When anxiety builds
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 24:14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I qwill strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 56:3-4 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word). In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
I got a call for prayer from someone very dear to me looking for prayer as he was fighting with fear and anxiety regarding new responsibilities and a new system with his job. Two years ago, he left one government agency and went to work with a different government agency. Certainly there was a learning curve, but he looked forward to the job, learning new responsibilities, the procurement, and the different management styles.
Six months into the new job, COVID struck and changed so much of the peace, fear, anxiety levels within the world, and of course within work protocols. Folks were mostly encouraged to work from home unless they happened to be a front liner who dealt with illness in one capacity or another. For those who were now working from home with only a computerand a cell phone for outside access to help and direction, it was a struggle at times. In this case, it would have been helpful to be able to access a person and computer in front of him to reassure he was doing the correct steps, following all procedures and to complete the task; it was a matter of reassurance and brief overview. But that assistance is not easily attained now that each is working from his or her own location, and not meeting in an office where ideas, means and procedures can be shared.
One of the enemy’s greatest assets is the ability to instill fear within us. It’s not like I even hear him sneaking in, but suddenly I can be full of anxiety and fear. I never heard the actual whisper of “You can’t do this. You forgot the steps. You are going to make a mistake.” My heart can still clutch and I can feel the acceleration of my heart as the worries begin to cascade in a waterfall of apprehension. Having years of knowing God is stronger than the greatest enemy to us, that generally lasts for a few moments, before I am seeking His guidance and peace, and asking for the fear to be relieved as the answers and the way become clearer. And then of course, I have to believe; I have to leave the issue there, and not keep snatching it up in fear and anxiety.
For me, leaving it alone used to be the hardest. It is less so now; maybe that is experience with letting go and letting Him. Now, it is easy for my mind to bring forth do not be afraid verses and I am with you verses.
I believe even though Satan knows he will lose the actual war when Jesus returns and he knows Jesus defeated death, he wants to take as many souls into hell as he can. And that is why he remains so busy trying to cause upset, fear, anxiety, and feelings of failure and incompetence. He snickers and sneaks around looking for vulnerable areas so he can find entrance and instill doubt, then fear, then belief of his lies into full blown anxiety and feelings of uncertainty and failure.
For years it was easier for me to believe the negative, to feel like a failure, less than mediocre, and less than almost anyone else in every area I chose to look. I had been saved for years before actually reading the bible consistently, then beyond reading to studying, attending a bible teaching church, joining bible studies, surrounding myself with other bible believing folks, and beginning to see me as God sees. It still takes work. I do not always see myself in a wonderful light, but then God places someone in my life who gives a praise or compliment or acknowledgment of something I’ve done, and my vision clears and I am reminded of who He sees—and my vision although somewhat still dark and cloudy with Satan’s residual lies, it clears and brightens knowing how God sees.
One of things that helped me initially dealing with those fearful times, was to print out verses that dealt with my fear, anxiety, and that He was walking with me. My path may not be easy and free from strife, but He is with me. Whatever I ask, He is there for me. I needed to read the words often before I totally believed them, but now it is knowing.
I pray for all who doubt are not full of faith in the fact that He is there when one fully believes. I pray for this special person who is full of doubts which have lead to fear and anxiety and the Holy Spirit will provide protection from any further doubts getting through and that the ones there have been driven back by prayer warriors. Stand strong on His promises. Know them so you can pull them out and believe because you know what His word says.
I am so thankful I got deeper into Your words and thoughts, and know Your promises so when I have those periods of fear, I remember the many verses of You commanding to do fear as You are with me; that You can handle issues in unimaginable ways. I know You can refresh memory and give assurance to do what I am supposed to do according to Your plan. Thank You for blessing me and ‘mybellaviews.’
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