Four Signs Fear Is Affecting My Vision

In Philippians 4:19 I read, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

Fear makes me miserable. Looking at my life and the future with eyes of fear will never produce joy.

After the spies gave their reports of the Promised Land to Moses—most of them negative—here’s how the Israelites responded: “Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. ‘If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!’ they complained” (Numbers 14:1-2 NLT).

Now, that’s a full-blown pity party. The Israelites were so afraid of what was going to happen, that they just wanted to die in the desert rather than trust whatever God had in store for them.

These verses from Numbers 14 include four warning signs. When these warnings show up in my life, I will know that I’m looking at the future with eyes of fear.

My sadness increases. Depression can be caused by a lot of things, and it robs me of joy. If I feel sadness pushing out my joy, consider whether I’m allowing fear to skew my perspective.

My complaining increases. When I’m afraid, I want others to share in my misery. If I don’t think I’ve been complaining more, check with my spouse. Sometimes they can see how my fear is manifesting itself better than I can.

I start second-guessing. The Israelites all complained about the very people who had led them out of slavery. Fear always sows seeds of doubt.

I want to go backwards. Because their perspective was so skewed by fear, the Israelites thought it would be better to die in slavery in Egypt. Of course, they didn’t really want that. But when I’m living with a vision of fear instead of faith, I can’t look at the future with hope.

I shouldn’t be someone who complains and is always looking back. That’s why God wants me to see the future through eyes of faith, not fear. Start growing my faith today by reserving intentional time with God and in his Word, which says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).

The more I get to know God and his promises, the more purposefully and joyfully I will move toward my future.

In summary, God will meet all my needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Fear only makes me miserable. Looking at my life and the future with eyes of fear will never produce joy. After the spies gave their reports of the Promised Land, most of them negative, the Israelites responded with: weeping and voices rose in protest against, they complained. The Israelites were so afraid of what was going to happen, that they just wanted to die rather than trust whatever God had in store for them. The verses from Numbers 14 include four warning signs. When these show up in my life, I will know that I’m looking at the future with eyes of fear. First, my sadness increases. If I feel sadness pushing out my joy, consider whether I’m allowing fear to skew my perspective. Second, my complaining increases. I want others to share in my misery. Third, I start second-guessing. The Israelites all complained about the very people who had led them out of slavery. Fear always sows seeds of doubt. Lastly, I find myself wanting to go backwards. When I’m living with a vision of fear instead of faith, I can’t look at the future with hope. I shouldn’t be someone who complains and is always looking back. God wants me to see the future through eyes of faith, not fear. Start growing my faith by reserving intentional time with God and in his Word, For God will meet all my needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. The more I get to know God and his promises, the more purposefully and joyfully I will move toward my future.

I can trust that God will always meet my needs. Whatever I need on earth he will always supply. However, I must remember the difference between my wants and my needs. While I want to feel good and avoid discomfort and pain, I may not always get what I want. By trusting in Christ, my attitude and appetite can change from wanting everything to accepting his provision and power to live for him.