Faith Filled Family Magazine October 2016 | Page 68

Fear and Doubt Do Not
Have a Hold On Me
By Bobbie Schaeperkoetter

O

ur emotions are such
powerful things.
They
can move us and shape
our thoughts and actions in
ways that few things can. So
many people seem to be ruled
by their emotions. They bend
under the weight of their feelings
like branches in the breeze. I’ve
often been one of those people
who are blown about by powerful emotions. The hold has really lessened as I’ve matured,
but fear and doubt have always
plagued me. I was always fearful of not measuring up and of
not being found worthy, and I

doubted so much about myself.
Insecurity ruled over me.
Christians are called to behave a
little differently, though. We are
not to be tossed about by feeling or emotions. Romans 12:1-2
says “…present your bodies as
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship. Do not be
conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that by testing you
may discern what is the will of
God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

I don’t know about you, but man,
that was hard for me! Renewing my mind when it wanted to
just run wild with thoughts of fear
and doubt was a challenge. I
think the reason that I struggled
with these two emotions for so
long was because I always tried
to “fix” them myself.
I would change my thought patterns, my diet, my self-talk, my
habits, or try any other number
of various “self-help” ideas. I
assumed that if I found the right
tool, I could finally take authority
over the fear and doubt that so
often troubled me. It took me a