Each day, we are faced with a myriad of decisions and questions. It’s a part of life. For those battling fear and crippling anxiety, that decision process can easily get muddled. As the line between rational and irrational fear becomes blurred, decisions become difficult.

How can we know what to do when faced with a choice? For decisions regarding sin and obedience, the right choice is obvious. The Bible lays out what is right and what is wrong. There should be no confusion with issues clearly outlined in the Bible.

But, what about things that aren’t in the Bible–things like: “Should I take this job?” or “Is this the right medication for me?” or “Should I go to the grocery store, even though I’m afraid?” Answers to these questions are not so obvious.

Does that mean we are left to make our own choices? I don’t believe so. Looking at the life of Jesus as the example of how to live, I see a common pattern in how Jesus made decisions: he did nothing unless he heard or saw his Father do it. Jesus said, “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19). Jesus did not have to make any decisions. He simply did what the Father instructed him to do.

Do you think all of Jesus’ prayers were answered, prayers of healing, deliverance, salvation, wisdom? Yes. Do you think God would answer our prayers if we prayed only what he wanted us to pray? Many times, we pray for things because it’s what we want, rather than what God wants. I believe when we pray according to what God wants, according to his will, our prayers will be answered. “We can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for” (1 John 5:14-15).

So, when you’re faced with a difficult decision, and you don’t know what to do, take a few moments to find out what God is doing in this situation. Find out what his will is. Listen carefully with your heart. Give him the opportunity to speak his will in the situation.

Can we really hear the voice of God? Jesus, after all, was the Son of God, so it must have been easy for him to “hear” his Father. Yes, Jesus was the Son of God, but he lived on this earth as a man. His life was an example of how we should live. And, he made a way for us to come to the Father. Through Jesus, we have direct access to the throne of God (Hebrews 4:16). Through Jesus, we can come to the Father. “My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

For more information on learning how to tune into God’s voice, check out My Journey with God.

Prayer: Father, this week, I will tune my spirit to your Spirit. I will listen for your voice to guide me and lead me along the best pathway for my life (Psalm 32:8).

Over the years, fear has dominated much of life. My thoughts, my worries, my concerns, my anxieties were all dominated by the unseen world of “what if’s”. My decisions were founded in fear.

Paul wrote in Romans 6:16, “Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master?” Fear was my master.

• Fear told me not to drive. So, I obeyed.
• Fear told me not to fly. So, I obeyed.
• Fear told me what I could and could not do.
• Fear told me there is no hope. So, I believed.
• Fear told me I’ll never change. So, I believed.
• I had more faith in fear than I did in God.

Should we cast aside all fear? No. God created us with a fear response, what psychologist call the “fight or flight” mode. This is natural. But, there is a difference between rational fear and irrational fear.

• Rational fear says, “Don’t drive fast, because it’s dangerous.”
• Irrational fear says, “Don’t drive at all, because I might have an accident.”

• Rational fear says, “I wonder if I locked my front door.”
• Irrational fear says, “I’ve checked the front door three times now, but I should check it again to make sure it’s locked.”

Over the past few years, God has done an incredible work in my life regarding fear. I stopped praying for God to take away the fear and started praying for strength and courage to overcome the fear. I was tried of being a slave to fear.

Listen carefully to these instructions from God: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

God promises to strengthen you and help you. He promises to uphold you and carry you through the fear, if you’ll trust him. God doesn’t promise you freedom from the storm–he promises you protection through the storm.

I share this message from my heart, because it has worked in my life. So many people are desperately searching for something that works. This works. God can be trusted. He loves you more than you realize. Today, through Jesus Christ, turn from obeying fear, and turn to God. Let him carry you through the storms of fear.

Take that step, for God promises you this: “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2).

Prayer: Father, give me your strength, and give me the wisdom to know how to respond to fear. I choose today to rest in you and not fight this battle on my own.

This week marks a very special week in my life, and it’s because of what God has done in my life in the area of panic and fear.

As most of you know, my early life was crippled by fear and panic. It often hindered my daily life, and crushed my hopes and dreams for the future. But almost 10 years ago, God did an amazing work in my life, and today I am free from panic attacks and crippling fear.

