I saw something that really caught my attention and it inspired me to write a blog post.
For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. -2 Timothy 1:7
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. -Psalm 34:4
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6
Now I would like to go into detail about the first issue of anxiety that I addressed.
Fear Of The Unknown:
It is scary to not know the outcome. We want to know the end of the story before we even begin. We want to know that everything is going to be ok. By having this mindset we are putting our OWN will before God's. We are leading with this attitude saying "I know what is best." "I will take control since nobody else is doing anything." Our mentality is "wow this looks really bad, so it must be really bad." It is easy to look at the effects from the storm and gather with the small knowledge we have in our brains and try to formulate a plan based off of that. We see the thick dark clouds, see the wind moving the trees, and we understand that things are getting bad. This is what is currently happening right now. If you turn on the TV we are hearing numbers, hearing about panic, disease, misinformation, people speaking lies, nobody speaking truth, etc. It seems it is ALWAYS bad news and something bad happening. We have the control on what we put in front of our eyes and what we listen to. We can be informed of what is going on, without having it consume us with fear of the unknown. We get to have the final say : "No More!" We can put on praise and worship and focus on what God says in his word and take comfort from what he says, and what he already did!! The way to sum it up is this: God knows EVERYTHING that has happened, that will happen, and that is to come. NOTHING takes him by surprise! We have to have FULL trust on him no matter how bad the storm looks.
Fear Of The Unexpected:
This happens when we are caught off guard and taken by surprise. Each morning we wake up, we have no way of knowing what the details are for that day. We can all have our little plans and checklist but we must remind ourselves that we are NOT the ones in control for that day. We are alive that morning, because of HIM. He allows our hearts to beat for another day, he gives us breathe in our lungs for that day. He has a purpose for us for that day, and we can choose to do our own thing, or follow his will. Wouldn't it be a smart thing to wake up already being prepared for that day and be dressed properly? The bible talks about this:
I think we can all agree that at this current moment with what is happening in our world that we all have felt anxious recently. Having constant fear poured out to us about the unknown and the "what if's" are really coming at us full speed. It isn't hard to become overwhelmed and anxious. All it takes is focusing on the issue/issues and letting them overtake you. Anxiety is an emotion/feeling, we choose to give it more power. I think fear in the unknown is one of the greatest tools that create panic and anxiety. I think a close second would be "fear of the unexpected." When we get that surprise news that we weren't expecting. When we are truly caught off guard and don't even know how to respond. I want to back up what the word of God says about these two very issues.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7
For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. -2 Timothy 1:7
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. -Psalm 34:4
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6
Now I would like to go into detail about the first issue of anxiety that I addressed.
Fear Of The Unknown:
It is scary to not know the outcome. We want to know the end of the story before we even begin. We want to know that everything is going to be ok. By having this mindset we are putting our OWN will before God's. We are leading with this attitude saying "I know what is best." "I will take control since nobody else is doing anything." Our mentality is "wow this looks really bad, so it must be really bad." It is easy to look at the effects from the storm and gather with the small knowledge we have in our brains and try to formulate a plan based off of that. We see the thick dark clouds, see the wind moving the trees, and we understand that things are getting bad. This is what is currently happening right now. If you turn on the TV we are hearing numbers, hearing about panic, disease, misinformation, people speaking lies, nobody speaking truth, etc. It seems it is ALWAYS bad news and something bad happening. We have the control on what we put in front of our eyes and what we listen to. We can be informed of what is going on, without having it consume us with fear of the unknown. We get to have the final say : "No More!" We can put on praise and worship and focus on what God says in his word and take comfort from what he says, and what he already did!! The way to sum it up is this: God knows EVERYTHING that has happened, that will happen, and that is to come. NOTHING takes him by surprise! We have to have FULL trust on him no matter how bad the storm looks.
Fear Of The Unexpected:
This happens when we are caught off guard and taken by surprise. Each morning we wake up, we have no way of knowing what the details are for that day. We can all have our little plans and checklist but we must remind ourselves that we are NOT the ones in control for that day. We are alive that morning, because of HIM. He allows our hearts to beat for another day, he gives us breathe in our lungs for that day. He has a purpose for us for that day, and we can choose to do our own thing, or follow his will. Wouldn't it be a smart thing to wake up already being prepared for that day and be dressed properly? The bible talks about this:
We are to wake up and dress ourselves "Spiritually" for the day. We do not know what attacks might come our way for that day and we need to make sure we have guarded. ourselves properly. We have to have the mindset that we are preparing for battle for that day. It is not just another Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. It is easy to stay busy and distracted with all of our plans and errands. There is nothing wrong with having goals, but what can happen is when other things consume you and take your time and place for where God should be. Is your job on the throne of God? Is your body and self image on the throne of God? Is Money your God?
So I would like to finish off this blog post with some Good News!!! We serve a God that knows what is going to happen. He ALWAYS has a plan and is never caught off guard. We have the Holy Spirit to be our official guide. When we feel the spirit of anxiety coming on, we have the FULL Authority to rebuke it. We do not focus our attention on all the bad, we focus on what God says. We have to be dressed properly for each day and it all starts in our mind. We need to make sure our minds are fixed on God and that we stay steady on his plan for our lives. In his word he has told us that things will happen and take place, but we are to not be consumed by the fire. We have to trust him the way Peter did when he walked on water to Jesus in the middle of the storm. He saw the storm, wind, waves, he even began to sink. BUT then he fixed his gaze on Jesus and trusted FULLY in him and then he began to walk on water.
