Thursday, January 19, 2006
No Fear, for God is Here
Joyce Meyer, a popular Christan author, has a book titled "Be Anxious for Nothing." Anxiety creeps into my heart far too often, so I decided to get her book from the library and read it. Anxiety has been a real problem for me in the past. Several years ago I set a News Years resolution to stop worrying so much. I recognized my unreasonable fears, and they were driving me crazy. I would worry about my children's health, my husbands health, my own health, my performance at work, my personal projects, getting behind with my scrapbook, not having time to exercise, events happening in friends' lives, major illness with friends from church, on and on. When things were going well and I didn't have any obvious thing to worry about, I would start worrying about what might go wrong because life was going so well. How could it go so well for me when things were falling apart for people all around me? I just knew my turn was coming next, and I'd start worrying about some unknown thing that surely would have to go wrong for me in the future. So, I searched the Bible for verses about letting go of fear and trusting in God. I made a long list of these verses, and prayed constantly. After about 6 months or so, I finally found peace and noticed that the worry was fading. It felt good to get fear out of my heart, and whenever my fears came back, I would remember my Bible verses and pray and find peace again.
But I've been noticing this anxiety finding its way back into my heart lately. Major projects. Huge projects, with deadlines. I notice myelf thinking about food as a way to ease my anxiety. I need to find my list of Bible verses again. Walking or running in the fresh air and sunshine helps, too. Sometimes I just need to see some blue sky to remember God is out there.
In her book, Joyce Meyer explained that her anxiety came from delaying gladness in every day moments of life. This is the "I'll be happy when..." syndrome. If we're always waiting for things to change before we allow ourselves to experience the joy of Jesus, we'll miss out on a lot of joy in life. She encourages us to remember this: "There are many stages we must go through in the course of our spiritual growth. We need to learn how to enjoy the glory we are experiencing at each level of our development. It is true we are not yet where we need to be, but, thank God, we are not where we used to be. We are somewhere in the middle, but we are making progress toward our goal -- and we ought to be enjoying each stage."
This is a great reminder for me. I'm not where I want to be with my weight, but I am making progress. Could I let myself be happy today with myself and where I am instead of thinking "I'll be happy when I lose 15 pounds?" I'm not happy where I am with my current project. Could I enjoy this tough project I'm working on today, and be happy that I have meaningful and challenging work, instead of thinking, "I'll be happy when this project is complete"?
2 Timothy 1:7 is one of my favorite all-time Bible verses.
"God has not given us a spirit of fear. But he has given us a spirit of power and love and self-control. (Worldwide English New Testament Version)"
The next time anxiety knocks on your heart's door, don't turn to chocolate. Answer the door with 2 Timothy 1:7.
Remember, the spirit of fear does not come from God. We do not need to fear, because He is always with us. God gives us a spirit of power. He gives us power to overcome obstacles in our lives. He puts love in our hearts, and He gives us self-control.
But I've been noticing this anxiety finding its way back into my heart lately. Major projects. Huge projects, with deadlines. I notice myelf thinking about food as a way to ease my anxiety. I need to find my list of Bible verses again. Walking or running in the fresh air and sunshine helps, too. Sometimes I just need to see some blue sky to remember God is out there.
In her book, Joyce Meyer explained that her anxiety came from delaying gladness in every day moments of life. This is the "I'll be happy when..." syndrome. If we're always waiting for things to change before we allow ourselves to experience the joy of Jesus, we'll miss out on a lot of joy in life. She encourages us to remember this: "There are many stages we must go through in the course of our spiritual growth. We need to learn how to enjoy the glory we are experiencing at each level of our development. It is true we are not yet where we need to be, but, thank God, we are not where we used to be. We are somewhere in the middle, but we are making progress toward our goal -- and we ought to be enjoying each stage."
This is a great reminder for me. I'm not where I want to be with my weight, but I am making progress. Could I let myself be happy today with myself and where I am instead of thinking "I'll be happy when I lose 15 pounds?" I'm not happy where I am with my current project. Could I enjoy this tough project I'm working on today, and be happy that I have meaningful and challenging work, instead of thinking, "I'll be happy when this project is complete"?
2 Timothy 1:7 is one of my favorite all-time Bible verses.
"God has not given us a spirit of fear. But he has given us a spirit of power and love and self-control. (Worldwide English New Testament Version)"
The next time anxiety knocks on your heart's door, don't turn to chocolate. Answer the door with 2 Timothy 1:7.
Remember, the spirit of fear does not come from God. We do not need to fear, because He is always with us. God gives us a spirit of power. He gives us power to overcome obstacles in our lives. He puts love in our hearts, and He gives us self-control.
# posted by Karen Whitson @ 6:11 AM 
Comments:
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Tammy,
Posting here every day gets me focused on putting on God's Armor, forces me to take time for prayer (so I can get some inspiration on what to post!), and keeps me accountable to Christian friends. I gets me outside walking or jogging because I miss my prayer time if I don't get out there. It's helpful for me to get encouragement from you and others that I'm not the only one who struggles with this area and who gets much benefit from God's word. Thank you so much for posting your comments back to me.
Karen
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Posting here every day gets me focused on putting on God's Armor, forces me to take time for prayer (so I can get some inspiration on what to post!), and keeps me accountable to Christian friends. I gets me outside walking or jogging because I miss my prayer time if I don't get out there. It's helpful for me to get encouragement from you and others that I'm not the only one who struggles with this area and who gets much benefit from God's word. Thank you so much for posting your comments back to me.
Karen
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