Being free from fear has opened up a world of possibilities for me. The biggest was my dream to make movies. In the late 90’s, I started dabbling in media, making home movies and learning how to edit and produce short films.

Over a period of 10 years, I learned more about the production industry while working full time in my cubicle job. My passion for media grew quickly and eventually led me to resign my corporate job in 2005 to pursue my dream of owning my own production company.

Even that experience of resigning a cushy, corporate job with its steady income and benefits to chase a dream of owning my own company was quite the fear hurdle to overcome, but with the encouragement and blessing from my wife, we did it.

In the summer of 2006, my passion for movies had reached an all-time high, and I was ready to chase that dream and make a movie. At first, I was going to try and write the script myself, but it’s hard to write well. So, for my first film, I decided to find a script and just get a movie made so I can learn from the experience.

Instead of producing a faith-based movie (as I did with my short films), I decided to go the commercial route and produce a mystery thriller, whodunit film, to see if I could generate a profit for an indie film–a rarity in today’s market.

Later in 2006, while developing this movie project, I was having coffee with a friend of mine who loved the passion in me and said, “Russ, I want to fund the whole movie.” It was obvious that God was helping me chase my dreams. Immediately, we were up and running with production scheduled a few months later.

In early 2007, we spent 18 busy days shooting my first feature film, Fissure. Then, I spent that summer editing the film. Later that year, we finished up the music, sound and special effects. And, in 2008, we had our world premiere at the AFI Dallas film festival. Shortly after that, we were picked up for distribution–again, another rarity for indie films.

This summer on August 11th, we will release our feature film, Fissure. And starting June 15th, we will start posting webisodes of the movie online at Fissure.TV. In the meantime, you can watch some behind-the-scenes clips from the movie at Fissure.TV, including an interview of myself talking about the experience.

I wanted to share this story to encourage you. How many of you have had your dreams crushed by the weight of fear and panic and doubt? How many times have you stepped out and been pushed back down by fear? You see, fear has a way of crippling our dreams. That’s the tactic of the enemy. Many of our dreams have been planted in our hearts by God. And the enemy knows that by keeping us from our dreams, he is keeping us from our destiny.

Today, be encouraged that you can overcome your fear, chase dreams and pursue what God is calling you to do.

Prayer: Father, for years, I have been defeated by fear. My dreams have been buried for so long. Today, I ask you to rekindle your dreams in me. Help me see them clearly that I may begin walking them out in the strength of Christ.

When I was in high school, I remember thinking to myself: I’m in control of my life and my destiny. With a good education and hard work, I can do anything. I control whom I will marry, where I live, what I do. My life is in my control.

These thoughts were normal for me, but they would always fall short in one area–death. I could not control the inevitableness of death, or what happens to me after I die. This revelation would trigger total panic in me. What control I thought I had was really no control at all.

People like to think they’re in control–control of their lives, their future, their peace. But control is an illusion. Yes, we can affect certain aspects of our lives. Our decisions affect what happens to us. That’s the law of consequences. But our life is not our own, as much as we’d like to think it is.

“Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20a).

The more we attempt to control our life, the more fear and anxiety controls us. This illusion of control makes us feel safe and secure. But, when something happens that is out of our control–a job loss, a doctor’s bad report, a spouse leaves–suddenly, our world becomes very unstable. Our little controllable world becomes more and more fragile.

However, the moment we relinquish all control to God, the fear of being out of control no longer has a place to work its destructive plans. Our minds are released from the need to fix everything, to maintain everything, to control everything.

“A job loss.” Well, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10). Surely, he can take care of you. He is the Lord who provides (Genesis 22:14).

“A doctor’s bad report.” Well, God purchased you at a high price (1 Corinthians 7:23). If God owns you, then surely he can take care of you. And, Jesus holds the keys to death and the grave (Revelation 1:18). Not man.

“A spouse leaves.” Even if someone abandons you, God will never abandon you. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9).

I’m going to make a bold statement here, but I believe with all of my heart: There is absolutely nothing that has happened, is happening or will happen to you that you and God can’t handle together. In Jesus, all things are possible (Luke 18:27).

God wants to be first in your life. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will fall in place (Matthew 6:33). Give him control of your life. Not just a little control. Not just control in your weak areas. Give him all control. Let him carry the burden for you. I can say with all of my heart, it’s well worth it.

