Fear and anxiety… two monsters of the mind that sometimes seem impossible to overcome. These are emotions that we will likely all face at some point in our lives, but how do we deal with them? How do we cope? In Isaiah 41:10, God would say, “Do not fear… Do not anxiously look about you…” These are two simple commands, but how does one obey them? In the same verse, God gives five promises to His people. Keeping this verse in context, we must understand that God was speaking to Israel. However, when considering a greater application, these promises absolutely apply to us! Consider and meditate on these promises as they are listed below: (All of these can be found in Isaiah 41:10, here are also some NT cross references)
1. “I am with you” (1 John 4:16)
2. “I am your God” (Romans 8:14-17)
3. “I will strengthen you” (1 Peter 5:10)
4. “I will help you” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
5. “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Hebrews 13:6)
How can we overcome fear and anxiety? We dwell on WHO God is and HOW He takes care of us! Paul would say it this way,
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8, NASB 95)
The mind is a powerful tool! The more we fill it with the words of God, the better we can handle fear and anxiety. These two emotions often lead to instability, but the one who ponders the word of God is like a tree that is prosperous and stable. (Psalm 1:2,3) Fear and anxiety may seem like monsters of the mind. They are like the boogie men we were all certain lived in our dark closets. However, when we look to the promises of God and meditate on them, we shine light on these emotions and will see that there is no need to fear or worry because God is in control.