The Holy Spirit wants to guide you away from crippling anxieties to the freedom that is yours in Christ.
Luke 1:68-75
The Scriptures distinguish between two kinds of fear: healthy and unhealthy. The healthy kind is beneficial. One example is the wise caution that keeps us from touching a hot stove. Another is the proper fear of God (Ecclesiastes 12:13), which includes a sense of awe because of who the Lord is. It also involves a lifestyle of respectful obedience that honors Him.
Unhealthy fear, on the other hand, causes us to feel tense, uncomfortable, or threatened. Even when there’s no longer any basis for apprehension, it may continue to thwart us.
The imagination can generate this type of fear by getting us caught up in “what if” thinking. Habitual worries like What if something goes wrong? or What if the outcome I want doesn’t happen? can block God’s best. His purposes—such as learning new skills, changing jobs, or trying a different way of ministering to others—often require that we move beyond what feels most comfortable. Challenges of this sort present the opportunity to trust the Lord and obey Him.
Remember that unhealthy fear isn’t from God (2 Timothy 1:7). So, let the Holy Spirit guide you from a place of disquiet into the freedom that is ours in Christ (Galatians 5:1). There you will discover the ability to follow His plan without being hindered by undue alarm.
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