Prayer: Father, I give you control of my life. I trust you.

A few years ago, we got a new puppy–a golden retriever. Full grown, these dogs can be quite large, anywhere between 80 to 120 pounds. But at 6 weeks old, Ginger was pretty small when we picked her up.

Keesha–the much older and wiser dog of the home–wasn’t much larger than the new little pup. Ginger’s curiosity quickly began to threaten Keesha’s little world. As the adventurous, young pup ventured into unwelcome territory, Keesha would immediately reveal her teeth and start to growl. If she got too close, Keesha would bark and even snap at her, but never bite her.

Initially, Ginger was quite intimidated. At the hint of Keesha’s threatening growl, the little pup would submissively roll over onto her back showing Keesha that she didn’t want any trouble. Two months later, however, Keesha still shows her teeth, barks and even snaps, but Ginger now knows that Keesha is all bark and no bite.

I share this story for one reason–fear is the same way. Fear, like Keesha, can show its fierce teeth, bark viciously and sometimes even snap at you. But, fear is all bark and no bite.

For the longest time, I would immediately rollover and cower at the first growl of fear. I would avoid a particular situation or skirt around an area that I knew was a threat. Soon, my world became smaller and smaller.

Unlike Ginger, who quickly recognized that her fear was baseless, I continued giving way to consuming fear. The growl, too loud. The threat, too real. But in answer to prayer, God started to show me just how unfounded my fear was, and how much I could trust him through those terrifying times.

Today, fear stills growls, roars and shows its ugly teeth attempting to scare me, but like Ginger, I now know that it’s all bark and no bite. By the grace and strength of God, I no longer give way to that fear.

erbium doped fiber amplifier“Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Prayer: Father, for too long, I’ve listened to the bark of fear. I’ve cowered, rolled over onto my back and gave in to roaring of the enemy. Father, I’m so tired of giving into this fear. Give me your strength to rise above the fear. Give me courage to press through. Help me to know that fear is all bark and no bite, and that I can trust you with all of my heart. With your strength, I choose today to no longer give in to fear. No matter how strong the growl sounds or how fierce the teeth look, I will not cower. In your strength, we will overcome. Lord, I ask all of these things in the name of Jesus. Amen!

For each and every one of you reading this, thank you! You are a testimony to God’s faithfulness in my life. Let me explain.

In May of 1996, I received my first email from a lady struggling with panic attacks. The subject of the email read: “I would like to talk about panic disorder”. I had just posted my story on the Internet, and a few people started writing to me. They wanted to talk with me about what I was going through.

At that point in my life, the anxiety, panic and sleepless nights were at an all-time high. It was very difficult for me to drive or be alone. Going to bed at nights was especially a challenge.

But, I shared my story anyway. I didn’t want to, especially since I was still battling the fear at time. It was a deep struggle within my soul. “But, I’m not free yet. No one will listen to me. Maybe I should wait for the right time, the perfect opportunity to share my story.”

I wanted to wait. I wanted to hold back and only start this endeavor after everything was in place, after I was totally free, after the testimony in my life was strong and founded. But, I pressed on in faith. Things began to grow. The Season of Peace was birthed. Today, that single testimony on the Internet has grown into a full, non-profit Internet-based ministry. That one single correspondence in 1996 has grown to over a thousand weekly subscribers today.

If I had waited for that perfect moment, that right time, that opportune season to share my story, I would still be waiting. There would be no weekly message, no devotional being published, no Internet ministry, no website, nothing. Today, I’m free. Today, fear no longer has any control over my life. Panic attacks are a thing of the past. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

Let me ask you. Are you waiting for that perfect opportunity to go back to school, start a family, write a book, change careers, compose a song, start a business? What exactly are you waiting for? Don’t let fear keep you from experiencing all that God has for you. Don’t let the risk of failure keep you from risking at all.

It’s a lot like receiving Christ into your heart. If you were to wait until your life is perfect, holy and sinless before you invited Jesus into your life, then you would still be waiting on your deathbed, for it is Christ within us that makes us perfect, holy and sinless. God says to you, “Choose today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).

Today, ask your Father for the strength and endurance to step out into what he is calling you to do. Start with something small, and let him bring it to life. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin” (Zechariah 4:10a).

