This New Year's Eve, everyone is trying to make a resolution. Some want to eat healthier, clean their house more, or get to school/work on time. My own resolution has to do with worry and fear, and trying to reduce the amount I have been letting into my life. I wanted to share a section from Joyce Meyer's book 'The Confident Woman' because this can be helpful to everyone, not just women in this particular section. Lets all reduce the amount we worry this new year! 
Once you allow the spirit of fear to take hold of your life, you open the door to other spirits that want to grip your heart and cause you to freeze up, unable to move forward in confidence and assurance. Worry and dread are both relatives of the spirit of fear. Or, look at it this way: Fear is the parent and worry and dread are the children. The Bible clearly teaches that God's children are not to worry. When we worry, we rotate our minds around and around a problem and come up with no answers. The more we do it, the more anxious we feel. When we worry, we actually torment ourselves with a type of thinking that produces no good fruit. Worry starts with our thoughts but it affects our moods and even our physical bodies. A person can worry so much that it makes them feel depressed and sad. Worry places stress on your entire system and causes a lot of physical ailments like headaches, tension in muscles, stomach problems and many other things. The only thing worry does not do is something good. It never helps and it does not solve our problems.
Jesus said that we should not worry about tomorrow for each day has sufficient troubles of its own (Matthew 6:34)! Trying to solve tomorrow's problems today only steals the energy God has prearranged for you in order to enjoy today. Don't waste your time worrying! It is vain and useless. Don't be like the bassoon player who went up to his conductor, and nervously said that he could not reach the high E flat. His conductor just smiled and replied, "Don't worry. There is no E flat in your music tonight." Many of our worries are like that---unfounded and unnecessary. Humble yourself under God's mighty hand by casting all your care on Him (1 Peter5:6-7). In this way you are saying to God, "I know I cannot solve my own problems and I am totally trusting in you to take care of me and give me the answers I need in my situation."
Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this small portion on fear and worry.
Once you allow the spirit of fear to take hold of your life, you open the door to other spirits that want to grip your heart and cause you to freeze up, unable to move forward in confidence and assurance. Worry and dread are both relatives of the spirit of fear. Or, look at it this way: Fear is the parent and worry and dread are the children. The Bible clearly teaches that God's children are not to worry. When we worry, we rotate our minds around and around a problem and come up with no answers. The more we do it, the more anxious we feel. When we worry, we actually torment ourselves with a type of thinking that produces no good fruit. Worry starts with our thoughts but it affects our moods and even our physical bodies. A person can worry so much that it makes them feel depressed and sad. Worry places stress on your entire system and causes a lot of physical ailments like headaches, tension in muscles, stomach problems and many other things. The only thing worry does not do is something good. It never helps and it does not solve our problems.
Jesus said that we should not worry about tomorrow for each day has sufficient troubles of its own (Matthew 6:34)! Trying to solve tomorrow's problems today only steals the energy God has prearranged for you in order to enjoy today. Don't waste your time worrying! It is vain and useless. Don't be like the bassoon player who went up to his conductor, and nervously said that he could not reach the high E flat. His conductor just smiled and replied, "Don't worry. There is no E flat in your music tonight." Many of our worries are like that---unfounded and unnecessary. Humble yourself under God's mighty hand by casting all your care on Him (1 Peter5:6-7). In this way you are saying to God, "I know I cannot solve my own problems and I am totally trusting in you to take care of me and give me the answers I need in my situation."
Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this small portion on fear and worry.
