Steps to Choosing Faith over Worry

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
–Colossians 3:2

How do we erect that shield of faith in our lives to extinguish the flaming attack of anxiety? Let me give you four positive steps that you can take all based on God’s Word.

Most importantly, repent of known sin in your life. If some of our anxiety is because of a wrong value system, then that worry is like a headache–it shows something else is wrong in our lives. Maybe you realize that you have built your life around the temporary–not necessarily the sinful, but things that could be easily taken away from you–and you need to change where you are putting your affections and your desires. Colossians 3:1-2 says, “If you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

The Greek word for “repentance” means a change of mind that leads to a change of direction in life. For some of you, to repent in your life means to change your value system, to change your mind about what you value. For others of you repenting may mean letting go of things in your life that you know are displeasing to the Lord: it may be a wrong relationship, it may be a dishonest practice you’re involved in, it may be an addiction. You know God is displeased and you have this sense that if you don’t stop, if you don’t change, God is going to send His discipline into your life. That fear is not without merit. Hebrews 12:6 says, “Those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” If you are involved in sin in your life, it’s not a matter of if God is going to send discipline; it’s only when that discipline is going to come. God doesn’t send discipline into your life because He doesn’t love you; He sends discipline into your life because He loves you. As a parent who loves his child disciplines his child, so God, our loving heavenly Father, sends discipline into our lives as well.

I can tell you from personal experience that God’s discipline is never pleasant. There are times in my life–I’m not going to give you details–but I can tell you there are times that I have not been doing the right thing and God put His heavy hand upon me. And I can tell you for sure I never want to experience that again. The good news is we don’t have to experience it. We can escape God’s loving but painful discipline in our lives. How do we do that? In 1 Corinthians 11:31, Paul said, “If we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.” Right now, you have the opportunity to say, “I am not headed in the right direction. Today, I am going to start walking in a new direction.” One way to avoid fear in your life is to repent of known sin.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Choosing Faith over Worry” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2019.

Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.