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.Geri s description of anxiety is being in a room where thewalls are steadily moving in on you, closing you in until you cannot evenbreathe. That sounds like the source of the word anxiety, which is the term to choke. Anxiety is being choked internally by apprehension when youare unable to control the uncontrollable.The apostle Paul offers the bestdefense against anxiety when he says to turn your anxious thoughts intoprayers:Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer andpetition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7And the peace ofGod, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and yourminds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6 7Here s a worksheet to use the next time you feel a general sense ofanxiety:Anxiety WorksheetFeeling generally anxious? Answer the following questions:1.What is out of my control that is making me feel anxious?Example : I can t keep people from criticizing me unjustly.Example : I can t make myself go to sleep.2.What s the worst that could happen?Example : My reputation could be damaged.Example : I could feel tired and sick tomorrow.106 Courage Day : Fear: Exposing Your Inner Pinnochio3.What is in my control?Example : I can control how I react to unjust criticism.Example : I can rehearse my Scripture memory verses while I m lying awake.4.How can I let God take control of everything else?Example : I give God my reputation.Example : I ll ask God for strength to get through the day tomorrow.Give God the control.LyingYou may find it odd that I have included lying in the short list of fear s mostcommon companions, but I think that some lying is very much a reflex offear.If you ll recall, in an earlier section I pointed out that lying is not asolitary sin it always pairs up with another sin, to cover it up.For instance,Pinocchio s initial lie had to do with skipping school; that lie dragged com-panion lies along with it, one after the other, like a parade of sin.That swhere fear usually comes in.Lies cover up something you re afraid will befound out afraid your shortcomings will be discovered, afraid your mis-take will be criticized, or afraid of the consequences of your sin.But here s the real truth about lying: Lying doesn t make things better;it makes things worse like Pinocchio s growing nose.When you tell a lie,you are forming a web of deceit around the sin you re trying to hide, andthe only person who gets caught in that trap is the liar herself.Even thoughit might not feel like it at the time, when you courageously speak the truth,you have opened the prison doors and set yourself free to be a real woman. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32107 Part : The Making of a Right Relationship to MyselfYou obviously won t be able to run and get the Lying Worksheet (below)when you re in the middle of a conversation and tempted to lie, so try tomemorize the three-point checklist, so you can quickly self-evaluate beforeyou let a lie slip from your mouth.Lying WorksheetTempted to tell a lie? Silently answer the following questions before you speak:.What am I trying to cover up?Example : I m afraid I m not good enough.Example : I blew it.What s the worst that could happen if I tell the truth, and how long wouldthe consequences last?Example : I ll feel embarrassed, and that will stick with me for about a week.Example : My colleague will be angry, and he ll probably stay angry for aboutfifteen minutes.What s the worst that could happen if I do lie and it is discovered? (Theseconsequences are usually worse than the consequences of the truth.)Example : I could lose my job for faking my records.Example : He may have difficulty trusting me again.Tell the truth and let God take care of the consequences.108 Courage Day : Fear: Exposing Your Inner PinnochioLying vs.Truth-TellingIf lying is a real problem area for you, you might also want to memorize someof the many verses about lying and truth-telling in the Bible, for example:The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.Proverbs 12:22The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tonguecrushes the spirit.Proverbs 15:4 NIVThe wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly offools is deception.Proverbs 14:8JournalTypes of FearsSelect your top three fears from the following list:¡% Fear of danger Something terrible will happen to me. ¡% Fear of ridicule They will laugh at me. ¡% Fear of criticism They will find something wrong with me. ¡% Fear of abandonment They will leave me here all alone. ¡% Fear of rejection They will not let me join them. ¡% Fear of embarrassment They will whisper about me. ¡% Fear of attention I will stand out in a crowd
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