4.8. Fear and Worry

4.8. Fear and Worry

• Fear invades and underlies the whole of life's activities such as: fear of
failure, of change, of success, of rejection, of being abandoned, of
loneliness, of the future, of the unknown and the endless list of phobias.

( Gen. 3:9-10 ; 1 John 4:18 ) Fear is the first emotion expressed by man, and the first emotion dealt with by the Cross of Christ. Fear is replaced by love, faith works by love, love action destroys the feelings of fear.

( Heb. 3:12-13 ) Main causes of fear are self-concerns, self-interest and self-protection. Fear is really unbelief that Christ is not living within you.

• Fear, worry, anxiety along with anger, bitterness, resentment, guilt, envy,
and other sins are just feelings. It is faith acting on God's word by one's
will, an act of love, that supersedes feelings.

( Gen. 4:7 ; Gen. 15:1 ) When God commands us to "Fear Not!", He is addressing our
will and our mind, not our emotions. You work through fear by an act of your will because God is with you, willing you to love. Love casts out all fear ( 1 John 4:18).

( Gen. 1:26-28 ) God commands us to replenish and to subdue. Fear is a necessary part
of our design. Fear tells me something or someone who appears bigger than I am is
approaching and affecting my mind and my emotions. Fear is a red light that tells us
danger is about - to signal us to call upon God and in Him to face the fear - swallow it up and go on to the next thing. We are to replace the fear with a deliberate trust and rest in God who lives in us, drawing upon Him for wisdom, strength and ability. Thus, fear triggers one more way in which God is manifested and revealed in our behavior.

( Rom. 12:1-2 ) Most of us have a belief bank full of junk. We are to renew the mind,
get the junk out, and replace it with thoughts of God's Presence. He is my Light, my
Salvation, whom shall I fear: for He will give me all I need as I seek His righteousness.

( Ps. 42:1-11 ) Talk to self, tell self who God is, rehearse this reality and fear will properly disappear. For God can now be revealed in the situation.

( Ps. 23 ; Ps. 24 ; Ps. 27 ; Ps. 91 ; Deut. 28 ) Feelings only obey what I think. If
despair, then despair comes, if fearful then more of the same, etc. Truth in God must be learned, that I know within that He is my strength, my adequacy, my wisdom, that His angels are all about me! We control fear by believing the truth in God.

( Heb. 13:20-21 ) God is with me at all times, He will never leave or forsake me. God
loves me, accepts me and approves of me regardless of what others say or think.

( Matt. 5:43-44 ; 1 John 2:9-10 ) Regardless of what others do or not do, be always in a state of forgiving offenses, develop a permanent state of reconciliation. Choose to love, develop this disposition to love. It takes time for this idea to grow and develop into the image of Christ because it is what Jesus did. Our blueprint states that we were made to love, otherwise life does not work.

( 1 John 3:17 ) Love is an action, activated by compassion. We don't have to pray about it, just do it! Don't have to ask for God's help, Holy Spirit is already in us, and it is our choice to respond God's way allowing His love to be manifested.

( Phil. 4:13 ; 2 Cor. 12:7-9 ) Fear is part of living. We will always fear changes, new situations, and a sense of inadequacy will surround all situations. All this does is reveal the creatureness of my being and to remind me that I can't handle anything in my own strength and wisdom. Rejoice that you can't handle it because in each and every circumstance that you call upon the Lord Who is your strength, the more and more you grow into Him.

( 1 Cor. 1:30 ) By faith and not by feelings, call upon the Lord and ask Him that His
thoughts become your thoughts, His strengths your strengths, His adequacy your
adequacy. This is what is called a normal Christian life.

( Prov. 24:10 ; Prov. 21:22 ) With diligence and perseverance you can be victorious in all new situations and changes that life offers. The enemy will challenge your growth. Use the barriers he sets up as opportunities to strengthen your faith until you become perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

( John 14:21 ; John 16:33 ) He will guide us into the unknown, new territories, new
ideas, new situations, and new revelations. Look forward to great opportunities to reveal your potential in Christ. Areas that frighten, God has already given it to us in Christ. As with Moses with just a staff in hand, go with whatever you have in hand, and see miracles.

( 1 John 1:9 ; 1 Cor. 13:4-8a ; Col. 3:12-14 ; 2 Cor. 5:14-15 ; Phil. 4:6-9 ; 1 John
4:18 ) In order to deal biblically with fear, you must confess your self-centered fear to God and fulfill your responsibilities in Christlike love regardless of your feelings.

( Matt. 6:33 ; Matt. 25:26 ; Prov. 16:9 ; Eph. 5:15-17 ; Col. 3:23-24 ) Worry is
wickedness and laziness, reveals a lack of trust in God. To overcome worry, make a plan to accomplish today's task and do each task heartily as unto the Lord.