Only I can make myself afraid. My kids decisions can’t. The news can’t. Finances can’t. I have to allow them to have that place, which means only I can make myself afraid. Learning that is important. It empowers me. It means I can avoid living as a victim even if I’ve been victimized. Learning how fear works is even more important, otherwise I’ll continue to give people and situations power they don’t have. How I see things (no matter what I see) is one of the 2 factors that decides if my brain creates fear or not. Any place I feel fear I want to look at how I’m seeing it and question my perspective.

Anger is often created inside us because fear was first. Learning to reduce or eliminate fear will automatically do the same for much of our anger. Managing anger is helpful to some extent, but focusing only on anger can also end up keeping the fears in place.

When God says, “Be angry, and do not sin” He’s telling us a couple of really important things: Be angry: He’s encouraging us to feel anger. Not merely allowing us to feel it, encouraging us to feel it. Too many try not to feel angry when they actually do. They try to act as if they don’t feel it. Suppress it. Or convince themselves it’s wrong. But it’s encouraged, by God Himself. The anger isn’t right or wrong, it’s a signal. What we do because of it is what decides that. …and do not sin… Another thing He’s saying is that feeling angry doesn’t have to decide how we act or how we treat people. We can still control ourselves no matter how much anger we feel. …and give no opportunity to the devil. Not only that, but when we get this, we discover how to prevent the enemy access into our lives. Could it be that trying to suppress anger opens a door to the enemy? Could acting like we don’t feel give him access? Or is allowing it to decide what we do the thing that actually grants him a foothold? Yes, yes, and yes. In other words, dishonesty about anger is an opening the enemy will take advantage of. Honesty shuts him out.

Hi 👋🏻 I’ve a parenting question that I’d really appreciate some wisdom on but I want to respect my son’s privacy so don’t want to ask the question for everyone to see. Is there a smaller / more private space on here to ask questions/seek some wisdom and advise please? Thanks, Bethany 😊

Did you know we create fear inside ourselves? Fear is often disguised as concern. Or care. Or superimposed over love. Fear generates inside us when we perceive a threat. When we don’t perceive a threat, fear will not generate. To the extent we learn to redefine threats as opportunities is the amount we reduce our creation of fear.