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
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....
ReplyDeleteGod 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:)
Mom,
DeleteYes, 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.
what I meant was the fear of a loved one NOT recovering from Illness.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thooughts
ReplyDelete