fear – Sarah Guldalian

On His Throne

Turning on the TV or powering up your device might be enough to turn your stomach these days. The culture stirring around us feels negative, even corrupt, and this contentious environment can lead us to grow disappointed, even insecure. As I have processed my own responses to these tumultuous times, I have come to identify the root of my fear. Perhaps you can relate:

When the corrupt seemingly prosper, we can believe that God allows evil to slide. And when we do that, we grow insecure, believing that sovereignty is actually with fickle, fallible humans – not God.

Have you felt yourself growing unsettled, insecure, and on edge? I want to encourage you, encourage us, not to withdrawal and hide away. Though identifying trustworthy people feels insurmountable, we were created to connect, and we need each other now more than ever. Here is why we can do so with confidence:

God will take care of it – all of it. He will not allow evil to slide. He is still on His throne. He is a just ruler. He will not allow the good to dwindle or the corrupt to prosper. Just trust, wait and watch. He is the good, just, sovereign God He has always been – better and more just than our minds can fathom.

Your life does not depend on the frailty of men. God is still in charge. Have confidence: He has the world and your situation in His hands. You have not slipped from His grasp. “The arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1).

You can give the Lord your disappointment, your fear, your insecurity, and all of your burdens. He will shoulder them all and sustain you so you can live free and walk in peace.

The Bible says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you” (Psalm 55:22-23).

As for you, the righteous, you do not need to worry. He hears you, and He will not allow you to be shaken. He will sustain you. Therefore, you can carry on in peace and live your life.

As told to the exiles in Jeremiah 29:5-7, I encourage us to do today: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

The enemy uses intimidation tactics to keep us from prospering. Corruption comes from him, and he is working to rob us of blessing in our lives — the blessing of confidence, peace, and connection, with others and with God. We cannot allow him to intimidate us into a hole. Instead, we can rise up and move forward into our future with hope and with confidence, knowing the Lord is more powerful, in control, and is fighting the battle for us!

You have a choice.

To say these are challenging times feels like an understatement. This has been quite a month, and most feel its gravity, especially compounded with these past 10 months. Today I have something on my heart to share with you that seems best said. You can hear this in my video. More important, though, are the Bible verses I mention within this video.

Only the Lord can help us through these difficult times, and He is able! His track record is solid. We can trust Him. These are foundational truths from the Bible for us to stand on, giving us solid ground on which to place our feet:

1) The One who is in you – God – is greater than the evil in the world, and He has overcome them!

Verse: 1 John 4:4-6

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”

2) Be at peace. Take heart. Jesus has overcome the world.

Verse: John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – Jesus

3) Because the Lord is with you and in you, you are free!

Verse: 2 Corinthians 3:17

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

4) Focus on the Lord. He is sovereign, and He is on His throne above any man or woman.

Verse: Psalm 119:45-47

“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them.”

5) God always provides a way of escape out of temptation and trouble!

Verse: 1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Remember: Though the enemy would like you to believe that your back is against the wall, you always have choices!

Starting Fresh

We all want 2021 to look different. As we prepare to enter 2021, seeking to start afresh, it is important we recognize the power we possess through our own self-management. We are not entirely powerless to that which is happening around us.

Though many things are happening to us, which are out of our control, some are, unknowingly, happening in response to our behaviors, reactions, body language or withdrawal. We have formed defense mechanisms to cope with the shock of 2020. And what we project both influences the way we are perceived and the way we are received by those around us.

As we move into a fresh, new year, with a desire for things to change, a desire to turn over a new leaf, we… you… too must personally discard the things of 2020. You must shed the dead skin – the person you became to defend yourself, or in some cases, to offend others, in response to 2020.

To get your old, healthier self back, or to realize your 2021 self, you will have to relinquish 2020 weapons that illicit 2020 responses as people respond in similar ways to similar behaviors. And, if you notice that numerous people are treating you in a similar fashion, one that you do not like, you may want to take time for self-reflection, as you have power to change what you project and how you are received.

Self-Reflection

• What are you projecting?
• What weapons did you take up in 2020?
• How can you now release them to experience more peace in 2021?

This year will be different, and it starts with each of us. Though some external factors and extenuating circumstances may remain – at least for awhile, we can change our perspective. We can change how we respond or react to people and situations. We can take a moment to pause and breath – some time to sit back and weigh the situation with a right scale. And, as a result of these personal changes, we can experience more peace and healthier relationships in the new year.

I pray for more peace and blessing for you in 2021.

No Cowards

Though I have always loved the Bible, if I’m honest, I was a little afraid to read the book of Revelation. I mean, things get really real in there. It tells us what is next. It also delivers some pretty stern warnings. Would it feel too heavy, too eternal for my finite mind? Would I understand it, know what to make of it? Would I take it out of context? Would my questions exceed others’ willingness to go there? Would I become fixated on what I read?

