Have you ever been in a situation where you were fine one minute, living your day to day life then the next minute consumed with fear? Whether it’s fear that causes your body, mind, and faith to tremble... or fear that goes away after a few minutes… we all fear something in life. SO girl, it is okay if your answer to that question is yes.
You might fear death, sickness, loneliness, the future, or even spiders…. Haha don't we all fear spiders (especially in spooky season), you should never feel like you are the only one who fears because we all fear. Let me walk you through a situation in which my fears took over my mind and caused my faith to be shaken.
I was at school one day, in my art class, and we were just having a regular day-to-day class routine. I out of nowhere just felt this sense of panic come over my body and mind. My heart raced, my head felt light, and my body began to get hot. I felt like I was going to pass out and could not gain control over my thoughts. All that i could think about was what is wrong with me? Am i dying? Am i going crazy? Why can't I get control? And why do i feel like this? I went days after this wondering what was wrong with me and had constant fear that i was dying of some crazy disease. I finally went to the doctor and they told me that i had something called a panic attack and anxiety. This was just the start of my journey of anxiety… leading from fear to leaning on faith.
I had no idea that this would be what brought me closer to god than anything ever before.
For the first year of this struggling battle, I was so confused on why this had to happen to me… i asked the selfish question when talking to the lord “why me? Why did this have to happen to me?”. I may not have the exact answer to this question, but god does absolutely everything for a reason and i knew that he was going to use this as a way to show others how to keep the faith and grow during their troubling seasons of battles. I clung to two specific verse when i would be in very dark places, in which was Exodus 14:14 and Joshua 1:9
Let's dive in and take a look at those:
“The LORD will fight for you, you need only to be still”
Exodus 14:14
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be discouraged. For the lord your god will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
The Lord commands us to be strong and courageous because He is with us wherever we go. In every situation, the lord is right by our side and fights our battles for us… if we let Him. See, the truth is i always wanted to be in control of my life… this meant i wanted to date whoever i thought was best, be friends with the groups i thought were cool, plan out my life BUT let me give you some truth. THE LORD IS THE ONE WHO HAS CONTROL AND ALWAYS WILL!! Now let that sink in because ladies, we no longer have to be stressed about having everything planned out because the lord knows what he has planned for our lives. In Philippians 4, we are taught to pray in every situation that we go through. We have to have that communication with god in order for him to hear our requests and answer our questions/needs. It tells us that through prayer or communication with him, the peace of the lord is draped over our minds to guard us as well as guard our hearts. The lord wants to protect you and give you his love and peace. We have to move our minds from fear to faith by trusting that his path is better than ours and will have a greater outcome than your current struggle. If you do not have a communicating relationship with the lord, how can he help you with the exact requests that you have for him? Your relationship with God helps your faith grow, allowing you to faithfully lean on his understanding and not your own. We have to challenge ourselves to put our full trust and faith in his good works to fight our battles and struggles each and every day so we can move from a fearful person to a faithful servant.
A few other verses you can take a look at: Philippians 4:6-7 , psalm 94:19 , Matthew 6:34
Reflection Questions:
What are your fears? How often do those fears captivate your mind and weigh on your heart?
Have you ever had a situation where your faith was shaken because of a fear or worry? If so, what is it?
What are some ways that you can move your fear to faith in christ?
What did the scriptures that you read through today’s devotional tell you about yourself?
What did the scriptures in today's devotion tell you about God?
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