Facing Fear and Anxiety

*Written By Lisa Gauthreaux, Elder

To a person that suffers from anxiety, fear and the “what-if's,” life can be debilitating. I read somewhere that there are 365 verses in the Bible that tell us not to fear. I haven't counted to be sure, but I know that there are a whole lot! So it must be something important that God is trying to tell us.

Most of the time we can breeze right through the day, things are going great and it's easy to give God the Glory! But then there are the other days...the hard days. The day that starts wrong because you forgot to set your alarm, you are out of coffee and none of the thirty-two outfits you've tried on seem quite right. One little thing can cause an avalanche of emotion, and start the roller coaster ride of “what if's.”

When you feel the fear closing in, you need to go to the only One who can calm your fears! It's impossible for us to do it on our own. I used to think that I shouldn't bother Jesus with trivial stuff that I felt I should be able to handle on my own. I once heard a sermon by Joyce Meyers, where she explained that she was having a really bad hair day. So she stood looking in the mirror and said, “Okay Jesus, I obviously cannot do this on my own, I need your help!” And then it dawned on me, Jesus wants that. He wants me to be in constant communication with him. He wants to be my friend, my father, my savior. He wants me to talk to him! And even more than that, he wants me to “Be still, and know that [He is] God” Ps 46:10.

My life verses are, Philippians 4:6-7

[6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Believe me, I am still very much a work in progress. But I can tell you that reading the Bible or listening to scriptures, worship music and praying go along way in the battle of Fear.

You just need to always make sure that your faith in the Lord remains strong!

God Bless you all!