Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety: Battling for our Faith (part 3)
III. Counseling Approaches
A. Resting in God’s Sovereignty: Does the counselee’s beliefs about God calm his fears, sooth his conscience, or direct and motivate him in the face of the troubles? The first question for the counselee to ask himself is, (1) Is God sovereign? Is He absolutely free to do whatever he wants? Furthermore, God’s character and power are what make Him God. (2) If God is sovereign, how can that help us overcome our fears? This doctrine can be one of the most comforting and enlivening truths one could ever know. The knowledge that God is in control will calm his greatest fears and cheer him during the most difficult trials. God’s sovereignty is the only safe harbor when we are assailed by the winds of fear, doubt, and worry.[1] God’s sovereign control of the world is the key to the counselee’s peace. God permits difficulties in our lives because he is interested in building our faith. He uses our fear to draw you to Himself and to change you. Through suffering, we are being made fit for Heaven.
B. Blessings from a Healthy Fear: In the counselee’s struggle to overcome fear, the one factor that will most enable him to grow will be the healthy fear of God. This kind of fear does not drive us away from God, but drives us toward Him. The only way to overcome fear is to replace it with the right kind of fear. The way for a counselee to overcome fear is to not run from it, but rather to press on in joyful obedience and faith in the face of it. Scripture states that there are benefits to fearing God. These benefits are wisdom, blessing, knowledge, strong confidence, a fountain of life, sleeping satisfied, stability, wealth of salvation, and not turning away from God.[2] Elyse Fitzpatrick developed an acrostic for fearing God. FEAR GOD means to Feed on his promises, Etch them on your heart, Adhere to His commands, Rest and Rejoice in His love, Go to Him in prayer, Order your day for Him, and to Depend on His strength.[3] Furthermore, the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers is daily empowering the counselee to obey. Charles Spurgeon stated, “When the heart is filled with the fear of God there is no room for other fears.”[4]
C. Love: The Opposite of Fear: The weapon in God’s mighty arsenal that helps the counselee over come fear is love. The opposite of fear is not confidence or peace, but rather love. The only way the counselee can cultivate the kind of love that he needs for God and others is by experiencing God’s love.
D. Growing in God’s Grace: Grace is God’s unmerited favor to those who have been saved and still, in their own strength, deserve only His wrath but have His favor instead. Sometimes people believe that God saves us by grace, but their growth and perspective after salvation is by their works. This is not true. God’s grace is a constant factor of His character. Part of God’s grace is that we learn to live holy lives, sometimes through suffering. The counselee will never suffer more difficulty than is necessary for His love to be known and enjoyed by him. That is the purpose of trials: to free the counselee from his ties to the earth.[5] As a counselee comes to understand God’s grace, he is no longer filled with fear, worries, and anxieties. His heart will become marked by a heart overflowing with praise. God’s grace overwhelms the soul, teaches the person to desire holiness, and floods the heart so that it continually splashes over with praise. Encourage the counselee to just rest in the cradle of God’s grace.
E. Growing in Faith: Faith is the knowledge of God’s character, the belief that He’s able to do all that He’s promised, and the trust to follow Him wherever He leads.[6] There is an acrostic (FAITH) that will help the counselee build his faith. “F” is for Founder: Jesus Christ is the Author of his faith – everything rests on His grace. Remember what is really important; not that the counselee’s faith seems strong to him, but that it is anchored in God’s character. “A” is for Attendance to the Word preached publicly and in your own devotions will cause your faith to grow. Remember, faith comes by hearing the Word. The letter “I” stands for Intimate Fellowship with the Lord through prayer and the ordinances. The letter “T” is for Trusting God instead of one’s feelings. Finally, the letter “H” is for Heeding God’s Word and obeying, especially when it seems impossible.
IV. Homework Assignments:
Growing in the trust of God is something the counselee must choose to do. The counselee can take time to meditate on a few of the following verses, 2 Chron. 14:11, Psalm 9:10, Psalm 22:4-5, 28:7, 62:8, Isaiah 12:2, 26:4, and 30:15.
Have the counselee take time to read Jonah’s prayer while he was in the fish’s belly. Have him re-write it in his own words. Have him remember that God is the same today, as He was in Jonah’s time. It is his delight to deliver the counselee from fear and set him free so that he can serve Him with joy.
If the counselee has problems with the fear of man, have him spend time praying for the person or people, asking God to give him a Christlike love for them which is a love that doesn’t concern itself with how others respond to the counselee.
Have the counselee make a list of his worries. Have him put a check mark next to those that aren’t in his power or his responsibility to do anything about. These are the concerns that he will need to pray about and leave in the hands of God. Have him put an arrow by those that he has responsibility for and make another list of these tasks that he needs to complete and pray about them as well.
Make a “thank” list. Have the counselee list ten things that he is most thankful for. Have him spend time in prayer thanking God for everything on the list. This will help him have faith that God is really in control and will help focus his thoughts on His kindness rather then on what he thinks he needs.
[1] Ibid., 128.
[2] Ibid., 148.
[3] Ibid., 149.
[4] Ibid., 157.
[5] Ibid., 187.
[6] Ibid., 202.
