Fear.  When fear grips a person, it can be inwardly paralyzing.  It can even cause physical problems.  Have you ever been so gripped by fear that your stomach has been tied up in knots?  “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”  [Ps. 34:4] 
      Often we are fearful of things that we are afraid we may have to experience, but if God chooses to take us through that particular valley, we find out that there was no need to be so fearful.  We find out that He is right there beside us and all our fears were in vain.  Like Jesus said to the disciples during the storm, “Why are you so fearful?“  God wants to deliver us from fear!

Fretting.  Trusting God and fretting just don’t work together.  It’s either one or the other.  Have you ever known someone who seems to always be fretting about something?  Don’t be that kind of person!  Be a person who reminds others, “God will take care of it.”  Have you ever known that kind of person?  They are so refreshing to be around!  “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, fret not thyself. . .” [Ps. 37:7]  When you are tempted to begin to worry and fret, just remind yourself Whom your trust is in.  Choose to rest in the Lord.

Confidence in self.  “I’m a strong person.”

Confidence in another person. “I know they’ll always be there for me.”

Confidence in an institution. “We can always turn to. . . (the church, government, etc.)”

Confidence in a method.  “What does this book say we should do?”

Anything on this earth that we put our confidence in, no matter how sure it may seem, has the possibility of turning into a question mark.  We fail.  Other people fail us.  They may get sick, die, or sometimes worse, walk away from us.  Even tried and true methods sometimes don’t work.  Institutions can go astray.

Sometimes, God puts situations in our lives that leave us nowhere to turn.  Nowhere, that is, except to Him.  We feel that nobody understands.  Nobody, that is, except Him.  Bring it all to Him.  I remember talking to a dear lady, who is now in heaven, about a difficult situation I was facing.  I shared with her that I felt that nobody understood, not even my wonderful husband, and how hard it was to have no one to really talk to about it.  She smiled at me and gently said, “That’s because God wants you to talk to Him about it.”  Although it was several years ago, I have never forgotten her words to me.

GOD is the only one we can turn to who is truly unmovable.  He will forever be a surety.  He knows the end from the beginning. The bottom line in the Christian life is to put our trust in the true and living God, first of all for our salvation, and for every day thereafter, for everything we face, for every situation that comes across our path.

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song will I praise Him.” [Ps. 28:7]