"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." Matthew 5:14-15

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45-46

Friday, March 2, 2012

Fear Not

"Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." Isaiah 43:1

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ Matthew 6:25-31

Both of these scripture passages have been on my heart this afternoon. I'm reading through a book by John MacArthur entitled Anxious for Nothing. He cites this scripture in Matthew and comments, "Stop worrying"..."Don't start worrying." and "If you are worrying, quit; if you haven't started, don't." I guess you can't get any more blatant than that! :) MacArthur points out that worry is a sin. Ouch!

I admit, I gave in to worry this week over a potential situation - one that had me on edge with the possible ramifications. I couldn't move past it and was stuck in the mire of fear, worry and anxiousness. When I finally got my nerve up to broach the topic with my husband, he pretty much bluntly pointed out the need to stop worrying, and how it was wrong to worry, and that I needed to move on beyond the circumstances. Now, I already knew this, but hearing it, somehow broke through the fog surrounding my heart, and I was finally able to release the situation to God - completely, without trying to take a hold of it again.

Whew! I rested for two full days in God's peace and knowing He would take care of the situation. Then today, I heard back an answer in regard to the struggle, and guess what? None of the things I imagined came to fruition. I worried, stewed, and fretted over nothing. Even though it's been a long, painful, and stressful week (brought on by my own worry), it's been an incredible learning experience on my road to discovering God's peace. I spent far too much time worrying over something I had no control over, and wasting time that could have been used somewhere else. Perhaps this is what Satan often tries to do - get us so overwrought that we lose sight of following and serving God each day. My vision became focused on me instead of my Heavenly Father.  I trust next time I will remember this lesson learned, and not fall into the same crazy cycle of worry. May I remember to 'Fear not!'  

3 comments:

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Marilyn in Mississippi said...

How very much I needed to read this post tonight! I am so bogged down in my mind right now with worry over so many things going on in my life. I HATE worry but I can't seem to get past it! I would appreciate if you would say a prayer for me in that area!
Thanks!
Marilyn

Jodie Wolfe said...

You are in my prayers Marilyn. Worry is an area where I struggle too. I'm reading an incredible book on the topic right now called Anxious for Nothing by John MacArthur. I highly recommend it. I've learned so much, just in the first chapter. Praying you can conquer worry.

Blessings,
Jodie