Hey, everyone! This is another old post I wrote that got lost in my drafts and never published, so I thought I’d share it today! I wrote this on June 6, 2016, right before we were leaving for our trip to Canada! I can’t write as much content on this blog right now as I normally could because I’m hard at work on a new project to be announced SOON! I still pray for you all, though, and I hope that this post over what God has taught me about trusting Him can help you, too! xo Ashlee
We all have that something in our lives that causes anxiety. Maybe it’s a long term thing, or maybe it’s just something temporary that is stressing you out. Whatever it is, I want you to know that God has it in His hands. He really does.
I have a lot of fear in me. We all do, but I think it’s safe to say that some people are better at trusting God than others. We all go through struggles where we question Him, though. Still, I want to be somebody that doesn’t fear because I totally trust in the Lord. Most of us think it’s easier said than done, but it’s really not that hard because you can totally let go and let God. The hard part is resisting the urge to worry.
You can totally let go and let God.
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I’ll give you an example of a worry that is short term and one that is long term. A short term worry would be preparing for a trip, which we are doing. I’m not even the one dealing with most of it, but I still have to get prepared, too. It’s easy to have doubts about it, too, because there’s never a guarantee that a vacation will go the way you want it to.
A long term worry could be something like someone dying. You’re so afraid of losing someone, and it constantly steals your peace. I’ve learned a lot about keeping your peace over the last few months, and I’m still learning. But God has been so faithful and patient with me, and He’s showed me a lot. I pray that He would for you, too.
Understanding Where Worry Comes From
There is one thing that causes you to worry and one thing only: Satan. That doesn’t mean you can just blame your worrying on him. You have to fend him off with God. But worry does come from Satan.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
My mom and I have talked about how Satan will attack you at your worst areas, too. He knows when you’re at your worst and most likely to believe his lies. He knows when you’re tired or stressed about something. He knows your weak areas and is going to hit you there. For example, I used to have this huge fear of losing my parents. I think I’ve mentioned that before, and every time they left the house I feared for their lives. I definitely don’t worry as much about that, but it is still one of my weak areas, and Satan knows when to taunt me with it.
You all know I’ve had a challenging year, especially with friends, and one thing that Satan would lie to me with is that since I don’t have any godly friends, God is going to take away my parents, too. Along the same lines of losing my parents, he would try and tell me that God was going to take them away to test my faith. Yes, God uses things to strengthen us, but He is a good Father, and His desire isn’t to take away everything you love just because.
***UPDATE: Sometimes, God does let you lose everything, but there is always a sovereign purpose for it, and if you know Him, He’s always working things for your good (Romans 8:28). He doesn’t set out to give you everything you hate.
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
How Do You Conquer Worry?
Focus on God
READ YOUR BIBLE. It is a simple yet powerful thing that totally transforms the way you think and live. Without it, then what? Where are you getting your inspiration? How are you growing as a Christian? You’re not. And it will be that much easier for Satan to attack you, so put on the armor and submit to God.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Pray Consistently
The amazing thing about God is that He understands your fears and is very patient with you. You can run to Him in prayer with your fears. Get real with Him – He can handle it. Ask Him for guidance and the faith to conquer your fears. Pray this for other people, too. Prayer is a vital weapon against Satan and the lies he tells us. I saw a quote one time that said Satan will try to keep you from praying because he knows that your praying will keep him limited.
Have you ever not prayed about something because it seemed like none of your prayers were being answered? I’ve done that. I think, well, it’s not like this prayer is being answered, so I’m just going to quit praying about it. This is easily one of Satan’s biggest lies, though, and I don’t want you to fall for it. He only says that because it is true, prayer makes all the difference. You have to be patient sometimes, but God is working behind the scenes.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
God is always working behind the scenes, and we may not even realize that what He is doing is so much greater than what we could imagine.
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Meditate (On Verses)
The meditation where you close your eyes and say the little “OMMM” thing is not going to do you a stinking thing, and neither is any of the other meditation you’ve probably read about on cheesy sites and blogs that promise earthly happiness. But if you meditate on verses, that will help you so much because God is the only one who can satisfy your needs (Psalm 107:9).
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Worry Is a Sin
Worry is a sin because you’re doubting God’s plan for you. You’re doubting that He understands what you’re going through, doubting that He could help you, and doubting that He would help you. All believers struggle with worry, but you have to give it to God. God definitely understands what you are going through, even if it’s something petty. He made you, after all. And He cares.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
God can help you, and He will. People think that just because God doesn’t help you the way you envisioned means that He didn’t, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He is the Creator of the Universe. He knows what’s best. I say this a lot because, myself included, we get all high and mighty and think we’ve got it all figured out when we’re just looking at a piece of the puzzle, and God sees the whole thing. We must look like total idiots when we do that, and we make God the enemy. Don’t do that. He knows best.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
“You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
“‘I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
Be Understanding
As I mentioned above, God is understanding of your fears and wants you to cast your anxiety on Him (1 Peter 5:7). You need to do this for other people as well. Sometimes we see somebody with a certain fear and roll our eyes, like good grief, what a ridiculous fear. But do you want God to feel that way with you? Just because that person’s fear isn’t yours doesn’t make it any less real for them. There’s nothing worse than being truly afraid of something, and all somebody tells you is to get over it.
I also understand that we DO need to face our fears. We do need to get over them, but God is patient (Psalm 86:15) and helps you get over yours, so you need to be patient with others, too. Pray for them to get over their fear, and instead of complaining about how stupid it is, ask them how you can help.
Besides, no one wants to have fear consume their life. Everyone wants happiness. And we can get that true happiness found in Jesus alone, the One who has commanded us again and again to fear not. Don’t be that person that gets chained by your fear. Allow God to free you from it.