What are you afraid of? What makes you anxious? Fear is one of the areas that I seem to struggle with the most. I had a great counselor ask me, “What are you the most afraid of?”  After I answered, he said, “OK, what is the worst thing that could happen?”  We talked that through, and he helped me see that it could happen, but it wasn’t very likely. Then came Job.

I’ve been reading the book of Job for the last few days, and it can be a little troublesome for a girl who struggles with fear.  Mercy, poor Job!  He said in 3:25, “What I always feared has happened to me.  What I dreaded has come to be.”  Lord, help me. 

As I have read his story over the last few days, I have been so caught up in Job’s life that my heart has ached for him.  My dear husband was trying to help me see how God uses Job’s story to encourage us, and that God restored in the end, but I was so upset for Job that my hubbie just had to walk away.  (I think it might have been after reading that not only had he lost every material possession and his children, but he now had boils. Have you ever had one of those!?

What ifs fill my mind. I have ministry fears. That’s a big one.  For a solid week (maybe more), my devotions from “Tozer on Leadership” reminded me of the cost of ministry: struggles, opposition, misunderstandings, battles, discouragement.  One morning, I thought, Lord, this could scare a girl off!  My knees can shake when I think of following after God and pursuing His call.  I know from personal experience that sometimes it can hurt. 

I have personal fears: fears for my child, fears for my husband, and fears for our financial life. We’ve been through some deep, dark times financially, and I fear we will find ourselves there again. I work in the medical field, so I see and read all kinds of bizarre things that happen to people. Scary!!

Being fearful has been a part of my life for a long time. I slept with my little Gideon Bible as a child. I think it felt like I was holding onto God. Gripping that little book was a must for good sleep. I keep my door locked in the middle of the day.  My husband said, “We live in such a high-crime area.” (Read in his sarcasm.)  I could go on and on, but if I don’t stop, you are going to think I’m unstable :) 

The good news is that with God’s help, we can overcome all those fears. I distinctly remember kneeling beside my bed one day and saying, “God, please take these fears away.” If you are filled with fear, you, too, can live in peace.

One process that helps me is to practice the discipline of taking my thoughts captive. The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 10:5:

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

Taking our thoughts captive is a discipline that strengthens with practice. Look for Scriptures that counter your negative thoughts and memorize them. Write them down. Lies are best corrected with the truth of Scripture. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)

Living fear-less is possible with Holy Spirit’s help.
 
Until we visit again…
Live blessed
Carmen