Waiting for the Other Boot to Drop... Part 3a: Victory Over Fear & Anxiety

Do you feel this way?

You've experienced or witnessed major fall-out, loss, damage, repercussions, or trauma from someone's drug or alcohol use. Not just once, but it's happened time and time again. What's to keep it from happening again? You're living on guard, waiting for it to happen again.

I told our biblical counselor that I wanted a guarantee that my spouse would not use drugs or alcohol again. He was very candid and said that there was no guarantee that my husband wouldn't abuse substances again. There were things that he could guarantee if I was willing to hear and learn what the bible has to say.

For example:

Part 1: Where can I place my hope and trust if I can't guarantee that my spouse will not use again?

Part 2: Where can I place my safety and security if I can't rely on my spouse to remain drug and alcohol free?

Part 3a and 3b: How can I learn to live without being overcome by fear and anxiety of the unknown?

Part 4: How can I stop waiting for the other boot to drop?

There was a point in my life when I was overcome by fear, anxiety, and depression to the point where I couldn't work for more than a year. I was afraid that I would fall into this trap again with everything I was going through in my marriage. I shared this with our biblical counselor, and he assured me that the Word of God is sufficient for all of life's problems.

He led me to Philippians 4:4-7:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We can look at this Scripture as God's supernatural medicine for healing anxiety through the power of the Holy Spirit. God promises to guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus with the peace of God when we follow His prescription - His living word.

Paul, the author of Philippians, begins with a command that seems impossible in seasons of fear: "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice." Rejoicing means to be cheerful, glad, or joyful. It's written twice for emphasis. Rejoicing shifts our focus off our circumstances and onto who God is - His character, His works, and His promises.

There are countless reasons to rejoice in the Lord. Here are a few life-changing reasons to rejoice in the Lord always. Luke 1:14 tells us:

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

What a glorious occasion for God to become flesh here on earth to fulfill His purpose of taking the sin of the world on Himself so that those who believe in Him would be set free from the curse of sin and death and have life in Christ eternally. This is the gospel - the greatest reason to rejoice! Jesus' birth was foretold in Isaiah 7:14:

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Immanuel - God with us. God is not distant. He is present. We can take great comfort in this truth. This is a magnificent reason to rejoice in the Lord. His promise is true, He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Romans 12:12 speaks of "rejoicing in hope." This hope is not wishful thinking - it is a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. Jesus is our Hope. Jesus is our Eternal Life. Our security cannot rest in people, circumstances, or outcomes, but in Christ alone.