Dragons

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matt 6:34 NKJV

The words, “Don’t worry” roll off the tongue easily sometimes. Too easily in fact. The truth is we all worry and get afraid, and even Christians are not exempt from it. Parents will use these words as a comfort to their children in an effort to ease their pain about something they have to face. The trouble is, if we are already a fearful and worrying person, they see it and the advice doesn’t help a whole lot.

Worry and fear go hand in hand. No matter how hard we try to lean on God’s promises, we go under to one or both of these feelings. There’s the thing, because both worry and fear are feelings. They are not tangible, and they don’t make us bleed. The pain they cause is brought on by our own emotions. If you look through the Bible, there are countless times the words “fear not” are recorded, so there must be a good reason for the words being repeated so often.

Our dragons love us to worry and fear. In fact they feed on them, and the more we worry and fear, the bigger our dragon grows. So, what is your dragon? You are human, so you will have them. They are not easy to face, and it can take some inner strength to handle them. I know what my dragons are, I know the biggest one, and it is a fight to see who wins sometimes. There are times when it is easier to let the dragon get the upper hand and win the day. I don’t always have the fight in me.

However, there are some real dragons out there, like: Nervousness with people you don’t know. Being in a place where you have to be close to a door. Meeting that insensitive person who will ask you the most direct and personal questions. Rejection. Illness. Bereavement. Depression. Loneliness. A wayward child. Which one is yours, and how do you face it, or do you try to ignore the dragon’s breath?

Let me share my idea of how best to slay that dragon. Find a friend you can trust totally, who will pray for you, and share your fears with them. You will almost certainly find out that you are not alone in your worry or fear, and that the Lord will allow that friendship to be the root cause of your victory over that fire breathing dragon. God has no hands but ours, and no heart but ours, and those friends He is gracious enough to put into our path. What better passage to finish with than this:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.1 John 4:18 NKJV