Prayer: Father, give me your strength today in Christ, the strength that empowers to walk in victory and freedom, for I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

If I had just one message to share with every person struggling with fear, depression or crippling anxiety, it would be this: God does not take away our problems–rather, he gives us the strength and resources we need to overcome them. When I was battling fear and panic, my greatest victory came with this revelation.

When I was struggling, I waited and waited and waited for God to zap this fear out of me. But, it never came. The longer I waited, the more frustrated I became. The more I prayed, the more I questioned God’s silence. “Where are you, God? Why won’t you help me?”

As I read through the Bible desperately searching for some answers, I noticed a pattern: Noah wasn’t saved from the flood–he was saved through it (Genesis 6-8). The three Hebrew boys were not saved from the fire–they were saved through it (Daniel 3). Jesus wasn’t exempt from temptation–he persevered through it (Matthew 4).

Then, I found this scripture in Isaiah where God is telling his children about the difficulties they’ll face: “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (43:2).

Notice what is said in this verse:

• when you go through…
• when you go through…
• when you walk through…

Yet, God promised them:

• “I will be with you.”
• “You will not drown.”
• “You will not be burned up.
• “The flames will not consume you.”

What are you deep waters? Loneliness, despair, depression? God will be with you. What are your rivers of difficulty? Driving alone, fearful nights, the grocery store? You will not drown.

Reading through the first part of that chapter, I could hear my Father’s gentle, caring voice. You can hear it too. Listen.

• “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine” (verse 1).
• “I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (verse 3).
• “You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you” (verse 4).
• “Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (verse 5).

This week, spend some time with your Father. If you listen carefully with your heart, you will hear his words of love over you. Let his love carry you through the deep waters of depression and through the fiery flames of fear. In Christ, God is with you.

Prayer: Father, help me understand that you did not come into my life to take away my problems. Rather, you have come into my life to give me the strength and resources to rise above them. You have called me not to be an escape artist, but rather an overcomer. Lord, in Christ, I will overcome.

I’ve talked with thousands of people over the years regarding anxiety, panic attacks and fear. One of the most common things people say to me is this: “Surely, God is punishing me.” Most people see this crippling fear and anxiety as God’s punishment.

For years, I was convinced that these episodes of fear were God’s way of punishing me. After all, I deserved it. I was living an unholy life, walking in my own ways, doing my own thing. Surely, this was God’s punishment.

Over the years, I began learning about the punishment of God. You see, punishment has to do with a penalty. Once a violation has been made, there’s a penalty for that violation. When you are punished, you’re receiving the penalty for your violation.

“But Russell, I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life. I probably deserve to be punished.” Yes, I know. I deserve punishment as well. The Bible says that we are all sinners, and that all of us have turned away from God (Romans 3:23). So yes, we all deserve punishment.

But listen carefully to the next two verses in Romans 3, “Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us” (verses 24-25a).

If you’ve committed your life to Jesus Christ, then you are free from the punishment of sin. You are free from the penalty of your wrongdoing. God has declared you “Not Guilty”. That’s God’s promise to you, and what a wonderful promise!

I believe most people’s fears are based on an incorrect understanding of punishment. Here’s what the Bible says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). Let me rephrase that in my own words: “God loves you so much that he has released you from the punishment of your sins through Jesus Christ. There is no need to fear God’s punishment for those who are in Christ.”

“But Russell,” you may respond, “I received Jesus into my heart. Yet, I still fear.”

I know. It’s frustrating. When I became a Christian, and I still experienced episodes of fear. But here’s what I learned from the Bible about these hard times: “Endure hardship as discipline. God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 7a, 10b). Today, years later, after being trained by this discipline, I am now free from these crippling panic attacks.

Discipline is not the same as punishment. Discipline has a good, redemptive purpose. Yes, it’s painful. Yes, it hurts. Yes, I wanted it to stop. But, the purpose of discipline is to teach us. Hebrews 12:11 confirms this: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Are you being trained by your hardships? Are you learning anything from these difficult circumstances? Or, have you chosen to step back into your comfortable world of victim-ness, where it’s easier to blame others rather than do something yourself?

Take time to carefully listen to his discipline of the Lord, because God promises a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who are trained by it. Step out courageously into God’s training. Seek the Lord and spend time with him. Learn from your pain. Dig deep into the truths of the Bible and carefully obey the instructions of the Lord. Remember, God disciplines those he loves.

