Freedom from Familiar Foes is Here
I lived a life full of fear and anxiety for years. I wasn’t fully aware or even willing to admit that I was living this type of life. I was in denial, and it was destroying my mind and my marriage.
Our Playbook clearly tells us to be anxious about NOTHING, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. If we do this, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6)
How difficult is it to really trust God in situations where you’re unsure of the outcome? I’ll answer, it is very difficult!
It is in our human nature to want to know what’s next, what’s the path, what will the next step be, etc. My husband and I were in a very intense test that lasted from the day we got married (October 2008) until March 2018. The test was not something that we chose or even something that we thought that we would ever go through, but it was indeed something that we experienced for close to ten years.
It can be very difficult to not be anxious about a situation when you have no idea if you will ever be able to experience what being on the other side of your pain, waiting, tears, really feels like.
Team, I had gotten so comfortable in that I honestly started to believe that maybe there was a possibility that God could not, or maybe even didn’t want to help us.
I gave up the pursuit of a life without anxiety, and I learned how to live with my pain.
How many of us have learned how to live with our pain, and now we don’t even seek God to be free because we’ve settled for fear, disappointment, and anxiety?
The Ugly Face of Fear
Anxiety is when you have fear and you panic about a place or experience that you are not familiar with, at least that’s the way it was defined in my life. I tried everything I could to not think or operate this way, but its ugly face was just there – no matter what I did.
As a believer, of course I prayed, I waited, I cried, I stayed in the Word, and I tried to believe past my current situation. But, Team, none of that seemed to work. I was still FILLED with anxious feelings.
After nine long years, I finally decided that I needed help. I couldn’t deny that I was indeed anxious even though the Playbook instructed me not to be.
My husband and I had issues with intimacy in our marriage for nine years. It wasn’t something that we talked about or discussed with others, but we knew we needed help. The Bible promises that if I release anxiety and really trust God, then I will experience the peace of God and it will surpass my finite understanding. Team, He even promised to guard my heart and mind, what a promise!
Accept God’s Invitation to Freedom
Our lives changed forever (for the good) in New York City in March 2018. During that experience, I learned that I really wasn’t trusting God like I believed I was. I was trusting my own ability to protect myself by covering up my insecurities and issues with a blanket of fear and anxiety.
People often talk about how we build up walls in our lives to protect ourselves, due to life’s experiences; well, I had not only built walls, I built forts!
The most beautiful thing about serving God is that He is always committed to us, no matter how many mistakes we make or how many issues we face. He loves us dearly! He has good plans for us! (Jeremiah 29:11)
After I was healed in New York, I had to really think about all the time I wasted being anxious, fearful, and wanting to be in control, instead of sincerely trusting God.
Drea leading Drea got Drea nowhere. On the other hand, Drea trusting God placed Drea in a new place of thanksgiving, peace, love, and true, deep joy! God is never late or slack concerning His promises, never! (2 Peter 3:9)
I thought He was super late with helping me, but everything that I needed Him to do was already available – the choice and decision to trust Him was mine. The benefits associated with trusting God and being obedient to His Word definitely outweigh allllllllll of our fears, insecurities, and issues.
So, What’s the Play Call?
Please don’t live another day being anxious. It’s not worth sacrificing the peace that’s available to you.
Yes, you may be facing a situation where you need to do more than pray and wait. So, get the help you need! But, on the road to help, trust God to be everything He promised He would be.
Take inventory of your heart. Looking into ourselves and the state of our hearts and minds is probably one of the most difficult things to do, especially if you’re in denial of where you really are at this moment in your life.
God doesn’t want us to be deceived into believing that He does not care! He cares deeply and intensely! (Psalm 103:17)
Keep praying, keep seeking, keep being thankful! Allow His love to rescue you! You don’t have to live in fear and anxiety. As a matter of fact, if you are living with anxious feelings, decide today that the Cross and Blood of Jesus Christ can and will handle it all!
Much Love.
