Spirit of Fear

Where do our fears come from?

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

So since my fears do not come from God, then they must be one of Satan's tactics to make sure I'm not content.  To work this backwards, if I don't have a spirit of love and a sound mind, then I am not in tune with God's plans for me.  This perspective helps me identify areas of my life that need to be corrected and also lead me to finding the solutions.  I tend to take on too much or blame myself for the wrong parts of a problem I'm facing.  Feeling unworthy, or hopeless or giving up is not constructive or healing and will not lead me to a solution or a way to learn from my mistakes.  This is also a distraction from Satan.  He does not want me to learn from my mistakes so I can improve, or trust God.  He wants me doubting, being afraid, and missing the point.  He also helps me to forget this very principle -- more often than not.  But once I am reminded that God is providing a spirit of love, power and a sound mind, it turns my focus away from the destructive thoughts of myself and provides an avenue for correcting those thoughts and intentions back to God.  

I think identifying accurately the source of our struggles is the key to dissolving them and learning from them.  

This is one of my favorite prayers from Stormie O'Martian's book, "Prayers for Emotional Wholeness"

"Lord, set me free from worry about the future and the bad things I fear could happen.  Help me to focus instead on the situations I face today and Your great power to see me through each one victoriously.  Bless my health, my work, my relationships, my decisions, my finances, my friends, and my family.  I place my life fully in Your hands and trust that You, Lord, will help me and guide me on the path to complete wholeness and success in my life."

Mathew 6:34

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about it's own things.  Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble."