Win the Fear and Anxiety Battle with the Truth
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Lately I’ve been battling stress and anxiety. I mean I’ve really been struggling and crying out to the Lord for help daily.
We are preparing to move out of state and it’s simply one of those stressful life events.
If you have ever done it, you know there is a lot to do.
Lots and lots – and lots - to do.
And just like the Lord, He’s taking this opportunity to teach me about trust – again.
Why can’t I just learn the trust lesson once and for all and be done forever?
I love wisdom and want all I can get.
Proverbs 1:7 tells us:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction (ESV).
I don’t despise wisdom and instruction; I just don’t want it to be painful (See also 4 Ways to Walk in Wisdom)!
Why is it so difficult for me to trust in some situations, yet my faith remain unshakable in others?
I know the Truth about God – He is almighty, all powerful, all knowing, stronger than anyone or anything, and has been there for me and protected me my whole life. Not to mention He is the only one truly in control.
Not me, not you, or anyone else. Only Him.
My devotional this month has been on Proverbs and most notably for me, Proverbs 3:5.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (ESV).
The devotional writer explained the word “heart” here really means your whole being. I am to trust in the Lord with my whole being.
Around the same time I had also been reminded of Jesus’ words:
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37 ESV).
And it struck me, am I loving God with all my mind? The first two seem to come easy – I can feel love for God with my heart and soul. But am I intentionally loving God with my mind?
The two together piqued my interest and begged for further research.
Am I:
1. Trusting God with my whole being?
And
2. Loving Him with my mind?
If I am trusting the Lord with my whole being and loving Him with my mind, can there really be any room for fear, anxiety, or doubt (1 John 4:18)?
No!
“… I became conscious of God’s love for me through thinking about His love and by confessing it aloud. I learned scriptures about the love of God, and I meditated on them and confessed them out of my mouth. I did this over and over for months and all the time the revelation of His unconditional love for me was becoming more and more of a reality to me.”
I must make the decision daily, and sometimes moment by moment, to trust God with my whole being including loving Him with my mind and confessing the truth with my mouth (See also What Did You Say?).
Do I do this perfectly? No. Especially when I am struggling in the middle of the night, but oh the sweet relief when I choose rightly.
The fear and anxiety are pressed out of my mind as if I have walked through a door out of the rain.
When I am engaged in these activities, there is no space or time for fear! But I must try to press through even when I am tired and battle weary.
Praise God even when I fail He is still there – still loving and still trustworthy.
How do you fight feelings of fear and anxiety?
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