According to Anxiety Disorders Association of America, there are 40 million adults in the United States dealing with anxiety disorders. People can have anxiety for all sorts of reasons, but my assumption is that social phobias and fear of the unknown are the top reasons behind most anxiety. I speak from experience because I am an introvert by nature and I have to force myself into certain situations that usually make me uncomfortable. Sometimes I try to focus on Proverbs 29:25 which states, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." I would rather not be hindered by my fear of man because it keeps me from enjoying life to the fullest and it gives me unnecessary stress.
For those of you who know me, you are probably aware of the occasional stress I feel under certain circumstances. One of my least favorite things involves talking on the phone. I'm not sure why I have this particular fear, but it exists in my life. What's humorous, though, is the fact that God keeps putting me in jobs or situations where I must talk on the phone. I had to call campgrounds to make reservations on my cross country roadtrip, I had to use the phone working at my summer campground job to verify reservations and boat counts, and I currently have to use the phone at my temp job, which has proved interesting with two incidents of a man making harassing phone calls. By submersing myself in these situations, my fear has slowly subsided because God has been with me the whole time. He presents a reminder in Isaiah 41:10 stating, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Knowing this, I try to dive into new situations even if I feel ill at ease. With music as another motivator, the song "Miracle" by Paramore has a line that says, "I don't want to run from anything uncomfortable..." This mentality has proved especially useful recently, and I'm thankful for that because the uneasy feeling in my heart has since subsided.
I think what many don't realize is how living in fear caters to Satan and his minions. Satan is a master at taking advantage of us during our weakest moments and infusing our minds with fear and doubt to further put a strain on our lives. I think in the song "A Dustland Fairytale," The Killers hit the nail on the head with the lines, "God gives us hope but we still fear what we don't know. Your mind is poisoned." This is exactly what the devil does; he poisons our minds with meaningless garbage in order to create stumbling blocks. This can hinder both our relationship with God, along with our ability to share the Gospel with those around us. By creating doubt in our mind, we question God's sovereignty and authority, which limits our ability to trust Him in times of need. Also, if we have an unnecessary fear of man, we will never reach out to them in order to determine if they have heard about Jesus Christ and the importance of building a relationship with Him. Instead of fretting over people and their opinions, focus on Jesus' words in Matthew 10:28, which tell us, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One both soul and body in hell." It is only once you realize how this fear hinders your life that you can move towards change and a different framework of thinking.
No matter where you are in life, you are bound to be surrounded by people who don't like you for some reason or another. Most people would avoid contact with these people, but I think it would be beneficial to analyze the Parable of Weeds in Matthew 13:24-30. This parable says, "Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 'The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' "'An enemy did this,’ he replied. "The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?' "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" The weeds symbolize the unpleasant or evil people that Satan sprinkles into your life, and according to Jesus, it is actually better to live among them than avoid them. It builds character and patience when you spend time with people who you don't always agree with, or don't even really like. Some might actually be enemies who try to break you down, but if you trust God and don't live in fear, you can serve as an example to God's sovereignty in your life, which will glorify Him at the end of the day.
The bottom line is that in order to thrive in the Christian life, one must face their fears and realize that they are holding you back in the long run. We must allow God to be glorified through us by holding our ground in the midst of our foes. By trusting God, you will be able to hold your ground instead of running the other way. I think Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best when he stated, "Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes." It is our job in life to try our best to exemplify Christ in our actions in order to try and bring others closer to Him. If we live in constant fear, others will doubt the greatness of God. By embracing God's love, fear can diminish in your life so that you can thrive, for 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
For those of you who know me, you are probably aware of the occasional stress I feel under certain circumstances. One of my least favorite things involves talking on the phone. I'm not sure why I have this particular fear, but it exists in my life. What's humorous, though, is the fact that God keeps putting me in jobs or situations where I must talk on the phone. I had to call campgrounds to make reservations on my cross country roadtrip, I had to use the phone working at my summer campground job to verify reservations and boat counts, and I currently have to use the phone at my temp job, which has proved interesting with two incidents of a man making harassing phone calls. By submersing myself in these situations, my fear has slowly subsided because God has been with me the whole time. He presents a reminder in Isaiah 41:10 stating, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Knowing this, I try to dive into new situations even if I feel ill at ease. With music as another motivator, the song "Miracle" by Paramore has a line that says, "I don't want to run from anything uncomfortable..." This mentality has proved especially useful recently, and I'm thankful for that because the uneasy feeling in my heart has since subsided.
I think what many don't realize is how living in fear caters to Satan and his minions. Satan is a master at taking advantage of us during our weakest moments and infusing our minds with fear and doubt to further put a strain on our lives. I think in the song "A Dustland Fairytale," The Killers hit the nail on the head with the lines, "God gives us hope but we still fear what we don't know. Your mind is poisoned." This is exactly what the devil does; he poisons our minds with meaningless garbage in order to create stumbling blocks. This can hinder both our relationship with God, along with our ability to share the Gospel with those around us. By creating doubt in our mind, we question God's sovereignty and authority, which limits our ability to trust Him in times of need. Also, if we have an unnecessary fear of man, we will never reach out to them in order to determine if they have heard about Jesus Christ and the importance of building a relationship with Him. Instead of fretting over people and their opinions, focus on Jesus' words in Matthew 10:28, which tell us, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One both soul and body in hell." It is only once you realize how this fear hinders your life that you can move towards change and a different framework of thinking.
No matter where you are in life, you are bound to be surrounded by people who don't like you for some reason or another. Most people would avoid contact with these people, but I think it would be beneficial to analyze the Parable of Weeds in Matthew 13:24-30. This parable says, "Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 'The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' "'An enemy did this,’ he replied. "The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?' "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" The weeds symbolize the unpleasant or evil people that Satan sprinkles into your life, and according to Jesus, it is actually better to live among them than avoid them. It builds character and patience when you spend time with people who you don't always agree with, or don't even really like. Some might actually be enemies who try to break you down, but if you trust God and don't live in fear, you can serve as an example to God's sovereignty in your life, which will glorify Him at the end of the day.
The bottom line is that in order to thrive in the Christian life, one must face their fears and realize that they are holding you back in the long run. We must allow God to be glorified through us by holding our ground in the midst of our foes. By trusting God, you will be able to hold your ground instead of running the other way. I think Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it best when he stated, "Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes." It is our job in life to try our best to exemplify Christ in our actions in order to try and bring others closer to Him. If we live in constant fear, others will doubt the greatness of God. By embracing God's love, fear can diminish in your life so that you can thrive, for 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
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