Last week’s writing which followed up to Pastor Terry’s blog on discipleship, we talked about change. God changing us from the inside out; change led by the Holy Spirit. Change prompted from the inside to become more like Jesus, to follow God’s lead. As it often does, my life falls in line with the messages of this blog, so this week, I’m inclined to once again write from a more personal perspective.
Three years ago after living in San Diego County for some 60 years, my husband and I, to the shock of friends and family, picked up and moved to Tennessee. Many people, including us, never thought we would leave California. We moved to a small town south of Knoxville where we knew nobody, had no church, and no community. However, we moved to a place with a slower pace, a quieter life, and better prospects for retirement. In the last three years, we have found new life. I’ve become a full-time artist and my husband is slowly working towards his passions. We have found interesting places where God has used us. Instead of ministry large it’s ministry one on one. Where in the past we’ve participated big ministry and led life groups, now God gives us one one-on-one moments of looking into the eyes of somebody and explaining to them why we are followers of Jesus.
Our decision was quick. The prompt was real, and we went. Once here we did deal with some of the scary parts of feeling a bit isolated, but that slowly dissipated.
I have to say my husband and I made the leap without a lot of fear. We prayed about it. We talked about it. We checked and double-checked our gut-prompting to make sure we were in sync with each other, the Holy Spirit, and God. I don’t think we really asked wise counsel … most of our friends and community would have thought we were crazy. But we knew it was right and we went. No regrets. No turning back.
So all this to say, this week we’ve had friends visiting us here in Tennessee, who are currently feeling the prompting and the leading to leave California to start a new life someplace else. They are consumed with fear – fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of making a poor decision, fear of leaving “God behind.” They are almost at a full stop consumed by fear of what ifs.
Yet, at the same time, they are completely clear that they are being prompted to make the change.
As the fear engulfs them, they clearly expressed that maybe God has forgotten them. Forgotten them in the midst of His plan. Can you see how confusing this can be? Have you been there?
So where do you go? When you’re clear about the Holy Spirit prompting you to make change. When you’re clear about the need to make change. When God is prompting you but the fear is all-consuming, what then?
We know fear can have a negative impact on our life, including our relationship with God, our faith, and our mental health.
In addition, fear can give Satan power. Fear can make it easier for Satan to operate in a person’s life, and it can cause us to doubt what God says, i.e. “Maybe God has forgotten us.”
Fear can destroy confidence. Fear can cause worry, torment, and unrest, while faith can bring peace and contentment.
Fear can separate a person from God. When we worry, we may trust God less and feel like He is farther away. This can make it difficult to have a close relationship with God, which then makes it harder to face fears. It’s a vicious circle.
Fear can even lead us to sin. When fear becomes a person’s daily master, it can imprison them spiritually and negatively impact their relationships, perceptions, and health. It can also deteriorate their relationship with God. When we are consumed and cannot see beyond our fear, we believe (incorrectly) that we have to start doing things by our own power.
There are two types of fear: healthy fear and unhealthy fear. Healthy fear is based on respect for God’s power and goodness, and it can be a good thing. Psalm 111 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and Proverbs 19 says it leads to life. Unhealthy fear, on the other hand, is based on doubt in God’s power and goodness, and scripture tells people to avoid it. Psalm 27 says, “The Lord is my light in salvation; whom shall I fear?”. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”
The spirit of fear causes us to weaken our resolve and shrink back.
The Spirit of God enables us to overcome whatever adversity or trouble presents itself.
We’re all prone to anxiety and worry, and simply telling ourselves that we shouldn’t worry about a problem we’re facing won’t make it go away. We know this. It may even make things worse by keeping us from doing something about it.
But the Bible gives us a specific cure for anxiety — and that is to trust God and turn our worries and fears over to Him. Think of it this way. Imagine for a moment that a worry is a heavy burden you’re carrying on your back, like a backpack filled with rocks. Not hard to imagine, right? Wishing it will go away won’t solve the problem, nor will simply hoping the burden will grow lighter. But suppose you meet someone who’s obviously stronger than you, and he offers to take the burden off your back and carry it for you. What would you do? It would be foolish for you to keep carrying that anxiety; instead, you’d gladly hand it over to him.
And that’s what God wants us to do with our burdens — hand them over to Him in faith and trust. He knows all about us; He knows our problems, and He knows all about the things that concern us. Furthermore, He loves us, and He wants to help us. The Bible says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
When anxiety comes — as it does — learn to hand it over to Jesus Christ. He can be trusted to guide you, and He will give you His peace.
Now this is all good and fine, but how?
I love, love, love the visual of laying my fears at the foot of the cross. I literally imagine them gathered in an old dirty sackcloth (not sure why), and placing it on a pile of rocks at the foot of the cross. Somehow the visual helps me. Admittedly, when I am in a bad place, I have to visualize this over and over and over again, and certainly every time I pray. It would be nice if I could visualize this once, feel great, and skip down the path, but not in this fallen world.
According to the Bible, casting your worries on God means fully entrusting them to him, rather than trying to carry them yourself. To do this, we must:
-
Acknowledge God’s care
Remind yourself that God cares for you and is concerned about your well-being. Trust in his love and faithfulness to guide you through challenging times. It can be very helpful to read “caring: scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8, Philippians 4:6, Matthew 11:28, John 3:16, Nahum 1:7, Isaiah 46:4 and so many more.
-
Identify the source of your worry
Reflect on the root causes of your worry, such as feeling out of control, inadequate, or uncertain.
-
Pray about everything
Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. You can also ask the Lord to seek your heart and reveal any areas you need to yield to him. I have found it to be so, so helpful to ask God to intervene in my areas of strife. He always does.
-
Step away from trying to control your worries
Lean into the reassuring words of God and trust that he knows what is best for you.
-
Humble yourself under God’s hand
Quit trying to be God and give up your anxiety to him. This is always a hard one. Hmmmm ….
He is God, I am Not.
Well, that one to write on the bathroom mirror for daily reading …
For God and you,
Deb Bostwick
Singles Blogger