Be Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

This is my favorite verse in the Bible. God commands us to be strong and have courage. He is always with us. We can't hide from him, we are never alone, we can always turn to Him, no matter what! 

I have problems with anxiety. It's not debilitating, but it causes a lot of problems for me. I'm a "worry-wart". I'm learning to turn to God when I'm anxious. It is caused by so many things in my life not going the way I planned. Now I think the worst in most situations. Some examples: Everytime I go hunting I think I'll be shot. Everytime the kids play in the front yard, I think they'll get hit by a car. Everytime I'm in the car, I think an accident could happen, especially when it's snowing outside and the roads are slippery. I do not like snow. Everytime I'm in a public place where there are a lot of people and I'm trapped in the middle row, sitting watching something like a ballet or a movie or a race, I feel trapped and get nauseous and light-headed and worry I'll faint in front of a large crowd. It makes me want to go to my car by myself and hide out, so that I can breathe. 

These are times when I need to pray to God and say this verse to myself and conquer this anxiety. I need to be strong! I need to have courage! I need to block the negative thoughts that invade me whenever I'm not at home. I don't want to become a homebody that never leaves the house because I'm too scared. That's not a good life! That's what the devil wants. I need to pray and pray some more. That's my New Years Resolution!