Well, it turns out, it is very, very good to be fixated on the Bible, if we are obsessed about anything. And more recently, at the encouragement of the pastors I work with, I have begun diving into Revelation. Whereas, before, I had barely dipped my toe in the water.

So far, what I have learned is, it is really, really important we go there… that we dive in, that we strive to understand, that we continue pondering and chewing on it, and continue asking our questions. After all, don’t we want to know what comes next after this life? Don’t we want to know what Jesus says to His bride – the church? We need to know. And it turns out that we gain great confidence in knowing.

Yesterday I read, and reread, and reread Revelation 21. So many things struck me in it — the beauty of the New Jerusalem, when Jesus comes back and inhabits the earth with us; that there will be no need for a tabernacle because God will be here with us, as our ruler; that the light there radiates from Jesus, the Lamb; and we will have no need for night or closed gates.

In all of the beauty and splendor of this chapter, a single word really stood out to me, one that is causing me to wrestle. The word is, “cowardly.”

In Revelation 21: 5-8, God, “He who was seated on the throne,” says,

“’I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’

“He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

Stunningly beautiful! He then continues and says,

“‘But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

What? The cowardly were lumped in with murderers, the sexually immoral, liars and idolaters? It kind of startled me in this day and age that serves up anxiety for every course. As someone who has silently, privately, struggled with anxiety and struggled with taking a bold stance on some seriously hot topics, it really got me thinking…

We must rectify our fears, like we do our sins, before our Father, for the cowardly, like murderers, will not inherit all things from God. They will not receive from the fountain of the water of life or walk streets of gold. Instead, the cowardly – those who lack courage, the spineless – shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.

Fear is not just a typical symptom of living here. Fear – that which creates cowards, shrinking in the background – is actually our foe. This foe cannot just wound us with a bad day, loneliness or sweaty palms. It cannot just bribe or blackmail us. Fear, the foe that works to attack us daily, carries with it eternal ramification. Fear, which comes from the devil himself, strives to knock us into the lake of fire for eternity.

Fear isn’t just a passive, silent irritant in each of our lives. There is nothing innocent or personal about it. It is our enemy, and it must be fought.

Fear distracts our focus from God. It impacts how we see the world and others. It taints what we think, how we feel, what we say, and how we interact with those around us. Not only is fear an attack that must be managed, it is a distraction – a wall, that keeps us from the good and the Kingdom work we are called by God to do.

I will no longer just manage fear, nor will I make agreements with it. I am removing it and laying it at the altar, the feet of Jesus, and claiming freedom for 2021. Jesus died for my freedom, and I am picking up the forgiveness and healing He gives.

As we prepare for 2021, I want to invite you to join me and others in laying our burdens at the feet of Jesus. This year will be different. This year will be one of freedom in Jesus’ name.

Love more. Cancel less.

I have experienced a strange phenomenon in which good people – those who have sacrificed their time, talents and resources for the good of others – are villainized rather than appreciated, suddenly put at an arm’s length with no explanation. They are simply canceled, all good erased, as if they no longer exist.

To be on the receiving end of this behavior is incredibly confusing, painful and heartbreaking. Many of us have been on the receiving end, and it hurts. Likewise, most of us have been the perpetrator at some point, canceling a friend or family member with no warning, conversation or explanation. They are suddenly dropped.

Perhaps we have convinced ourselves no one is this nice, believing they must be “up to something”; strings must be attached. Perhaps their kindness or their talents threaten us. We assume they must be exerting their power over us or are out for something more that we have yet to see. Perhaps they don’t do things exactly as we do, have a friend we wouldn’t, or believe slightly differently on a topic; and one day we turn our nose up, deeming them to be a “them,” not an “us”.

I look back wondering if I have done this to well-meaning, good-hearted people. I am ashamed to find I have done so at times in my haste to weed out the bad or to be sure I am not taken for. Insecurity, inferiority, or paranoia can manifest itself as self-protection and lead us to draw quick, irrational conclusions that hurt others. This is sad, and it is wrong. We wound each other so deeply when we do this.

We need one another, and we need to honor one another. We need to take time to see others for who they truly are. I pray, even in this evil world, that we can still believe in and recognize the good in people, that we can still accept love without questioning motives, that we can see the good in people rather than quickly jumping to judgement.

Currently, so many things stop us:

Doubt. We doubt that anyone can be good.
Complacency. We have allowed our hearts to be dulled amid our conspiracies, and it keeps us from caring.
Fear. We fear being taken advantage of and missing a red flag. Haughtiness. We believe our time and feelings are superior to others.

I pray this phenomenon among us stops. Through the Lord’s help, we can use discernment without cutting everyone out and alienating others.

