Dealing with Fear

I was planning to do a Thanksgiving post and give you some pie recipes today, but in light of all the events of the past week in our world, my thoughts are centering on something much more serious and completely different, and that is how to handle fear. Between the terrorist attacks in Paris, news of ISIS infiltrating our own country, and terrible things happening all around us it is very easy to get caught up in a spirit of fear.

As is so often the case, in both my teen girls Sunday School class and our Ladies Bible studies we have been studying topics which go along with this one.  God wants us to love Him with all our mind, and there is a spiritual battle for our minds. 2 Cor. 10:5 tells us that we are to "cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." In short, we must determine to put the truths about God from His Word above every thought that we think. We are prone to a lot of dangerous thought patterns: regret, worry, discouragement, discontent, and - especially now - fear.

The thing that has helped me the most in dealing with fear is realizing that they are "what-if's".  We can spend so much time and energy thinking of all the "what-if's" that they consume us. What if our area is targeted by terrorists? What if my children and grandchildren have to live under terrible persecution? What if someone I love dies? What if I get cancer? And so on and on our thinking goes.

"What-if's" are not true. They are speculative thinking about the unknown. In the list of things that we are to think about in Phil. 4:8. the very first thing on the list is "Whatsoever things are true."

Every "what-if" in life is something God already has knowledge of and has planned for! This week I read and gained some insight from Jeremiah 29:4-10. We are usually familiar with verse 11 which reminds us that God has a plan for us that consists of good and not of evil. But the verses directly preceding that are very interesting. God is speaking to His people who are in captivity in Babylon, through the prophet Jeremiah. If I was one of those people in that situation, I would have been very afraid! Look at these truths that God encouraged His people with:

verses 4 and 7 - twice God says "I have caused you to be carried away into captivity." He is the One who allowed it! We have to remember that nothing happens to us that God does not already know about and is not in His plan for us.

verses 5 and 6 - God gives them a list of specific things they are to do. They are to plant crops and eat the produce. They are to build homes. They are to marry and bear children and raise them. In other words, life is supposed to go on! We can't stop living because we are living in fear of what might happen!

verses 8 and 9 - the people are to keep doing right in obedience to God and not let the negative influences around them deter them from serving Him.

and finally, in verse 10 - there was a time limit established. God sets the boundaries of what can happen, and He is in charge!

There is cause for fear all around us, but God repeatedly tells us not to fear, and He tells us why: because of who He is. When you are tempted to be afraid, rest in His character and His promises!

Till next time,
Kathi