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Thursday, October 31, 2013

The Fear Factor: Overcoming the Need to Worry


And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
Mathew 6:27 (NASB)

In a popular show called the “Fear Factor,” contestants compete to see who can overcome their fears.  On one episode, someone willingly let themselves be sealed in a glass container full of snakes.  I watched on pins and needles, wondering how long the contestant would be able to stand it.

I asked myself, why?  Why would a person subject themselves to such torture?  Yet, this is what I do to myself sometimes.  Not literally, but in my mind, yes.  I worry.  I let my imagination trap me in a container, along with all my fears.  I torment myself with scenarios of what could happen.

So what is worry?

The dictionary definition of worry is “to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret..”  Worry is a destructive behavior.  It’s not good for us and can actually make us physically ill.  In Mathew 6:27 Jesus said, And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

How can I stop worrying?

1John 4:18 says, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  The great news is, God loves us and his love is perfect.  He doesn’t want any of us plagued by worry.  If we trust in His perfect love, then there is no reason to be afraid.  His love casts out all fear.
 
Turning it over to God.

Recently, I realized that when I’m worrying, I’m not trusting in God’s perfect love.  I’m taking matters into my own hands.  However, God is teaching me to turn my worries into prayers.  Whenever I feel the need to worry, I know what I really need is to pray.  When I turn my life over to Jesus, he calms my fears.  He sets me free.

Thank you for reading and keep shining for Him!

*Photo Credit (marin) www.freedigitalphotos.net

4 comments:

  1. The fear of a loved one recovering from illness is a big fear factor and sometimes I forget to give it to God. It helps when you discuss it with someone else and not just imagine how things could go....
    God wants me to put my faith in Him and leave it at His feet......I find myself being better at that if I continue to have daily devotions and quiet time to worship and study.
    I waste so much energy and sleepless nights worrying about things that God(not me) is in control of.
    Thank you Rachel for your continued encouragement:)

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    Replies
    1. Mom,
      Yes, I think that worrying about a loved one's illness is the hardest thing not to do. It's hard to place it all in God's hands sometimes. I'm glad that having devotions and quiet time help. Isn't it wonderful how God always has something to encourage us through his word? It's like his love letter to all of us, telling us it's all going to work out for good in the long run. Thank you for reading and always being an encouragement to me.

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  2. what I meant was the fear of a loved one NOT recovering from Illness.

    ReplyDelete