Sunday, September 14, 2014

Help with Anxiety: Fear God, Not Man

by Michelle Dowell, Contributor
There are many things to be anxious or fearful about in this world, but finding help with fearing less the things of this world is to remind ourselves what we need to truly focus on: The Bible calls it "the fear of the Lord." This does not mean trembling in fear, but more a focus on what truly matters.

If we truly understand the gospel, we don't feel worried about our well being in relation to God. Christ has taken care of our relationship with God, allowing us to be in relationship with him through Christ.

Fearing God is reverence shown to God due to acknowledging his power and authority. Acknowledging this, we feel compelled to obey God.

We need to choose whose opinion matters. Is it man or God?

The great news is that God does not judge like man judges. Man often creates all sorts of odd rules to determine what is "good." Sometimes it's owning certain things, or doing certain things. And not everyone is in the circumstances or have the personality to obtain it all. And even if they get close, they still feel a spiritual need.

Choosing to care about God's opinion and not man's might still lead to man's approval at times. It often causes very good choices in life that even people who don't know God acknowledge as good, too. But not always. The Bible indicates that if we follow Christ we will feel some suffering. But it shouldn't concern us what man thinks. If man likes us, that's a bonus. Ultimately, we are here to serve the King, our Father.

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