread, anxiety or fear is not discovered by asking ‘How?’ but rather by knowing Who. I treat this mental invader of fear as a hostile adversary who is coming to take territory from my life which is rightfully owned by my King. If you don’t fight fear it will ultimately master you. Because Scripture teaches me that I have been granted all the peace I need in my relationship with Jesus Christ, I choose to take God at His word and use what He says that I already have. The words above from Isaiah’s prophecy elevate our will above our emotions in this contest. He declared that He willed himself to trust his saving God. He decided to not be afraid as He welcomed the reality that God Himself would be a strength against his weakness and a victorious song over his fear. There was no long formula about how to overcome fear…Isaiah chose to rest in Who to overcome fear. For me the following is an important distinction: we can sense fear without being afraid. It is not a sin to experience the emotion of fear. Many frightening elements of life will come our way on a regular basis and the sense of alarm we experience is a call to battle. A sense of fear helps to protect us from impending danger. However, lingering fear results when we find ourselves at a loss in knowing what to do when we encounter a challenge, as if we had no answer. Where the momentary emotion becomes an abiding sin occurs when we allow that fear to germinate, thrown down roots and control our thinking, feeling or action. This is when we transgress from feeling fear to living in a state of fear or worry. Interestingly, we discover that God simply commands us not to allow that to continue. The potential to worry is such a normal part of earthly life that God commands us to fight this over 300 times in scripture: ‘Stop being afraid.’ He says. We are to be so convinced of His goodness and His commitment to us that we reject worry’s request to dominate us. We fight back, not on the emotional level, but from the position of our will, engaging our ability to decide. The only thing that empowers us to do so is an absolute confidence in the One who is greater than whatever it is that might seek to cause us to dread.
So, what are you worrying over today? Are you afraid because you are not the one in control? An inability to anticipate a situation, direct it where we want it go, and resolve it in our power for our own benefit can cause many of us to experience fear. Do you have the ability to fully release this to the God who has never known what it is to fear? If you are born from above through faith in Jesus Christ then I declare on the authority of God’s word that you do have that ability. You have been blessed with all heavenly resources in Christ and He has given you His peace, His rest, His power and His assurance. Don’t ask God to give you those things because He has already implanted them in you and leaves you to pull the trigger of trust which ignites them. Yes, in the end, we have to face the fact that we often worry due to our refusal to simply believe God. When that occurs in me, I’ve trained my mind to quit thinking on the issue that challenges me and reinvest that same energy into drawing near to the Shepherd that I’ve obviously lost sight of in the moment. The nearer I draw to Him through His word and the priceless gift of prayer, the less imposing my problem becomes and the more awesome my God becomes to me. When our minds are occupied with the greatness of God it is impossible to be intimidated by the fangs of fear.
Simply put, your answer is not found in “how you overcome worry”. It has always been Who overcomes worry. By the way we should have utmost confidence in Him because He has overcome everything. He’s not worried about what threatens you therefore…why should you?
I am a constant worrier. I was thinking about last night’s sermon. Jesus was in Bethany
relaxing with friends. He knew in a short time He would suffer a humiliating and painful crucifixion. Yet He was not worried. Jesus trusted totally in the Father and knew whatever happened was under the control of the Father. All that was required of Jesus was obedience. Somehow in my life I fail to see that as long as I am obedient to the Father’s will for my life I will be free of worry. I need to be less like me and more like Jesus.
If there was a survey to find “favourite two-word texts of Scripture”, I’m sure “FEAR NOT” would be high on the list … but those words have no magic of their own. It is WHO says them that matters, as you say.
One of the puzzles of the Christian life is that the Lord allows (indeed, PLANS) the circumstances – real or imagined – to arise that prompt the fear. The adversary not only plays on the fears (and makes the shadows bigger than they really are), but also questions the love of God that directs His children in such a difficult pathway. But it is only as we learn to trust God IN the trial that our faith is strengthened; and looking back we find that the only way we could have learned that He is faithful is by going through the trial and finding Him there with us – as He promised.
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour … (Isaiah 43:1-3a)
Worry is our worst enemy.Whenever the situation is out of human control we have to trust in the Lord fully with complete assurance of His power to take control.When the situation is a result of our decision we worry lest we do wrong decisions.To avoid this we have to ask God for His guidance in making our decisions.Even when we make wrong decisions, God is able to correct our mistakes if we handle the whole issue to His wisdom, love and grace.If we make God our Counselor in everything, we do not have to worry because God is like the GPS which directs us in finding our destination.Even if we mistakingly go astray, the GPS will direct us to go back on track.Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.Sufficient for the day its own trouble.”
AMEN!!!! Thank you Jeff, I needed to hear this. May God continue to strengthen and bless you and your beautiful family.
I asked my wife this morning if she ever worries about anything? Her honest reply was that she used to worry about me. Oh if she only knew the days in times past when fear and worry were very close companions of mine. Now that has all changed. By standing on Gods word and really understanding the awesome love he has for me and that he only desires whats best for me, I no longer operate in fear. Thanks Jeff once again for letting God speak through you. Blessings.