What if this happens, what if that happens? Any time trouble comes fear is usually the first thing we feel. We get the "what ifs".
In Joshua 1 - When The Lord told Joshua to "fear not", He was actually warning him that fear would try to stop him, but instead of letting the fear control him, he was encouraged to be strong and full of courage and keep going forward.
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.
Focus on the word of God & not on the fear.
God has blessings and new opportunities in store for us. To receive them we must take steps of faith. This often means doing things we don't feel like doing but our trust in God must be greater than what we personally want, think or feel.
Perfect example: In Luke 5 - Peter and some of Jesus disciples had been fishing all night; they had caught nothing; they were tired, actually exhausted; they needed sleep; I am sure they were hungry. They had just finished washing and storing their nets, which was a big job. Jesus appeared on the bank of the lake and told them if they wanted to catch a haul of fish, they should cast their nets again, only this time in deeper water. Peter explained to the Lord that they were exhausted; they had caught nothing, but he said, "on your word we will lower the nets again". The result of his obedience was an abundant blessing of fish - so many that he had to have help getting them out of the water. If Peter had been living by his feelings, he would not have gone back to fish because he and his men were exhausted. Instead, he chose to live by the word of the Lord. This is the kind of attitude The Lord wants us to have. We may not feel like doing something, we may not want to, we may not think its a good idea, we may feel fearful that none of it will work, but we should be willing to obey GOD rather than our fears or the "what ifs". In 2012, I went to the Doctor because my mouth and tongue were covered in white lines and swollen. The Doctor said it was thrush and gave me medication. Ten days later nothing had changed so he put me on more antibiotics, still no change. Third trip in, the Dr. said I am now thinking there is a possibility that it could be cancer of the mouth and I want you to see a specialist. I felt numb. When I got home I remember fear gripping me, my mind racing with the words cancer and I went in my room and just cried. Then I pulled myself together and realized that I needed to hear from God. The specialist appointment was to be two weeks later. After seeking the Lord in prayer, I felt impressed to go to see a Doctor I knew that owned a health store. He took one look at my mouth and said, "You don't have cancer, you have an acidic stomach and that's causing your mouth problems." He gave me a concoction of vegetables and spices to put in a blender and drink over the next two weeks. Two weeks later I went to my specialist appointment and the Dr. said, "I don't know why you are here, your mouth is perfectly healthy".
I thanked God that day that I pulled myself together and received God's instruction rather than listening to the "what ifs" in my mind.
