“Cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
"Fear is like
unforgiveness in that, the only one it hurts is YOU"!
Wow. Ok, Lord! I had never thought about it in that way
before, but after a few moments of thought, I realized just how true that was!
Unforgiveness
I have heard it said that unforgiveness is like drinking
poison and expecting the other person —the one we refuse to forgive— to die!
There is so much written about unforgiveness available in books, podcasts, and
sermons, so I won't belabor it, but the bottom line is, if we expect
unforgiveness to hurt the other person, we are mistaken.
Unforgiveness only hurts us and can cause debilitating
anger, resentment, and bitterness in our own hearts while the other person we
refuse to forgive may be completely unaware and unaffected.
Let's look at worry,
fear and anxiety
So just like unforgiveness, when we fear or worry, the
only one that is affected by it, is us!
You Choose
I get an email from Project
Happiness every day and one day I got one that said:
"Faith and Fear both demand that you
believe in something you cannot see. You choose".
I was like, Whoa!! That was profound! It puts things,
regarding faith and fear, in a whole new perspective that I hadn't seen before.
We can’t see either of them but we actually DO have a choice!
What Does the Bible Say About Fear
Sadly, according to the website, that saying is not true
but, depending on your version of the Bible, it does say it 70 to 100 times,
which is still a lot of times!
The website lists these very good and impactful scriptures:
- "Have I not commanded
you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua
1:9
- “But now, this is what the
LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name;
you are mine." Isaiah 43:1
- “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.” Isaiah 41:10
After a quick search myself, I pulled out these scriptures:
·
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to
you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be
afraid." John
14:27
·
"So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I
will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6
·
"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." 1
John 4:18
·
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And
the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
After reading these scriptures, I can't help but wonder: Why
do we fall into fear so easily!?
Maybe it is because we don’t know him, love Him or trust Him
like we thought we did??
A Personal Lesson in Trust
One day during our "Crazy Journey" back in 2007
and 2008 (which I share in From Caterpillars to
Butterfly's), things were not going at all the way we thought they
would go (very much like the disciples believing Jesus, as the Messiah, was
going to restore Israel by becoming an earthy king) and I was full of stress,
anxiety and fear, and the Lord asked me:
"Linda, do you trust me?"
I said, “Yes Lord, I trust you.”
He asked me again:
"Linda, do you
trust me?"
I answered, “Yes Lord, I trust you!”
And he asked again:
"Linda, do you trust me?"
But God had made His point and impressed upon my heart that,
while I was saying I trusted Him, I
truly did NOT trust him like I thought I did. I knew I should trust him, and wanted to trust him, but when the chips were
down, and the rubber met the road, it was clear that I wasn’t as surrendered
and trusting as I wanted to be.
The Journey of Trust
Isn’t that what our “Journey to Know God” is all about? To
build our relationship with the Lord, through the circumstances He allows in our
lives, so that we can grow in our knowledge and love of Him so much that we can trust Him with anything and
everything that comes our way.
To have no fear in life no matter what happens because we
KNOW that God is with us... even unto death.
We all experience moments
of fear when something threatens, which is natural. But living in fear or being
fearful shows how little we actually trust God.
The irrationality of Fear
Why are we so afraid of dying? If our belief is that we
will be with our amazing God when our physical form dies, how can that possibly
be a bad thing or something to fear? Why do we pray so hard for believers
who are dying to be healed when we know they will be in a far
better place, out of pain and suffering and with our loving Savior? And why do
we get so angry at Him if He doesn’t heal?
It seems so irrational for us to be afraid and worry as much
as we do when we have so many scriptures, promises and experiences of God
taking care of us.
Worry Makes Us Unfruitful
In the parable of the Soils, it says:
"Listen
then to what the parable of the sower means: ... The one who
received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word,
but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke
it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that
fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He
produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
Matthew 13:18-23
This is yet another perspective of how worry and fear can be
harmful to us!! It can make us "unfruitful" for the Kingdom.
If the world sees Christians being just as fearful, anxious,
stressed, and worried as they are, why would they want what we have?? Our
witness therefore becomes ineffective and fruitless for the Kingdom.
Perfect Love Casts
Out Fear
Do You Really Love Him?
Mark 14:6 - "Leave
her alone, said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a
beautiful thing to me."
If what we call love doesn't take us beyond ourselves, it is not really
love. If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise,
sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning.
This may describe affection and it may bring us a warm feeling, but it is not a
true and accurate description of love...
… To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern
over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and we
become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of
offending God. ". . . but perfect love casts out fear . . ."
(1Jo_4:18). We should quit asking ourselves, "Am I of any use?" and
accept the truth that we really are not of much use to Him. The issue is
never of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. Once we are
totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time.
Our value to him is being able to bear fruit, fruit that
will last (John 15:16). When we completely surrender to Him, without
fear, worry or anxiety, THEN God can work through us and produce fruit for His
Kingdom.
Is our love for God taking us beyond ourselves? Or are we so
focused on ourselves and concerned about what others think? In the Oswald
scripture, Mary was all IN and didn’t care a bit what others thought. Jesus’
perfect love for her cast out her fear.
So, let’s ask ourselves: Are we holding onto fear the way
some people hold onto unforgiveness?
Insight from Chet
I asked Chet: "Biblically speaking, would you agree
that worry and unforgiveness are similar?"
Chet: Yes, biblically speaking, worry and
unforgiveness share similarities because both involve a lack of trust in God
and can weigh heavily on the heart.
- Lack
of Trust in God – Worry stems from fear of the future, while
unforgiveness often comes from holding onto past hurts. Both suggest a
struggle to fully surrender to God’s control. Jesus emphasized trust in Matthew
6:25-34, urging His followers not to worry because God provides.
Likewise, Paul encourages believers to "forgive one another as God in
Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32), showing that forgiveness
is a form of trust in God's justice and mercy.
(Tom: Actually, it is
the Cross of Christ that bought forgiveness for us, not God’s justice and
mercy. Those were WHY Jesus came and died for us. So our trust is in the
finished work of the Cross.)
- Bondage vs. Freedom – Worry keeps a person trapped in anxiety, just as unforgiveness keeps them chained to resentment. Both can consume thoughts, emotions, and spiritual well-being. Jesus came to set people free (John 8:36) and offered peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).
- Hindrance
to Prayer and Relationship with God – Both worry and
unforgiveness can hinder a close relationship with God. Jesus taught that
if we do not forgive, our Father will not forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15).
Similarly, worry can distract from a prayerful, trusting heart and lead to
self-reliance rather than faith.
- Spiritual
Warfare – The enemy often uses worry and unforgiveness to keep
believers ineffective. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to
take every thought captive to Christ, whether it’s fear-driven worry or
bitterness from past offenses.
So, in a way, both worry and unforgiveness are burdens
that weigh down the soul, and God calls His people to release both into His
hands.
Brilliant!!
"Come
to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
“Do
not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the
kingdom” Luke
12:32
“He
replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up
and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” Matthew 8:26
“But
Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be
afraid." Matthew 14:27
“Ignoring
what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just
believe." Mark
5:36
“Do
not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put
some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten
days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of
life.” Revelation
2:10