Monday, March 9th
Psalm 91:1-10
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, ``My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!"
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked.
9 For you have made the LORD, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent.
Fear can creep into our life without our realizing it. The intrusion can be so subtle, in fact, that we may not recognize how it affects our decision-making, our health, and our spirit.
The fear may seem unimportant at first, but it can begin to interfere with us in many ways. Physically, we may experience tension that keeps us from relaxing and enjoying life. Worry can also cloud our thinking, limiting our ability to think clearly and consider new possibilities.
But the mental paralysis that often accompanies unchecked fear is most dangerous to our spiritual life. Unless it is entrusted to God, a single fear can rule over us, coloring our attitude with a general sense of unease. That can lead to indecisiveness and worry about whether we will make the wrong choice. Then we feel trapped, as we try to avoid doing anything that might add to our anxiety. Consequently, we stop growing as Christians and can also find ourselves hindered in our work and family life.
There are times when we all experience fear. That’s part of being human. But if we allow ourselves to be paralyzed by worry, we cannot place complete trust in God and follow Him wholeheartedly (Psalm 27:1). Ask the Lord to reveal places where anxiety is holding you back and to help you address them.
Lord. Help me to remove fear and worry form my day to day. I saw fun fact today about worry: that any emotional toll we face is supposed to last max 20 mins and the rest of the time it dictates our thought we are overthinking. I do not fully believe this of course but I am willing to give these worries to God that I have spent years dwelling on. I pray he dictates my thought instead of dog what I am going to do tomorrow next week or even next month. Help me to be present and please release these paralyzing spirits from my mind. Amen.