A. Resting in God’s Sovereignty: Does the counselee’s beliefs about God calm his fears, sooth his conscience, or direct and motivate him in the face of the troubles? The first question for the counselee to ask himself is, (1) Is God sovereign? Is He absolutely free to do whatever he wants? Furthermore, God’s character and power are what make Him God. (2) If God is sovereign, how can that help us overcome our fears? This doctrine can be one of the most comforting and enlivening truths one could ever know. The knowledge that God is in control will calm his greatest fears and cheer him during the most difficult trials. God’s sovereignty is the only safe harbor when we are assailed by the winds of fear, doubt, and worry.[1] God’s sovereign control of the world is the key to the counselee’s peace. God permits difficulties in our lives because he is interested in building our faith. He uses our fear to draw you to Himself and to change you. Through suffering, we are being made fit for Heaven.
B. Blessings from a Healthy Fear: In the counselee’s struggle to overcome fear, the one factor that will most enable him to grow will be the healthy fear of God. This kind of fear does not drive us away from God, but drives us toward Him. The only way to overcome fear is to replace it with the right kind of fear. The way for a counselee to overcome fear is to not run from it, but rather to press on in joyful obedience and faith in the face of it. Scripture states that there are benefits to fearing God. These benefits are wisdom, blessing, knowledge, strong confidence, a fountain of life, sleeping satisfied, stability, wealth of salvation, and not turning away from God.[2] Elyse Fitzpatrick developed an acrostic for fearing God. FEAR GOD means to Feed on his promises, Etch them on your heart, Adhere to His commands, Rest and Rejoice in His love, Go to Him in prayer, Order your day for Him, and to Depend on His strength.[3] Furthermore, the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers is daily empowering the counselee to obey. Charles Spurgeon stated, “When the heart is filled with the fear of God there is no room for other fears.”[4]
C. Love: The Opposite of Fear: The weapon in God’s mighty arsenal that helps the counselee over come fear is love. The opposite of fear is not confidence or peace, but rather love. The only way the counselee can cultivate the kind of love that he needs for God and others is by experiencing God’s love.
D. Growing in God’s Grace: Grace is God’s unmerited favor to those who have been saved and still, in their own strength, deserve only His wrath but have His favor instead. Sometimes people believe that God saves us by grace, but their growth and perspective after salvation is by their works. This is not true. God’s grace is a constant factor of His character. Part of God’s grace is that we learn to live holy lives, sometimes through suffering. The counselee will never suffer more difficulty than is necessary for His love to be known and enjoyed by him. That is the purpose of trials: to free the counselee from his ties to the earth.[5] As a counselee comes to understand God’s grace, he is no longer filled with fear, worries, and anxieties. His heart will become marked by a heart overflowing with praise. God’s grace overwhelms the soul, teaches the person to desire holiness, and floods the heart so that it continually splashes over with praise. Encourage the counselee to just rest in the cradle of God’s grace.
E. Growing in Faith: Faith is the knowledge of God’s character, the belief that He’s able to do all that He’s promised, and the trust to follow Him wherever He leads.[6] There is an acrostic (FAITH) that will help the counselee build his faith. “F” is for Founder: Jesus Christ is the Author of his faith – everything rests on His grace. Remember what is really important; not that the counselee’s faith seems strong to him, but that it is anchored in God’s character. “A” is for Attendance to the Word preached publicly and in your own devotions will cause your faith to grow. Remember, faith comes by hearing the Word. The letter “I” stands for Intimate Fellowship with the Lord through prayer and the ordinances. The letter “T” is for Trusting God instead of one’s feelings. Finally, the letter “H” is for Heeding God’s Word and obeying, especially when it seems impossible.
IV. Homework Assignments:
Growing in the trust of God is something the counselee must choose to do. The counselee can take time to meditate on a few of the following verses, 2 Chron. 14:11, Psalm 9:10, Psalm 22:4-5, 28:7, 62:8, Isaiah 12:2, 26:4, and 30:15.
Have the counselee take time to read Jonah’s prayer while he was in the fish’s belly. Have him re-write it in his own words. Have him remember that God is the same today, as He was in Jonah’s time. It is his delight to deliver the counselee from fear and set him free so that he can serve Him with joy.
If the counselee has problems with the fear of man, have him spend time praying for the person or people, asking God to give him a Christlike love for them which is a love that doesn’t concern itself with how others respond to the counselee.
Have the counselee make a list of his worries. Have him put a check mark next to those that aren’t in his power or his responsibility to do anything about. These are the concerns that he will need to pray about and leave in the hands of God. Have him put an arrow by those that he has responsibility for and make another list of these tasks that he needs to complete and pray about them as well.
Make a “thank” list. Have the counselee list ten things that he is most thankful for. Have him spend time in prayer thanking God for everything on the list. This will help him have faith that God is really in control and will help focus his thoughts on His kindness rather then on what he thinks he needs.
[1] Ibid., 128.
[2] Ibid., 148.
[3] Ibid., 149.
[4] Ibid., 157.
[5] Ibid., 187.
[6] Ibid., 202.
posted by Charlie Wallace at
11:20 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home