Here’s an acronym that’s easy to remember: FEAR. FEAR has two meanings: Forget Everything And Run, or, Face Everything And Rise. That’s powerful! The choice? That’s yours.
~Todd Stach
In How To Handle Fear- Part One, we read the parable of the prodigal son and talked about how to run to Jesus. I included the quote from Todd Stach again to refresh you on the acronym that inspired this blog series. This time, we’ll look at what it means when someone tells you to “take it to Jesus” or “lay it at Jesus’ feet.” Let’s start with Scripture!
What the Bible says about Fear and Worry
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Matthew 10.28-31 NIV
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11.28-29 NIV
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then, you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4.67 NLT
Laying your burdens at Jesus’ feet is about trust, prayer, and renewing your mind. Worry is part of the human experience that stems from fear and is aggravated by our increasing desire to control every part of our lives. Add on top of that the fact that we can instantaneously find out about scary and troubling things happening all over the world, and it’s a miracle we do anything but worry! But the Bible is very clear on this: “don’t worry about anything…” The Bible tells us not to worry and not to fear many many times. If you ever took a class or a study on how to read the Bible, you probably learned that when something is repeated, it means “pay attention!” and God knew we would really need to hear “don’t worry” pretty often.
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How To Lay Your Burdens at Jesus’ Feet
1) Trust
If you’re a new Christian, spend time building your relationship with God through Bible study and prayer. By learning who He is, and seeing Him work in your life, trust will begin to grow. If you’re a more experienced believer, being in the Word and in prayer is an important part of trusting as well, but you also have your past experiences to help you. Remind yourself of the things God has brought you through, the prayers He has answered. Remembering how you learned to trust God before will help you trust now.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17.7-8 ESV
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
Psalm 91.1-6 ESV
2) Prayer
The way you lay your burdens at the feet of Jesus is through prayer. When you’re tempted to worry about something, take it to Him in prayer. “Laying it down at His feet” means handing it over and not picking it back up. It’s hard, because sometimes our minds run away with scenarios and fears before we even realize what’s happening. When you find yourself in that mindspace, just pray immediately and tell the Lord you’re giving it back to Him. Like anything else, it takes discipline and practice, but it is possible to take control over your thoughts and your fear.
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
James 5.13 NIV
3) Renewing Your Mind
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12.2 NIV
Renewing your mind comes from being committed to studying the Bible, prayer, and refusing to allow your thoughts to dictate your belief in the truth. The Bible tells us to “take captive every thought.” You can do this by paying close attention to the thoughts in your mind. Train yourself to catch thoughts that go against the Word of God and replace them with the truth. The brain is a fascinating organ. The thoughts that we have over and over create physical grooves in our gray matter called neural pathways. The more we think certain thoughts, the deeper those pathways get and the easier it is for your brain to automatically run along those lines. The great news is we now know those paths can be changed! Thinking new thoughts weaken the old paths and eventually, the new neural pathways can become the dominant ones. The longer you’ve had certain habits, (like worrying) the longer it will take you to break them, but take heart! The result is so worth the effort!
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10.4-5 NIV
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God bless you. Stay hopeful! ❤️
