“The enemy has a choke-hold on you.” These are the words the Holy Spirit spoke to me as I returned to bed from a late night bathroom visit. A disturbing message to say the least and I knew exactly why it was spoken—once again I was consumed with worry and fear.

Worry and fear—my lifelong companions. I honestly don’t remember a time in my life from a very young age of 4 or 5 to the present that at some level, I haven’t struggled with these two life draining emotions. Is it just my nature to worry and be fearful? Perhaps I and others are more genetically predisposed to high levels of anxiety but I also believe for me—to some extent—it was very much learned.

I remember adopting a very bizarre concept when I was a child. I have no idea if this notion was actually spoken to me or I merely surmised it from watching and listening to the adults around me. But I had a thought process beginning around the time I started elementary school that went something like this: “if I worry about it enough, it won’t happen.”

How do you worry enough? Interestingly, I suppose that equated for me to mean worry constantly…what other choice did I have? There isn’t a one size fits all worry assessment tool that once a certain level is obtained then bada-bing, bada-boom—all worrying can now be halted because you have worried enough!

I distinctly remember telling people as I got older that “worrying is what I do, I am a worrier.” Angst so dominated my daily life I actually adopted it as my normal mental status and identity as if it was something to brag about as if it was my profession. I was a professional worrier. Ludicrous!

Thankfully, I have through the healing work of Christ, been set free of a great deal of this constant burden that I carried for many years. Truthfully, I can’t say I never worry but I can say I no longer subscribe to the perverted notion of worrying enough.

Beloved, the enemy wants nothing more than to render Christians useless through whatever means he can find. Fear and worry work pretty well for most of us. Our enemy prowls like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) and few things can consume me and perhaps you like worry and fear. But here’s the good news—we have a lion tamer and his name is Jesus!

Here are a few of my favorite go-to verses when I feel the suffocation of worry and fear creeping into my consciousness:

• So 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 (NIV)
  
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7 (NIV)
• Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
• Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Matthew 6:25 (NIV)
• For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13 (NIV) 

Just within these few verses and there are many more, the Lord assures us that He is with us, we belong to Him and He will strengthen us and provide peace beyond our human understanding. But within these same verses we learn our role—we are told to not be distraught but to pray and present our requests to the Lord while also giving thanks. It’s a two-way street; an if-then situation—if we turn our thoughts to the Lord and seek Him, then we can rest in His strength and the peace only He can provide.

It appears we have two choices—allow the enemy to put a life draining choke-hold on us or choose to let the King of Kings provide life giving hope and peace.

C. Deni Johnson