Happy Monday friends!
We’re in a series titled “The Surrendered Life,” and if you’ve just joined us, this series equips you to let go of whatever you can’t control so you can experience God’s peace. I love hearing from Happy Monday readers because your notes inspire me! At the end of today’s devotion, I’m sharing real-life stories from Laurie H and Tanya M about last week's Surrender Principle #4 - thanks, ladies!
This week is Surrender Principle #5: When fear tempts me to flee, fix, or force my way, I will choose to stop and pray.
Let me begin here: Christians are fast to shame each other for admitting to anxiety or fear. Please know that God doesn’t love you less if you feel afraid at times or even much of the time. Some of us have nervous systems that are more sensitive to triggers or fear, but that doesn’t mean God loves you less. At the same time, God doesn't want you in bondage to anxiety or living on constant pins and needles waiting for something to go wrong.
When we consider the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.), the Holy Spirit's work to grow us in Christ also rewires your nervous system, making you less reactive to uncertainty and certain situations. Note: God may need to work through therapy, medication, and boundaries, so don't be afraid of those!
If we don't address our fears, they will take the driver's seat in our thinking and emotions, and we'll end up trying to fix or force solutions where God doesn't need our help. Chances are, you can think of a time when your fears prompted you to do or say something that you regretted later. When we leave fear in the driver's seat for too long, we may forget how to operate without fear telling us what to do and that doesn't bode well for our mental health or our relationships.
Do you need to ask God to move fear out of the driver's seat of your life? Do you need to learn more patience and to trust God more instead of jumping into situations ahead of Him? If so, I'm glad that you're here!
I’ve shared today’s verse many times before, but it never gets old as far as I'm concerned. Here it is:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. -2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
Fear flees when we’re in God’s presence. In God's presence, we're reminded that He is our safe place. When we're focused on God, fear flees, and we're renewed with strength and hope. The trick is to move toward God when we're afraid, not run from God. Prayer signals your willingness to let God help you. Help God help you, dear friend!
My Story…
If you’ve read my Stronger Than Stress book, you know that the opening lines of the book tell an embarrassing story from my life:
“I didn’t realize that I’d thrown those dinner plates through the kitchen window until the sound of shattering glass snapped me back into reality.”
During our family’s addiction crisis, my former spouse arrived home intoxicated at 7am in the morning. Instead of leaving the situation to pause and pray, I tried to negotiate with someone who was unable to communicate rationally. The conversation went sideways and tumbled down a terrible path. My mind immediately jumped to every worst-case scenario about the loss of our life as we knew it. I lost it. Fear took control, and I grabbed the dish rack in front of me and launched it through the window. The crash was loud enough to interrupt the steady stream of poisonous thoughts that Fear was feeding me. As I stood around the porcelain carnage, I was embarrassed and overwhelmed.
But that day changed me. I told God that I never wanted fear to win again in my life. After Stronger Than Stress was released, one critic commented that I should never have been able to write a book because I did something so irresponsible. Telling that embarrassing story shows the starting point of God transforming my life. With God's help, the spirit of fear stopped controlling me, even though our family’s alcohol crisis would continue for several more years. Praise God!
The Choice is Yours!
We can do so much more in faith than in fear! Yet fear likes for us to believe that when something goes wrong, we’re supposed to fix it right now. Let's remember that fear is a liar. When something is going wrong, tell your fear, “God is here, so there’s nothing to fear!” Friends, let's anchor into God’s presence, and He will give us the wisdom if/when we’re to take action.
Here’s one powerful tool from my
Winning the Worry Battle book that I’ve used and taught to tens of thousands of people that helps me to pause and pray, while calming my body’s nervous system at the same time:
