Welcome Encouragement for Today friends! I am so glad you are here! In my devotion today I shared one of the many ways I have learned to process my worries and fear, and how God used my own struggles to help my son overcome his.
And I also wanted to share a printable to download and keep for those days when you and your loved ones feel afraid.
CLICK HERE to download my “Fear Not For I am With You” FREE printable.
These verses have been woven into countless conversations I’ve had with Jesus about my fears and worries, and my kids’ too. I love these scriptures because the first one includes God’s words speaking to me, and the second one is phrased as my declaration and prayer back to Him.
There is nothing more powerful than our hearts hearing our lips proclaim our trust in God’s truth. Again and again.
I pray this printable is a blessing today as you let it lead your anxious thoughts to Jesus!! Hold those worries in your hands and ask: Is this what Jesus would say to me?
If fear is saying something to your heart that Jesus would not say to you – then the answer is NO! And YOU GET TO DECDE that it doesn’t get to stay! I’m praying for each of you who stop by today!
ENTER TO WIN: A Confident Heart Devotional GIVEAWAY
Enter to win my A Confident Heart Devotional book and my favorite prayer journal from DaySpring. Perfect for summer and life on the go – my Confident Heart Devotional book is filled with powerful stories, practical life-lessons and biblical insights to help you and your loved ones overcome fear and worry through the power of God’s truth each day!
How much does fear or worry impact your daily decisions and joy (or your child’s)? Click “Share Your Thoughts” below and do just that. Your comment will be your entry to win!
Worry & Fear sometimes grips my heart at work when I am preparing to ask something minimal from my Manager or when he calls me into his office. I guess this is so because of our very first meeting when I began reporting to him. He called me into his office and directed me to not be writing or saying “I am busy” He said, “we are all busy”. It’s too lengthy to go into what my words meant; however, that first meeting has had an impact on every meeting I have with him.
Thank you for your timely words. It’s so easy for me to go down the rabbit hole of fears, worries, anxieties, and doubts. Remembering God’s Word and promises helps me be lifted above the circumstances to His peace.
I will carry this with me as a reminder for me everywhere I go. I thank God for His faithfulness.
I trust Jesus but worry still creeps in. I remind myself that this too shall pass and my life is in His hands.
What an encouraging article and reminder to hold fast to scripture promises.
Thank you!
Fear and worry, just have always been something that dulls or blunt my ‘razor’, my ability to live life fully in the confidence that I have God’s pleasure, and that nothing unbearably horrible will happen, and that I can and will make good decisions that please God.
Worry has done much to rob me in my life. It has robbed me of much joy…. even to the lessening of physical characteristics of joy…. and people tell me that my smile is the most beautiful thing God has given me !
I worry almost everyday. When I do, I will pray about it and give it to God. I let it go; most of the time. At times, it starts at small and then overtakes my thoughts. I become negative. When I talk to God about it, my day gets better. I’ll try Renee’s suggestion. God is helping me to kick this sinful habit. God is the answer to everything. I’m so thankful to be his child!
I was away for the weekend, but concerns from home were on my mind. Not so much specific worries, but just a gnawing feeling of anxiety around the issues, which kept coming back. We passed a church that had a big billboard, which declared “God may ask you to wait, but he never asks you to worry”. What a helpful thought! And Renee’s devotion today was helpful, too. “Taking thoughts captive” becomes much more concrete when we think of catching them like a baseball!
Thank you so much for that wonderful idea of catching any fears and deciding if God would say that then tossing it if no; this will forever stick with me and be a wonderful tool to help overcome fear and worries. I am always worried about any choice or decision I make in life wondering if everyone else will like it. The only person who matters is God; does he like my choices. Thanks for your inspiration.
I am almost constantly worried about finances. I am a single mom with 9 and 22 year old children still at home. My husband committed suicide in Dec. 2007 and finances have been a struggle ever since. God has never failed to provide for me, but that is a weapon Satan constantly uses on me–throwing curve balls every now and again to throw me off my game. My worries still rub off on my children and I hate that. I will definitely use the encouragement I’ve received today through your devotion and free printable. Thank you!
As I navigate through some difficult times fear and worry have been there. But, I have made a point to address these when they creep up and pray for strength. I do the same with my 12 year old son. I hope to teach him to rely on God and Jesus, because they are always present.
I struggle SO much with worrying! Every day is a constant battle for me. But I realize a lot of the things I get anxious about tend to never happen (since I imagine worse case scenarios) or they are things that I don’t have control over anyways. So I am learning to take every thought captive and to trust God…some days that’s easier said than done, but I’m a worrier-work-in-progress. 🙂 Thank you for your encouraging words in your devotional. I’m a visual person, so the baseball illustration is helpful for me too! 🙂 God bless you and your ministry!
I think this book would help me deal with life’s daily stuff. I was abused as a child and do not approach things with a confident heart. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated!
Fear and worry seem to dominate my thoughts. I am so thankful that I can gave an open and honest dialogue with God about how I am feeling. I can also.trust that He will take care of my fears.
I am a worry wart! I have struggled to not let worry consume me, until I learned to let God have control, does that mean I never worry no, but it does not consume me! Thank you for this reminder.
Thanks for the encouraging scripture verses! Needed so much these days. I like how you used the baseball description for your son. I have two little boys and so I hope to be able to use this idea as they get older.
Oh….worry. I used to worry about every little thing. In my life, my husbands life, my parents lives, my siblings, my friends, my co-workers, etc, etc, etc. You get the picture. I was good at it too! 😉 But it really started to wear me down and I was blue all the time because…guess what? I couldn’t fix any of those things. Nope, nary a one. I then looked up and said, “Ok, God, I guess you want these?” I let HIM take my worries and everyone elses stuff and do what HE does best…take care of us. WOW, what a difference. I felt lighter and happy and could enjoy MY day and do the things that needed to get done. Now I actually have people say to me that it never seems like I worry!!!! HAHA. I still have moments for sure, but I know what to do and WHO will show me how to take care of things. <3
Worry and fear effect my joy way more than I care to even admit. While it has gotten better, I still have a long way to go.
Fear and worry have had a huge impact in my life ever since I can remember. It was learned behavior from our mother. Bless her heart, we lived with an alcoholic father. We never knew what mood he would be coming home in. We were all fearful that if he came home drunk no telling what was going to happen.
Even though I have been a Christian for many years I still struggle with it. I have to bind it the name of Jesus. Nothing is too small for him. I praise God that we have him to turn to and the promise of eternal life.
I thank you for encouraging us and keeping us learning the truth that builds that faith .
God bless,
SZ
Thanks for these words today – helping me remember to stand on God’s truth & competence as God in the mist of circumstances that “scream” otherwise.
“How much does fear or worry impact your daily decisions and joy?” – When I’m in my comfort zone, I feel peaceful, yet throughout my life the Lord continues to take me out of my comfort zone, which causes me so much fear. I have struggled with panic attacks because of it (on and off), shortness of breath, back pain, and more. As a child, I often dreaded the classroom at school for fear of being called on. When I got called on my face would turn red, my voice was all shaky, I would sweat. My stress of my parents divorce was hard on my health, I had to go to the nurses office a lot from symptoms of extreme anxiety~ dizzy, vision caving in, breathing into a paper bag because of hyperventilating. I got through school and college somehow even though I was a nervous wreck often, and even skipped a day when I had to give a speech with a group. As an adult one of my biggest fears was my wedding day, because people would be looking at me. God did a miracle though. Even though I had a panic attack at both my bridal showers, there were so many friends praying for me (people who knew my severe struggle with anxiety), and on my wedding day I had peace. I’m so thankful for memories of how God has come through. Once again the Lord is taking me to a place where my fear of people looking at me (that I’ve had since I was little) is bombarding my mind. Yet I believe the Lord wants to REALLY heal me of this. Even more than I know. I’ve been having shortness of breath in the last month or two (thinking about God’s plans for my future) and God is comforting me through it. I really need to learn to replace these dreadful thoughts with good thoughts. His plans for me are so good, but because of my fear (lies), it’s so scary for me.
Thanks for your free downloads and ministry! You’re a blessing. I recently bought “A Confident Heart”. 🙂
Right now I am focusing on telling God that I trust him, even through the unknown. I am trying to release things to him every day. One of these “worries” is my 10-year old son who tried to kill himself recently. We are on a journey with him to get into his world and see what is bothering him and why. Another “worry” is the fact that I have to quit my full-time job to student teach in August and I still do not have another job to take its place. This is definitely a journey for us in our family and we are working on remembering Christ’s truths to us and place our lives in His hands on a daily basis. It’s a process, but I am confident that Christ is going to lead us through.
Your devotions have made such a difference in my walk with The Lord. As I walked through breast cancer I grew angry at God for letting this happen to me. But now as I walk in faith, why not me?
“Truth #3: God doesn’t just tell us not to worry or fear, He tells us what to do when we do.”
How I thank Him for His mercy and grace! So- He knows that worry and fear cling to this flesh BUT- He has provided the way to have victory and Joy in the midst of it!
Reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 -” No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. ”
Yay God!
Fear and worry had a huge impact on my marriage. Sometimes it still does. But I have to ask myself would this thought or feeling come from God. And my son also has fears any 4 year old would have but I’m going to start telling him to ask himself the same question. Because every good thing is from God so we don’t need to worry or be afraid of anything. 🙂
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! Along the ups and downs of life I need to focus on HIs Word and give him any worries. It isn’t always easy or my first inclination, but He is waiting for me to trust in Him with everything, ALL THE TIME.
Fear and worry have dominated my life since I was a young girl. I so long to be free of these things hindering my walk with Jesus. Daily I cast my cares on Him but I’m not good at leaving them there.
I am a mother of twin 7year old boys and a 4year old girl. I am married to a wonderful man who is a youth pastor. So along with my own three children, we minister to 40-50 teenagers every week. I try to always be refilling myself so that I can pour out effectively! I would love to have a copy of your book to do just that. I receive the proverbs 31 devotions sent through my email and they are treasured. Thank you for your ministry and willingness to be poured out for the Lord! Blessings!
This is encouragement I needed to hear when my daughter was young but I am hearing it in God’s time not mine, so it is not too late. Thank you for reminding me to lean on His strength!
This article is so timely as I tend to worry about my life and the way I use my time. When I am worried or fearful, I will ask the Lord to take that worry and throw it away…just like the imaginary ball you illustrated with your son. I also know that after casting this worry or fear away, I need to pray and ask the Lord for peace in all my situations and rest in His love and grace.
Definitely , I live my life with worry and fear . The past 3 months had been very trying with every area of my life placed at the crossroad! Fear gripped me & I fight to overcome negative thinking & despair. The verse Isaiah 41:10 is what I held on to . I also tell myself God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power and of a sound mind!
Thank you , Renee for being transparent & honest in sharing your challenges and struggles with other women aiming to encourage , empower and pointing to the power of Jesus to transform our minds and lives through His living Words.
Awesome devotional! really blessed me. My family is heading to a big change and the devil has instilled much fear with the outcome, but The devil is a Liar!! And your devotional is just what I needed to be reminded that Fear is faith in the wrong place. My trust is in the Lord.
I am struggling with the loss of my life companion. He passed away 2 months ago, now I am afraid of loosing my home too. I pray everyday for answers, for God to lead me in making the right decisions.
For I am with you Always, declares the Lord. May we all remember and trust that He will provide and guide us according to His plan and purpose. Thank you Jesus for always being with me and my family and guiding our paths together. Amen
Fear, worry, and anxiety have been my constant companion throughout the month of June as I have faced a plethora of trials from the enemy. It is easy to have joy when things are going well, but the true test of our faith comes in having joy when things are not going our way. The enemy comes to, “steal, kill, and destroy.” This month, God has been testing my faith and trust in Him for just about every aspect of my life: finances, health, transportation, groceries, basic needs. These books would be a welcome resource as I continue to battle fear, worry, and anxiety and live the abundant life that Jesus died for us to live.
This was a beautifully written reminder of what I need to do not only for my son who worries a lot but for me also. Thank you for allowing God to use you to speak to me today.
The Lord has really worked a miracle in me to deliver me from fear in many ways, however it does still always try to find a way in. There are definitely times it comes to call and finds cracks to start getting into my thinking. I really have to be mindful of what I am thinking, what I am telling myself. It is a constant battle in my mind to overcome those thoughts of fear and doubt and to be the woman I know God created me to be. Confident, courageous, and strong!
I’m getting better, with God’s help and His promises, to not worry as much. 🙂
It affects my life every day and has for as long as I can remember. Some days are worse than others.
I worry too much! I worry about everything under the sun.. even though I know it doesn’t fix a thing!
As a single mom, there are many many concerns that I deal with everyday! I have to learn to address them as I can instead of letting them consume my thoughts. I also do not want to pass this along to my children.
Thank you for this devotion! It was very relevant in my day today. God bless you and your ministry 🙂
Worry and Fear have impacted my daily decisions as long as I can remember. These past few months I have felt stuck: stuck in a mundane job, stuck in debt, stuck living with my parents, stuck with a hoopty car, etc., etc., etc. No matter how often I prayed to God to pull me out of this rut, it seemed like I was talking to a wall. He wasn’t there, and He wasn’t listening. I was going to church, involved in a small group, staying in my mundane job because it was the “responsible” thing to do, and no matter what, “I should be working with my whole heart as though it is for the Lord.” However, this morning was different. I woke up, and started my morning (as I had previously) reading through the Book of Proverbs. As I was reading, I felt this tug at my heart to just pray. So I did – I confessed to Jesus my sins that I had been holding onto, the anger I had towards my family, the anger at myself for not moving forward in life, and ultimately I just needed Him! I gave Him all of my fears, and anxiety, and worry, and asked to receive Him as a little girl who needs to be corrected by her Father. It felt so peaceful!
