Day By Day

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].”

2 Timothy 1:7

As a little girl in my pre-teen and teenage years I struggled with fear, worry, and anxious thoughts. At that time in my life, my family and I lived in Kingston, Jamaica as missionaries. It was in those years that I struggled with this the most. I believe the battle was both spiritual and physical.

I found peace in worship, and truth in the Word of God that helped me overcome the very things that tried to overwhelm me.

There is power in speaking God’s truth and proclaiming His Word.

I remember one night when I was falling asleep, the spirit of fear was so strong and heavy in my bedroom, I felt paralyzed and was afraid to move and just hid under the covers. Then, it happened again the next night, so I took in a deep breath of courage, got up out of my bed, and walked to my parent’s bedroom. I tapped my mother on the shoulder and asked her to pray over me.

Sometimes you have to take a step with courage in the midst of fear and ask someone to pray with you right then and there.

After my mom prayed for me, I walked back to my room put worship music on and fell back asleep peacefully. I still remember to this day the CD that I played; it was Darlene Zschech’s Hillsong Worship CD.

The spirit of fear has no place in our lives! Fear is not what God has designed us to live in. Overcoming fear is a battle, but let me encourage you - LOVE wins and God’s Word carries the power and the authority to break anything that would try to overcome you.

As we hold onto the truth that “[He has given us a spirit] of power” - that power breaks the spirit of fear.

Overcoming fear is possible through the Word of God. Your words are powerful when they are linked with the truth of God to declare what God says over FEAR.

Through my battle with overcoming fear, I also struggled with worry and anxiety.

My mother used to say to me when I would worry that I sounded like Eeyore from Winnie-the-Pooh. At that time, I did not understand the power of my thoughts and how they were in fact constructing unhealthy pathways in my mind.

The hope in overcoming worry and anxiety is that new pathways CAN be made in the mind.

What helped me start this process of reconstructing my thoughts and pathways was when my mother would say to me in a calm and confident way, “Bethany, take each day at a time, don’t worry about tomorrow” as she gently reminded me and would quote a verse from Matthew 6:34, “therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”                                                

Though I probably rolled my eyes after she said this to me the first time, and probably a few more times after that…however my response, this was exactly the truth I needed to hear.

And let me say that this was not just a one-time conversation, but MANY conversations that truth needed to be brought to the forefront of my mind again and again. Matthew 6:34 and the reminder to ‘take each day at a time’ and it’s a ‘day by day’ process was taught and something I was constantly reminded of in my life.

God’s word says, “but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].” 2 Timothy 1:7

This is what I learned…

As I trust and place each day in God’s hands, I can then focus and have peace in what God has planned for me in each new day.

It’s a daily laying down of our burdens, worries, fears, ______ — you fill in the blank, placing it all down at Jesus’ feet each day and saying, “Jesus it’s in your hands.”

When we lay it down, then we pick up what Jesus gives us in return- HIS POWER.

We can walk in power.

We can walk in love.

We can walk in sound judgement.

We can have personal discipline.

As we walk and obtain these things, God’s Word continues to say that the “abilities result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control.”

 I believe that looks like:

• Living with peace

• Establishing and maintaining healthy thoughts

• Developing a healthy and balanced mind 

This is the power of God in our life and how He can restore our mind.

I am so thankful for God’s Word and the Holy Spirit who transforms the mind and renews it each day.

So, I used to be a girl…

Who let worry consume her about the future.

Who allowed anxiety to control her thoughts.

Who battled fear.

BUT, now I can look back and see how my mind has been renewed and reconstructed through the power of Jesus and His Word.  

To be honest, there are days I have to remind myself whose I am, and who I am in Christ.

I also remember and know this, each and every day Jesus is faithful, and He is with me through every moment of the day.

If each day is in His hands, then there is nothing to worry about. Therefore, I can live day by day knowing that God is in control and I can simply lay it all at His feet.

1 Peter 5:7 says this, “casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”

Let’s live day by day trusting the ONE who holds the WHOLE world in HIS hands and EVERY day in HIS hands.  

Bethany Marshall