Prayer: Father, first and foremost, I declare that I’m a sinner who deserves punishment. I’ve done many wrong things in my life. I turn from those things now. I choose to believe in Jesus Christ, who has taking upon himself my punishment. I receive Christ as my Lord. Father, help me through this time of discipline. I want to be trained quickly. Strengthen me and help me that I may walk in this harvest of peace and righteousness. I ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

For years, I pleaded with God, “Why Lord? Why must I go through this? Why must I suffer with this crippling anxiety and fear? Why must anyone suffer? Is it because of sin? Have I done something wrong to deserve this? Why Lord? Just tell me why?”

I’m sure many of you have had similar thoughts and dialogs with God. Deep down, we have this burning desire to know why bad things happen. The randomness and vulnerability of life drives us to want to know why.

Do you ever wonder why people need to know why?

I think if we knew why, it could help us to feel more in control of our life. It would make us less vulnerable, because we could take steps to avoid the pain and maintain control of our lives. Another benefit of knowing why is so that we could remedy the situation, make it go away and give us the comfort we crave.

Jesus addressed this need to know why: About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the Temple in Jerusalem. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered?” (Luke 13:1-2).

These people were brutally murdered. Was there some sin in their lives? Was their worship wrong? Did they have some secret hidden agenda that made God mad? Come on, Jesus, tell us why. Then, in verse 4, Jesus asks, “And what about the eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem?” Tell me, Jesus, I want to know why. Help us understand so that we can feel less vulnerable, so that we can stay in control of our lives. Tell us why.

In both questions, Jesus responded with similar answers: “Not at all! And you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God” (verse 5).

In a sense, Jesus was saying, “Stop seeking to know why, and turn to God. Stop spending all your energy looking at the past, and focus on the present. You don’t need to know why. You need to know God.”

I believe there are some situations where we should seek out the “why’s” in our life, but they are rare, and they should only be initiated by God. I think we spend way too much emotional and mental energy pursuing things in our past, when we should be pursuing God in the present.

This week, take time to draw close to God. The Bible promises us that if we draw near to him, he will draw near to us (James 4:8). Ask God to release you from your need to know why.

Prayer: Lord, please help me to stop focusing on “why” and focus on you. Jesus told us to seek first the Kingdom of God. Help us to focus this week on you, Father.

When the storms of anxiety and fear blow into your life, they’re often carried by the winds of doubt. “Will I ever get through this?” “Is this the one?” “God are you still there?” “Oh, I feel so alone.”

I used to think doubt and faith were opposites–like night and day, black and white, good and evil. They seem contrary to one another. “Either you have faith or you have doubt. One can’t exist in the presence of the other.” Yet, the more I study, the more I realize that faith and doubt are like sisters–related, but different.

If you had absolutely no doubt in your mind, would you need faith? No, for faith is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is what you hold on to when the winds of doubt pound hard against your soul.

My definition of faith has changed over the years. I used to think faith was this ability to muster up enough “belief” in something until there was no more doubt. But that’s not faith. Faith is how you respond in the presence of doubt.

At one particular point in his ministry, Billy Graham was experiencing a dark period in his life. He felt as if God had disappeared. I’m sure his mind was filled with doubts. He wrote to his mother about the experience, and she replied, “Son, there are many times when God withdraws to test your faith. He wants you to trust Him in the darkness. Now, Son, reach up by faith in the fog and you will find that His hand will be there.”

Yes, the winds of doubt will storm into your life, but think of your faith as a kite. As the wind of doubt blows harder, it will lift your faith, your kite, higher into the sky. As long as your kite of faith is firmly fashioned in Jesus Christ, then it will weather the storms of doubt.

Doubt and faith can coexist. As a kite without wind cannot fly, neither can your faith be lifted higher without the winds of doubt.

“Without faith it is impossible to please [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

This week, let me encourage you to seek God. Seek him with all your heart. He rewards those who diligently seek him. You will find him with you search for him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). That’s a promise from God.

Prayer: Father, my mind struggles with doubts, but today, I choose to trust you. I put all of my faith in you. Even when doubts come crashing in, my faith is in you.