Day 30: Zack Taylor
“You keep him in perfect peace that whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust the LORD forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 26:3-4
“Those who know Your name trust in You, for You Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You” Psalm 9:10
The Antidote for Fear is Trust...
Christians often times take an interesting posture towards the current events in their lives, often unnecessarily. I am no exception.
We are assured that our sins of the past are forgiven through the cross of Christ, therefore our future in eternity is assured. What’s left is the present, and that’s often where we struggle with the issue of fear.
Fear is both natural and unnatural. It is natural to fear, for example, when we see a black bear on the path during our morning walk! However, we can take natural responses to circumstances in our life, and cause fear to become so amplified that it has a debilitating effect on us – affecting mind, body, and spirit.
Thus was the situation I found myself in for a number of weeks in the summer of 2024. Different circumstances at work and an impending move piled up concurrently and became overwhelming to the point I had difficulty operating on a normal, daily basis. I was in a constant state of excessive fear about the implications of not being able to solve my current set of challenges. It was impossible for me to see any resolution, and I spent countless hours in a state of excess worry.
Through the support of my wife, and excellent guidance from those experienced in this dynamic – pastors, elders, saints, physicians - I came to realize that the issue was actually the opposite of fear – it was trust. Fear was a manifestation of a lack of trust.
Trust is at the core of being a Christian. In a fallen world, we will always wrestle with emotions – the key is to not focus on the problem, rather the One who holds all things together – Jesus. Situations that can potentially overcome us should be viewed more so as an “opportunity to trust”.
Trust Who? The God of the universe and His Son, the Lord Jesus – who Himself was familiar with all our emotions, including fear (see the Garden of Gethsemene).
Trust Why? Because God allows circumstances to come into our life for our sanctification, not to generate fear.
Trust How? Some thoughts on what to do when you fear:
Identify the fear – assess how you feel and pause
What’s the message behind this fear (identifies your heart’s desire)
What has God said about this? (Know your Bible)
Given what God has said, how do I act now?
These items are critical beyond what we know about these situations – we must move, walk, get up, exercise, rest!
Fear cannot overcome you when you TRUST the God who is Holy, Good, Faithful, Sovereign, Just, Loving, Patient, Merciful, Truthful and Wise behind your circumstances.
“If you and I find ourselves afflicted by this condition (fear), there is only one thing to do, it is to go to Him. If you seek the Lord Jesus Christ and find Him there is no need to worry about your happiness and your joy. He is our joy and our happiness, even as He is our peace...” Martin Lloyd Jones
Prayer
Lord God, thank You that You are unchanging, eternal, and merciful in all our circumstances – help us to trust You even when we can’t see a way around or through our challenges, You are faithful to be with us in all things”.
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 26:3-4
“Those who know Your name trust in You, for You Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You” Psalm 9:10
The Antidote for Fear is Trust...
Christians often times take an interesting posture towards the current events in their lives, often unnecessarily. I am no exception.
We are assured that our sins of the past are forgiven through the cross of Christ, therefore our future in eternity is assured. What’s left is the present, and that’s often where we struggle with the issue of fear.
Fear is both natural and unnatural. It is natural to fear, for example, when we see a black bear on the path during our morning walk! However, we can take natural responses to circumstances in our life, and cause fear to become so amplified that it has a debilitating effect on us – affecting mind, body, and spirit.
Thus was the situation I found myself in for a number of weeks in the summer of 2024. Different circumstances at work and an impending move piled up concurrently and became overwhelming to the point I had difficulty operating on a normal, daily basis. I was in a constant state of excessive fear about the implications of not being able to solve my current set of challenges. It was impossible for me to see any resolution, and I spent countless hours in a state of excess worry.
Through the support of my wife, and excellent guidance from those experienced in this dynamic – pastors, elders, saints, physicians - I came to realize that the issue was actually the opposite of fear – it was trust. Fear was a manifestation of a lack of trust.
Trust is at the core of being a Christian. In a fallen world, we will always wrestle with emotions – the key is to not focus on the problem, rather the One who holds all things together – Jesus. Situations that can potentially overcome us should be viewed more so as an “opportunity to trust”.
Trust Who? The God of the universe and His Son, the Lord Jesus – who Himself was familiar with all our emotions, including fear (see the Garden of Gethsemene).
Trust Why? Because God allows circumstances to come into our life for our sanctification, not to generate fear.
Trust How? Some thoughts on what to do when you fear:
Identify the fear – assess how you feel and pause
What’s the message behind this fear (identifies your heart’s desire)
What has God said about this? (Know your Bible)
Given what God has said, how do I act now?
These items are critical beyond what we know about these situations – we must move, walk, get up, exercise, rest!
Fear cannot overcome you when you TRUST the God who is Holy, Good, Faithful, Sovereign, Just, Loving, Patient, Merciful, Truthful and Wise behind your circumstances.
“If you and I find ourselves afflicted by this condition (fear), there is only one thing to do, it is to go to Him. If you seek the Lord Jesus Christ and find Him there is no need to worry about your happiness and your joy. He is our joy and our happiness, even as He is our peace...” Martin Lloyd Jones
Prayer
Lord God, thank You that You are unchanging, eternal, and merciful in all our circumstances – help us to trust You even when we can’t see a way around or through our challenges, You are faithful to be with us in all things”.
Posted in Boast in the Lord \\\'25 pt2
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