How to Overcome Fear and Reach Your Goals

It seems that everyone in our home is experiencing new opportunities to be S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D this summer and fall!  New summer jobs, new schools, greater responsibilities with extracurricular school activities, preparation for college undergraduate admission in 2015, and possibly starting a master's level degree...so much excitement, yet a lot of responsibilities. During this time of being stretched, God is giving us deeper insight, strength, encouragement and even vision for the future!

Jon Thomas, our oldest, had his senior pictures taken in late August.  It's awesome to watch God direct his decisions and plans for the future.

New seasons can be accompanied by great anxiety...as we enter the unfamiliar with unanswered questions, there is a sense of uncertainty and fear. Often, as we step out into the unknown, God shows us HIS direction and purposes.  If we only strive to achieve goals where the end result is certain and easy to attain, our growth will cease or progress slower than God intends. When we put faith in our own ability or in what we can see, this limits what we allow God to do in and through us.

This fall Jordan (#4) has had several opportunities to compete on the varsity level with his high school teammates. This has required a greater time commitment and hard work, but he is reaping the rewards!

Listen the definitions of anxiety/worry: "A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome; to allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles."  A few synonyms I found were "concern, fear, agitation, tension, overthink and panic"...WOW! As I researched, the words "uncertain outcome," "to allow one's mind to dwell," "to overthink" and "panic" are words that jumped off the page! There's an element of anxiety that boils down to our choice. The mind can be a powerful weapon, or it can be a dangerous battlefield. 
II Corinthians 10:5b states, "We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." We can't control the thoughts that creep into our minds, but we can determine whether we dwell on these thoughts. It takes effort and self discipline to move past anxiety in our thought-life, but it CAN be done!

As I reflect on times when I become the most anxious, I realize this occurs when I have the least control over my circumstances.  Finances (how will we be able to pay for college expenses?), my children's future (will they make good choices? how will they be treated?), others' perception of me (did she understand what I meant when I said...?)...it can go on and on if I allow the fear of the unknown to debilitate me. How can we get past our own imaginations and not allow our minds to dwell on things that can go wrong?

These cuties have graduated into new schools this year. Jared began his first year of Jr High, and Karleigh is in the upper elementary school in our community.

I believe we have to retrain our thinking--choose to shift our thoughts to the amazing possibilities, instead of our imminent doom!  Let's look at the definition of hope: "a feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen; a feeling of trust." Do you expect God to do great things in your life, or do you allow your mind to dwell on the worst possible scenerio? If you gravitate to fear, worry or doubt, start asking God to help you change your mindset. Begin by "catching yourself" at the beginning of a panic attack or negative spiral, and ask God to redirect your thinking.  Make a choice to partner with Him by intentionally thinking of all God has done for you in the past. Begin making a list of times when He has done more that you could have imagined in a situation. Write scriptures that talk about God's power, his desire to bless and give you his BEST, the promises given to us (YOU) in scripture, and intentionally refer to them when you begin to question your future or His power to change your circumstances.

Here are 4 scriptures to refer to in moments of uncertainty or overwhelming anxiety....

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." Matthew 19:26

"For no word from God will ever fail." Luke 1:37

"God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" Ephesians 3:20

"O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and the earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!" Jeremiah 32:17

What amazing words of HOPE! Live life expecting God to come through and perform the EXTRAordinary! Romans 12:2 tells us not to imitate the behavior and customs of the world. It continues with the instruction to allow God to transform you into a new person...HOW? By letting him change the way you think. Change IS possible!!  You don't have to stay stuck in a negative or anxious mindset. God desires to help you!! All you have to do is ask.  Do you believe He wants the best for your life? Freedom from fear and worry is his best!

This summer Jon and I have begun pushing ourselves to run farther distances. It's been so rewarding to reach our goals, especially on those days when we have to be mentally tough and just put one foot in front of the other. With God's help, we all can do more than we could ever think possible! 

Do you have experiences in your journey when God did more than you could imagine? Please share...your testimonies will be a huge encouragement to us!!