Fearless Living in Christ

Here are eight fear/worry stoppers as described by Max Lucado in his book Fearless; Imagine Your Life Without Fear:

1) Pray First: Inoculate yourself inwardly to face your fears outwardly. “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him…”(1Peter 5:7).

2) Easy Now: “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him”(Ps. 37:7). Assess the problem. Take it to Jesus and state it clearly.

3) Act On It: Become a worry slapper. The moment a concern surfaces, deal with it. Don’t dwell on it. Head off worries before they get the best of you. Be a doer, not a stewer.

4) Compile A Worry List: Over a period of days record your anxious thoughts. Maintain a list of all the things that trouble you. Then review them. How many of them turned into reality?

5) Evaluate Your Worry Categories: Your list will highlight themes of worry. You’ll detect recurring areas of preoccupation that may become obsessions. Pray specifically about them.

6) Focus On Today: God meets daily needs daily. Not weekly or annually. He will give you what you need when it is needed. “Let us therefore boldly approach the throne of our gracious God, where we may receive mercy and in his grace find timely help”(Heb. 4:16).

7) Unleash A Worry Army: Share your feelings with a few loved ones. Ask them to pray for you. They’re more willing to help than you might imagine. Less worry on you part means more happiness on theirs.

8) Let God Be Enough: Jesus concludes his call to calmness with this challenge: “You heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need”(Matt. 6:32-33).

Take a closer look at first letter of the first word in each step. When they are put together in order 1-8, they combine to spell the word P-E-A-C-E-F-U-L.

Feed your fears, and your faith will starve.
Feed your faith, and your fear will.
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Material taken from “Fearless; Imagine Your Life Without Fear”, Max Lucado, 2009

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