I have one of those Daily reading Bibles, and it’s broken off into sections of chapters to read each day….above Proverbs 9, was Psalm 34:6 – “In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; He saved me from all my troubles. For the Angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear Him.”
In casting off my worries (though they still creep up behind me) I know that I need to quit my job. That He will help me forgive, and release the anger I have towards my family. That I need to trust in God to walk next to me, and in front of me, as He guides me down His path. He will not let me fall. He will send me through some storms, but He will not let me fall.
When I placed my feet on my bedroom floor this morning, I felt wholly different. I know that Jesus wants me to move forward, and step out of the boat. Regardless of my anxieties and fears, this week I plan to, “burn [my] ship. [I] don’t need [it], because where [I’m] going, [I] have roads to pave…”
This devotional is a right-on-time message. I’ve been dealing with worry that has been stealing my joy and affecting my motherhood. I have to learn how catch every thought, analyze it, and determine if this is something the Lord wants me to meditate on. If not, toss it away and focus on Him and His goodness.
I don’t want my son to have my habit of worry. I want to be able to teach him how to fight away worry. If I was able to get much from the devotional for myself, then this book would help me teach my son what to do.
Thank you.
I’ve never been much of a worrier, although my mother was and my sister tends to be. But I have some major life affecting decisions to make in the next several months and it’s easy to slip into being anxious: Am I making the right choice? What if…? How do I know which choice is God’s will? These things can make me nuts. Renee, thank you for the fresh reminder that God is not the author of our anxious thoughts.
I spend my days plagued by fear, worry, anxiety and emotional highs and lows. It’s something Christ and I have been working on for quite some time. I’ve come through some really deep and dark places…I’ve been a cutter for several years, thought of suicide and barely been able to get out of bed. I have been at Christ’s feet begging and pleading and hoping and praying…and He always brings me through, and it’s always challenging, but I know that He is good.
Abandonment has been a huge factor in my life as well. I’ve tried to stay in control and haven’t truly learned how to form healthy relationships. Still learning to trust God because the earthly relationships haven’t lasted or have left scars. I am seeking myself in Christ right now and praying/asking for prayers regarding my marriage nonstop. I’ve realized I can only be responsible for myself and leave my husband to God. I do want to give a great big “HALLELUJAH” to the Lord for bringing my son our of his depression and fears. I was able to encourage him with the Word but am struggling to accept it myself. I will be looking for this book regardless. Thank you.
It has been a lifelong struggle to overcome fear and anxiety. I’m thankful for the work that Renee has done to remind us of His love and faithfulness.
I have to say that for me, I remind myself that worry and fear are NOT of the Lord and just a way for the enemy to attack me! When I feel myself go down that route, I am QUICKLY reminded that this isn’t the Lord and I will NOT think this way and REJOICE that God wants me to have PEACE and a SOUND MIND……all I do is give it ALL to Him and I no longer FEAR or WORRY! HE HAS IT ALL!!!!!
The truth is that unfortunately I have become consumed with worry and fear to the point that t regretfully feel paralyzed. My heart then feels guilt because God has ALWAYS been abundantly faithful to me and blessed my family and I with so many miracles that I struggle to have faith that He will continue to guide me through whatever comes next. I feel as though I am continually failing my husband, boys, and the rest of our family once known to be a strong, prayer warrior of God, now to be recognized has a fearful woman that can’t make a decision or be out on her own. I would love to be free from this anxiety and fear.
Fear normally takes up residence in my thoughts at least 25% of the time each day.
My boyfriend and I broke up 2 years ago and he moved out due to his alcoholism. We have remained close and he just recently he came to his breaking point and its been over 6 weeks now he has been sober. I prayed for years for him but it had to be his timing not mine and everything is going good. I am remaining positive and not waiting for the shoe to drop or for him to fall off the wagon. He really has had his spiritual awakening I feel and I have no control over what he may or may not do. I can only trust God and believe in him and encourage him. He has started running with me as well and trying to be healthy physically and mentally. Its a great time for him! Thank God 🙂 All I can do is Let go, Let God!