Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Set the Mind on the Spirit



Because emotions are such an integral part of our lives, it is easy to assume that they are the correct response to any given situation. We think our anger is always justified, and our anxiety is for a good reason. It rarely occurs to us that we need to evaluate what we are feeling.

The truth is that emotions are chosen by the brain to suit a purpose. Sometimes the brain is wrong in its choice. That the brain could be wrong should not come as a surprise, and this happens often.  Emotions are chosen in a split second as a reaction to sensory information. Feelings do not come out of a situation but are applied to a situation for purposes of motivation. In other words, fear draws us away from danger, surprise draws us closer to potential learning, and disgust keeps us from eating something dangerous.

Oh, how I wish I could feel a bit of disgust about sugar and less disgust about cooked spinach. However, these are the mistakes my brain makes. Over the long term, good choices happen just often enough to keep us alive and learning.

While we cannot edit the work of our brain and replace an unhelpful emotion with a helpful one, we can influence what emotions our brains choose.

We can set our minds. We do this by practicing the things that give us better emotions. For instance, when we answer our anxiety by reading the Psalms, the Spirit feeds our faith. This practice of reading God’s Word strengthens the neural pathways that support emotions of calm and peace because we continually realize the power, glory, and love of our Heavenly Father. When these pathways are more robust, the brain is more likely to choose the emotions connected to them. It is a poignant illustration of how God uses His creation, and His Spirit, to assist those He created.

As people of the world, we want everything we do to be about us, about our decision, about our strength, and our desires. Fortunately, life, as a child of God, does not work that way. Take trust, for example. The world wants us to believe that trust is our power, and we can wield it when we need it. We are told to “have faith and trust,” while the object of that faith is conveniently left out. Am I better off trusting myself? Certainly not, as that kind of faith just sets me up for failure.

My faith and trust should be in God. Yet, there is still something wrong with that statement. Is it truly MY faith or MY trust? If it is, I am again setting myself up for failure. I cannot be trusted.

The ability to trust comes from God. Trust has been won for us. Jesus already defeated all enemies to our life and safety. There is nothing we can do to make that victory any sweeter. We trust God because of God. We trust God because of what He has done for us and what He continues to do for us. We trust God because we feel His love, and that is the perfect emotional response.

In these strange times of challenges we to be encouraged to trust God, because, well . . . God. 

God is strong. God is steadfast. God is in control.

To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

Set your mind on the Spirit, on God’s demonstration of love, on forgiveness and mercy. Set your minds on His Word, and His Spirit will fill your heart with life and peace.




Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Fear Boldly


“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, Saturday, March 4, 1933

  

Fear is a complicated emotion. While we slip into it effortlessly we struggle to leave it behind. It is an emotion that protects us as much as it causes us harm. We need fear to be safe, yet when we allow fear to dominate, we create a new danger.
 
Fear changes our brain; it opens sensory memory and floods the workbench, impeding learning. When the brain is in this state it gives the body signals that heighten our awareness and make us feel nervous and jumpy. When we are in this state, we are good at making quick life-saving decisions, but not carefully thought out judgements. This mental state hinders our ability to trust in God because we are focused on ourselves. Oddly enough, our fear turns our trust in the wrong direction and fools us into thinking we can handle things on our own.

Fear is a useful emotion that turns bad when mixed with sin.The only way to tackle a mixture of fear and sin is to fear boldly.
 


Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You and worked for those who take refuge in You, in the sight of the children of mankind! Psalm 31:19

 
To fear boldly is to fear God. We have seen His power and know that God is infinitely bigger than anything we might fear. The remedy for fear is to direct our thoughts to the One who deserves to be feared; the One who turns fear into peace.


You who fear the Lord, praise Him!

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him,

and stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of Israel! Psalm 22:23

  
To fear boldly is to praise God. Read scriptures and be reminded of all that God has done for His people. Sing your favorite hymns and let the gospel message work its way into your heart, nudging fear out of the seat it occupies.



 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, Psalm 33:18
 
To fear boldly is to look toward God. We do not need to deny what is causing us to fear because that is only a different kind of fear. When we see God behind that fear, we remember God’s power, steadfast love, and mercy. This gives us the courage to do what keeps us safe, and to refrain from dwelling in our fear.
 


 Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will He instruct in the way that he should choose. Psalm 25:12

To fear boldly is to ask God what He would have you do. Read through the Psalms. Study one a day, reading it over several times. God will work lessons into your being that will drive out fear and encourage you to serve. 
 


Serve the Lord with fear,

and rejoice with trembling. Psalm 2:11

 
To fear boldly is to serve God. Turn your heart away from fear and toward the people God has placed in your life. Can you offer comfort? Is there a way to provide help? When we serve others, we reduce our anxiety because our focus is in the direction away from our fear.
 


There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. I John 4:8a

 
To fear boldly is to know God’s perfect love. God’s power, like His plan for our Salvation, never fades. Fear grabs hold of us and tries to turn our trust in God into a makeshift belief in ourselves. The truth is that we are never able to save ourselves – not from the fears of the world and certainly not from our sin. God is perfect love that casts out fear, casts out worry, casts out the sin. And there is no fear found in that perfect love.


Take the outstretched hand of your Abba Father. You are loved and protected by an awesome God.