Being Paralyzed by Worry, Anxiety & Fear (Part 4)

All of us experience worry, anxiety and fear from time to time. This is a human experience. These issues become a problem when they become long-standing “friends” that seem to bring about a paralysis in our spiritual and emotional development. When the average professing Christian reads the New Testament the picture that is portrayed is one of victory and success. All too often believers in the forgiveness of Christ aren’t yet sold on how God wants to impart victory as well as forgiveness.

We have been on a journey of discovery with regards to why we seem to get paralyzed in our Christin walk and why can’t we get an answer that leads to a breakthrough. This is the fourth part of the series on being paralyzed so if you haven’t read the first 3 parts please do so before reading this one. It will make more sense having the thread on the whole topic.

This article we will be dealing with three major enemies of our soul:  worry, anxiety and fear. Jesus addresses the issue of “worry” in the Gospel when he says the following.

Definition

“Worry, anxiety & fear” are all related, though they are different.  They are part of our emotional response to things that are real or imagined. Often these are related to stairs in progression.

Worry –   The third level is the evolution in which we “mentally dwell” on difficulty or trouble.

Anxiety – The second level is negative emotion which brings about an uneasiness about something out of our control in an event, person, or problem.

Fear –       A negative emotion related to well-being. This can be from real danger or imagined.

THE STAIRWAY STEPS  – “Worry” turns into “Anxiety” which turns into “Fear“

Matthew 6:25                                                                                                                                            

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 

When Jesus starts this line of logic he actually starts with the problem of serving “Two Masters”. What he was helping his followers to see is “IF” we are identifying and engaging in “trusting” God, who is all-knowing and all-powerful, we don’t have to depend on our own smartness or strength to handle life’s issues. On the other hand, if we are relying on our own knowledge or power we have every reason to be full of concern knowing the world in which we live.

Matthew 6:24                                                                                                                                              

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. 

When I was young, about 6 years old, I had a year of dramatic surgeries. What they taught me was I can’t trust anyone, not even my parents, because they put me in this situation. Now, to be fair, they thought they were doing me good, but there was so much wrong with how it all happened. Needless to say it created a “Belief” in my that was wrong – Not being able to trust people – which hindered my development as a person. When I was offered the idea of a creator who wanted to help me I had such a hard time embracing that because of a false belief about trusting anyone. Seeking a regular infilling of the Holy Spirit regularly changed my experience and belief.

The apostle Paul wrote similar advise to the Philippians. He spoke of this because it was the real problem for these young believers. Often the transition from living without Christ to living with him takes time and diligence in building a trusted relationship between us and God. Just like meeting a new friend we seem to click with it takes time and engagement to build lasting trust.

Philippians 4:4-7                                                                                                                                 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.    The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Interesting that Paul, 10 years later, writes 2 Corinthians where he talks about being in such a state of affairs that he and other leaders were so hard pressed they despaired of life. The principle is still true but, to be fair, there are times when we struggle keeping this sound scriptural advice.

2 Corinthians 1:8                                                                                                                                      

For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 

Here is the reason even seasoned believers like Paul can get paralyzed spiritually and emotionally. It’s easy to get our eyes off of God as our provider and protector. It’s easy to let the world shape our thinking and emotions to the point that we lose our trust in God as our Heavenly Father. We even get to think like “ORPHANS” rather than as children of God.  The only way to keep this from happening is to rely daily on the Holy Spirit. Look what Jesus says to his disciple.

John 14:16-18                                                                                                                                                   

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

[18] “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

One of the enemies greatest warfare tactics is to instill a belief that turns into an emotion that we are “NOT” children of God. If he can get us to believe this lie Satan can turn our faith into doubt and our steadfastness into abandonment. Listed below are some practical steps we need to take to keep our family connection to our Heavenly Father.

1) Constantly have your “thoughts” transformed by the Word. (Rom 12 & Eph 4:23)

2) Live in the Holy Spirit fellowship & “don’t grieve” Him (Rom 8:11-16 & Eph 4:30)

3) “Diligently pray” in the Holy Spirit to over your concerns ( Phil 4:6-8 & 1 For 14:15)

Lastly, confess your love for God and his love for you publicly. sharing your faith and love for others causes the Holy Spirit to release His grace for not only the person you are sharing with but also yourself. Some of the greatest times of my life happened when I was sharing the love of God with others, both believers and non-believers. Often our sense of the presence of God is diminished because the Holy Spirit is grieved because we refuse to share His love with a lost and dying world. When the Holy Spirit is silent we lose connection and lose our way.  Being paralyzed spiritually happens when we feel like orphans rather than God’s kids!

Questions:

Have you felt more like an “Orphan” instead of a child of God? Seek God with all your heart.

Have you shared your love for God with others? If not, why not?

Deuteronomy 4:29                                                                                                                                  

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. 

Pastor Dale