OVERCOMING WORRY AND FEAR

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid or fearful,
but gives us power, love, self-discipline and a sound mind”.
(2 Timothy 1:7)

MEDITATION:
Look at the contrast in the scripture above:
“timid or fearful” versus “power, love, self-discipline and sound mind”.

If you had to choose between the two, it would be an easy choice, right?
The good news is, we can make a choice. Following the world values and
direction will provide us with the former, but following the Lord and His
principles will give us the latter. What the world promises, it fails to deliver,
but what God promises, He always delivers.

We ought to be enjoying victorious, abundant lives – but what happens?
Fear creeps into our minds and gets its cold grip on us. This ‘boa constrictor’
of fear causes us to lose out on priceless opportunities. When fear dominates
our being, there is no room for Christ who can comfort us.
    “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
     peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
     I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Fear can impact our self-esteem and possibly lead to depression.
Depression can then lead to a heightened level of selfishness. Instead
of interacting with others in a healthy manner, we instead withdraw
to our own world where our main focus is self-gratification.

Of course fear has a deadly first cousin called ‘worry’. Worry and
fear can do to us what grit does to machinery – it can shut us down.
When we lose our effectiveness, we lose our joy and peace.

On the other hand, with God’s power and love, we can have victory
over these two partners of evil, because God gives us a ‘sound mind’.
What exactly does it mean to have a ‘sound mind’?

A sound mind is a stable, healthy mind. A sound mind is not overly
concerned with the cares and problems of this life, but is focused on
God and His Kingdom. A stable mind will increase self-control and
reduce selfishness. A healthy mind has a positive impact on our
attitude and outlook.

A sound mind is alert and sober,
and is focused on the eternal hope we have in Jesus Christ.
    Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,
    set your hope on the grace to be brought to you
    when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. (1 Peter 1:13)

A sound mind recognizes who we are in Christ,
and does not depend on human wisdom and strength.
    For though we live in the world, we do not wage war
    as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not
    the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have
    divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish
    arguments and every pretension that sets itself up
    against the knowledge of God, and we take captive
    every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
    (2 Corinthians 10:3–5)

A sound mind is guarded through prayer and purity.
    “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
     by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
     requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
     all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
     in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is
     true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
     whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is
     excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”
     (Philippians 4:6–8)

ACTION:
The Holy Spirit is our Bodyguard – He walks with us. In other
words, He is intertwined into our lives (our thoughts, our actions,
our attitudes, our self-control, etc.), if we let Him (we need to invite
Him to be with us on a daily basis).

When we kneel before God, we can stand before any man. Jesus
has us in His sight, and we are in God’s right hand. Does that
thought give you a feeling of ‘power’ and ‘love’? It should give
you confidence for any situations you face.
Ask yourself,
    “Can anything in this life change these truths of God?”

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for my assurance that I can
have victory over fear and worry. Help me to leave them
behind so that I can be an encourager and lift the spirits
of others. Create in me a sound mind so that my focus will
be on how You have blessed me and how I can bless others.
Forgive me for allowing other things to distract me from
Your glory and blessings. Thank You for Your gift of the
Holy Spirit to help me stay within the boundaries You have
established, and to help me follow the path You have created
specifically for me.”

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