It’s the time of year when most of us look to the future, planning and hoping for the New Year of 2019.
But if you’re at all prone to worry or other forms of fear, looking ahead to the future can be downright frightening. I think that’s part of the reason why God tells us not to focus so far ahead (Matthew 6:34).
God knows looking to the future can stir up anxiety and fear, so our biblical model is instead to look back and remember. Before we can face what comes next, we need the reminder of what God has done in the past—of the promises He’s made and kept, of the love He’s shown, evidences of His power, and the wonder of His wisdom.
Won’t you join me in turning to look back before we step into the New Year? For us Fear Warriors, a good place to start is remembering what God has taught us about our fears and how He strengthened and armed us for battling them.
To help us do that, I’ve gathered five reader-favorite posts from throughout this year. If you’ve seen these posts before, take the time to read them again as a reminder of how God armed you to conquer your fears in 2018, so you can trust He’ll do the same and more in 2019.
Fear Warrior Blog Top 5 of 2018
1. Even If: Choosing Faith over Fear When the “What If” Happens
Carrie Schmidt’s guest post really struck a chord with readers (and myself) when she shared her story of grief and trials this year. More importantly, she shared the truth and confident hope that God is still good in the midst of hardship and pain. This is a must-read post for anyone experiencing difficult circumstances.
2. More Than Mundane: Conquering Fear of Insignificance
This guest post from Emily Conrad is packed with encouragement for those of us who move through our days doing seemingly small, unimportant tasks. Those of us who feel unacknowledged and unappreciated. Those of us who suffer from disappointment and feelings of failure or thwarted expectations. Yep, it’s for all of us.
3. Out of Control: How Letting Go Can Beat Your Fears
Jeanne Takenaka’s post hit close to home for me and a lot of readers. So many of us try very hard to control everything in our lives and we worry and stress whenever we become aware that we aren’t in control. Jeanne shares the surprising key to conquering that fear and grabbing hold of peace instead.
4. A Discouraging Word: How to Fearlessly Overcome Criticism without a Thick Skin
All of us face criticism at some point in our lives, and the common advice to grow a thick skin can actually just give us a layer under which we hide our fears that drive us to run from every possible situation where we’ll be criticized. The 6 Questions to Fearlessly Answer Criticism in this post offer a way to actually conquer your fear and handle criticism in a healthy way.
5. Look Back at Me: Finding Courage from the Past to Face Your Future
I’m in love with this post from Amanda Dykes, in part because she mentions my favorite movie, but even more because of the empowering, glorious hope in the truth she shares. I’m just as encouraged re-reading it now as I was earlier this year when the post was first published. I hope you’ll take a moment to read it yourself and be inspired to look back at “the God who will meet you in that unknown” of our future.
What was your favorite Fear Warrior Blog post of 2018? Did you defeat a fear or make progress in fighting your fears in 2018? Please share!
To help you kick off a new, successful year of fighting fear, I’m giving away one print copy of the nonfiction book, Fearless Faith! Leave a comment below for your chance to win. (Winner to be randomly selected Jan. 7, 2019; Winner must have continental U. S. mailing address.)
Fearless Faith: Learning to Trust Jesus in Every Situation
When fear takes hold we can feel powerless and insipid. Life’s spiritual battles become too much and the devil seems to be winning. It does not have to be like this though! We can, and do, have victory in Christ. Faith in the all-powerful One means that we are strong in him, even when we feel weak.
Jonathan Stephen writes with clarity and compassion to help us understand how the battle against the enemy can truly be won. He uses one of the best-known and most dramatic incidents in the Gospels, the stilling of the storm. As he draws our attention to what Jesus is teaching through this ‘faith-training exercise’ we join the disciples in discovering that when we are buffeted and frightened by the storms of life we can not only endure, but overcome.
