By Amy Knorr

Fear not for I am with you. (A paraphrase of Deuteronomy 31:8  “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”) This was the first verse I learned as a very small child.  I can remember laying wide eyed listening to the dark, imagining the worst danger possible and unable to move.  The verse my mother wisely taught me was a promise of God to cling to, a truth about His character.  I began to learn that God is mighty, faithful, king over all circumstances. In short, I began to learn of His sovereignty, His omnipotence, His omnipresence.  The promise I clung to began to mold my view of God, and this view shaped my response to pain, fear, sorrow.
 
The dark now looks like a mosquito next to the elephants of fear and pain that continue to come thundering through life, but the tools remain the same.   I still cling to Deuteronomy 31:8 and many others. The scripture that is written on my heart and the Biblical truths that I continue to learn are lifelines as I seek to honor God with my response to the trials of life. While I am not always successful, I am aware that I have the tools from God¹s Word to choose His peace and rest in His powerful arms.
 
I trust that I am not the only one who has dealt with issues of fear and anxiety.  Pain and sorrow are nonnegotiable in this life. However, we always have the option to fear and worry.  Some days we are successful and “win” over the sin of anxiety, and some days we fail miserably!  But always, always, we have a choice of anxiety or peace.
 
Ladies, if you long to come out on top in the battle of the mind instead of being paralyzed by the trials you face, you will not want to miss this month’s Ladies Night (link to calendar event).  Last month, we laid the important foundation of friendship (download MP3 HERE). This month, we put that into practice as we walk together, learning how to deal Biblically with fear, worry and anxiety.  Come join us, and please feel free to bring a friend.  Fear, anxiety, worry, painŠthese all hit close to home for many of us.