Psalm 94:19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.
Psalm 118:8 [It is] better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. (this is the very center verse of the bible)
Psalm 138:8 The LORD will perfect [that which] concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, [endures] forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
As I put the time in to write these posts and study what God's word says about being a Christian wife I have been so blessed. Each chapter has shown me areas where I need to be more faithful and encouraged me in other areas to not grow weary... This particular chapter has come at a time when I needed to increase my faith...to take off anxiety and fear and put on love.
In preparing for this post I have also looked at Stuart Scott's book The Exemplary Husband to see what it said about anxiety and fear.
I am going to try to keep this short and practical...
Definitions first:
Godly concern - Is focusing on today's responsibilities, others and eternal concerns. Our eyes are on the Lord. It is caring about the important things but ultimately trusting in God's faithfulness and sovereignty. It does not lead to a lack of peace and trust. (Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is set on You because he trusts in You)
Ungodly concern - (anxiety) Is focusing on the future...what might happen. It is concerned with self...not others. Our eyes are not on the Lord they are on our circumstances. We are not focused on what is true and helpful and are blown about by every wind of emotion. Ungodly concern is sin.
Godly fear - fear of God and also a right and reasonable fear of danger or difficulty. The fear of God is a reverential awe of who God is. The person who has a proper fear of God will obey Him and love Him. He will face dangerous or difficult situations with the appropriate response. He lives in reality and assesses situations and how they might affect him reasonably. God is always in the picture and acknowledged. Our fear or our feelings do not keep us from doing what is right. (Psalm 56:3 - When I am afraid, I will trust in You)
Ungodly fear - Is self-focused. God is not in our thoughts. We are not thinking of others. We are lacking trust in Him and therefore sinning. When we fail to do what we know is right we are experiencing ungodly fear. When we give in to ungodly fear we are calling God a liar. Numbers 23:19 says: God [is] not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
What we should know about ungodly fear:
1. Ungodly fears are directly related to what we are thinking. Martha Peace has talked about how what we are thinking affects how we behave. Remember...sin begins in the mind...it is a process. You can either feed the thought or starve it. Take it captive or let it loose. So choose to tell yourself scripturally calming thoughts. Focus on what is good and pure and noble and right. Check out Proverbs 4:23 and Philippians 4:8.
2. Ungodly fear comes from focusing on our circumstances rather than God. We need to understand just who God is. Do a study on how God is described in the Old Testament. Study Jesus who is the Father revealed. Read about Jacob in Genesis 32:7-12...or Joshua in Numbers 13:25 - 14:5. Psalm 55:22 tells us to: Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Another really good one is Psalm 77:4-14.
3. Ungodly fear is focused inward and therefore selfish...opposite of love. Philippians 2:4 is a good one here: Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
4. Ungodly fear is kind of like an idol in that you put IT before your fear of God. We become unfaithful...forgetting about His word and His promises. Some things you may fear more than God are man, circumstances, loss, and bodily harm. So you want man's approval, a life of ease, money, health, a person, etc., safety more than you want God.
5. Ungodly fear leads to more sin...i.e lying, following the wrong person or people...or maybe like Peter...deny your Lord.
6. Ungodly fear does not do you any good...but can cause harm. Psalm 37 tells us not to fret it only causes harm.
The more you act on your fears rather than trust in God and His word the more fearful you will become. Instead we must endure through them and obey God.
So examine yourself...stop calling your sin by another name: "being stressed out" concerned, an anxiety disorder, or my favorite "just the way I am." Figure out what makes you fearful. Confess and repent of your sins of ungodly fear to God and others whom your fear may have affected. Then renew your mind with Scripture. Find the verses that speak to your heart about your fear. Meditate on them...memorize them and bring them to mind when you see yourself falling into the trap (sin) of anxious thinking. Decide what right thoughts and actions you are going to use to fight the ones you usually have. Thoughts and scriptures here should be thankful, hopeful, trusting and loving. Ask God to really help you work in this area.
Stuart Scott, the author of the Exemplary Husband, recommends doing the following bible studies before fear hits again.
1. A study of God's sovereignty (Isaiah 46:9-11, Genesis 50:20, Jeremiah 32:27, Romans 8:28
2. A study of God's presence and care: (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 27:1-14, Psalm 23:4)
3. A study of God's sufficient grace (help) in times of trouble (Isaiah 41: 10, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Hebrews 4:16)
When you are fearful...
1. Seek the Lord and His help. Go boldly to His throne of grace for help in your time of need. (psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.)
2. Check your thought processes...are they focused on God or headed in the wrong direction? What are you fearing more than God?
3. Put on trust, responsibility and above all love...which the bible says is not only the bond of perfection but that perfect love casts out fear. Focus on God, His Word, His promises, things eternal, others, etc.
4. Stop and ask yourself what is the right thing to do...i.e. loving, trusting, helpful, constructive, responsible.
5. Endure the temptation to fear...show your love for God and others by your obedience.
6.. If you fail...confess, repent, figure out what you can do differently in the future and be on guard again. Psalm 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law [is] within my heart."
Do not let your fear control you or ensnare you. You can through practice change the anxiety pattern.
You will keep [him] in perfect peace, [Whose] mind [is] stayed [on You], Because he trusts in You. You will keep [him] in perfect peace, [Whose] mind [is] stayed [on You], Because he trusts in You.
