Fear and stress. Things we all relate to and that most likely, we would all agree take up too much of our time and energy. If were honest, we will admit that we like to worry, just a little bit, because it can bring us some external comfort and support and sometimes it feels easier than doing the work of surrendering it.
We often justify worry and use it very casually in conversation without connecting the negative in what we are saying. Think about the last thing you shared with someone that you were worried about and imagining a conversation where instead of saying, “ Im really worried about how that situation will turn out.”, you said and believed, “ It's a big problem, but I'm totally trusting God and know He has it.” What a difference in mindset!
One day, after years of living in fear, The Holy Spirit showed me that I was putting more energy into it than I was putting into trusting Him. He began to show me what The Bible says about worry and fear and over time, I began to release mine. I can honestly say after years of practicing trust in Him, infrequently does the word "worry" leave my lips. My heart has transformed and I truly cannot recall the last time I actually feared something for more than a few moments, before surrendering it to Him. This is not always easy, but the more I do it, the more I want to do it, simply because what He gives is much better than the fear!
God is serious about this. “Fear not” is the most repeated command in scripture. It is representative of the true character our loving Father. He does not want us to live in fear. He has a divine exchange ready for us! His joy for our fear.
Is it sin to be fearful? Most fear and anxiety is caused by failure to trust God - worry leads us astray. Scripture does not call worry itself a sin, but the consequences of living in it may be sin. If we focus on the worry and not on God we may be idolizing our worry and putting more importance on it that we are God, or we may enter into other sinful behavior as a result of our fear.
There is real freedom in surrender of worry and fear. If you're unfamiliar with it, my encouragement to you is to give it a try. Surrender your worries, trust His promise and see what happens!
Here's some scripture to get you started:
- Philippians 4:6-7 Trust Him
- Proverbs 3:5-6 Acknowledge Him
- Matthew 6:27 Do not be anxious
- Romans 8:18 Pain does not compare to His glory
- Proverbs 12:25 Do not be anxious
- Isaiah 35:4 Do not be anxious
- Matthew 6:25-26 Do not be anxious
- Romans 8:28 Love God
- Psalm 94:19 He brings joy in anxiety
- Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious
- Matthew 10:19-20 Do not be anxious
- Psalm 118:6 Do not fear
- Isiah 41:10 Do not fear
- Jeremiah 29:11 He plans to prosper us