The Bible helps us weigh the truth about people so our perspectives can be more balanced. It tells us this: “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:43-45).

We do not need to be skeptical of everyone and everything, especially those who have continued to share love and bare fruit in our lives. I personally want to repent for my skepticism, for allowing my baggage to hurt good people, for not taking the time to rightly judge a situation, for quickly putting on my lens of judgement instead of love.

If you too want to change, if you want your filter to be cleansed, join me in asking the Lord to help us. I want to see others through a correct lens, through God’s eyes, His perspective. We need His help to reveal the truth of others’ motives; to preserve and protect relationships, to guard meaningful relationships rather than cancelling for fear of the bad.

Let’s stop cancelling each other and putting one another at an arm’s length, especially those whom we love and those who love us, “for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7), nor has He given us a spirit of haughtiness. Haughtiness and complacency come from our sinful nature.

My Prayer

Lord, would you cause your love to grow in us and abound towards others? Would you cause us to trust you more than we fear potential outcomes? Would you cause us to see others as you do? Would you remove the calluses and give us a clean heart? Help us think upon whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, and whatever is admirable. Please help us put aside any haughtiness or insecurity that isolates others and isolates us. Help us to be more like you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Controlling Anxiety

Anxiety. I have struggled with it along the way. Maybe you have too. Numerous friends and acquaintances are struggling with it these days as pressures and responsibilities mount with limited resources available to assist their families or boost their businesses. Many are feeling paralyzed by their fear of the unknown.

If you are someone who is experiencing fear or anxiety, I want to share some of the things I have learned over the years to hopefully help you realize 1) you are not alone, 2) you are not weird, 3) anxiety is not your demise, nor is it your friend. But your life does not stop because of anxiety. You can push through it and move forward!

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Anxiety seems to hit you out of nowhere — when you finally have a moment to relax, ironically, or think you are totally fine. It feels like a shot of adrenaline has flooded your system, your heart nearly beating out of your chest, yet you feel weak. It can be very confusing and very scary. Though it feels like it’s come out of nowhere, I assure you it is coming from somewhere deep within.

During the day, on the go or in the hot seat before others, we often do what it takes to push through, portraying strength or stability. Yet, we often have emotions within the shuffle that we have stuffed down and ignored, taking no time to address.

As our bodies or minds begin to slow down, these emotions often surface, sending us into a tailspin. Perhaps you lay down only to find you are scared, shaky, your chest is tight or it’s hard to breath. In those moments, I have found it helpful to sit up and focus on two things on repeat:

1) Focus on Jesus. Imagining His eyes, we have a focal point for peace. Remembering He takes our yolk upon Him, we remember we aren’t alone.

2) Sitting up, focus on deep, cleansing breaths. It is not enough to tell yourself to “just breath” as you will freak yourself out more under pressure. Focus your mind, gently reminding yourself, “In through the nose (deep, cleansing, slow breaths), out through the mouth.”

3) Then think upon Jesus again. Ask Him to captivate your nervous system, to get your body in alignment with His word, and for the Holy Spirit to comfort you.

4) Focus on your breathing again… “In through the nose, out through the mouth.”

Later, perhaps another day that week, when you are calm, alone and able to sit down and reflect, pinpoint the things or people that trigger you to be anxious, angry, or to feel frustrated or invisible. Write out the factors that have a habit of riling you up, then come up with a plan to rewrite the script.

Come up with a plan to get power back in your life:
[After all, it’s your life!]

Flip off that station: Quit watching the news or reality TV.
Say no to the “friends” or family members who berate you.
Walk away from people who step over your boundaries.
Remove yourself from the situations that choke you.
Practice saying, “no,” and mean it.

Anxiety comes from feeling powerless. Yet, you are actually a giant with every super power when you have God living inside of you, His hand of protection over you and His angels surrounding you. Get your power back by surrendering your situation and relationships to God.

Ask God for His help to identify the problems making you feel oppressed.
Ask Him for wisdom and guidance on how to move away from those situations.
Ask Him for the grace and favor to do it.

Subtract chaos from your life. Infuse fun into your life! Add in joy-filled, faith-filled components:

Get a hobby. Take up painting, try sewing or dust off your bike.
Get healthy friends around you.
Journal your emotions. Don’t stuff them.
Go for a daily walk to increase endorphins, your “happy” chemicals.
Treat yourself. [Just watch your caffeine and sugar intake as these can increase your anxiety if overdone.]
Turn on upbeat music and dance or lip sync.
Get in nature. The beauty of God’s creation reminds us of His power, and our bodies love the fresh air He provides.

Take time to care of yourself! No one spends more time with you than you do. Be a good friend and caretaker. You matter. And, remember: You are not alone. You are not weird. Focus on Jesus. And, when in doubt, tell a friend.