Fact: Americans spend a lot of money protecting their belongings. This is not surprising. If something is valuable, it makes sense to take care of it.
Annually the average American spends about $2,000 on auto insurance, about $6,000 on health insurance, and a little less than $2,500 to protect their home. Money is willingly spent to protect the things we deem “precious,”—said with a Schmeigel voice—whether it’s from theft, damage, disease, or future misuse. With insurance, “what-if” scenarios seem to cause less tension, because you know you’ve planned ahead and have a recourse should things “go wrong.”
Of course this is not just an American phenomenon.
A few years ago, I took a quick trip through Europe after my mission trip in the Mediterranean. I stopped in a couple countries to visit friends, but I also stopped in a particular city to visit some works of art that I’d fallen in love with while studying art history decades prior.
During that quick hop through Europe, I stopped in the City of Lights. Full disclosure: People always seem to have negative things to say about Paris, but I think I will always love it—the food, the art, the architecture, the fashion, the rude French people… I love it all. (sigh) But I digress.
The city seemed just as exhilarating and energizing as I’d remembered it being decades before. But something was distinctly different about this visit to see my old friend, Mona. Now 20 years older, she was even more guarded, with two vigilant attendees by her side, she was now roped off and encased in plexiglass.
Art historians, collectors, painters, and museum directors would probably argue the value of Mona Lisa (with an insurance policy valued at $1B in 2023 dollars) is priceless due to its unique aspects, even though it is currently priced at $860 million. It’s understandable. Leonardo Da Vinci was considered a master at his work and Mona is his masterpiece.
But do you know the Bible say that the Bible actually calls you God’s masterpiece, created to do really great things?
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
I took a hard right turn there, I know. But this point is a crucial one to make: God values you and He personally protects what He deems as valuable.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Psalm 23:4–5
God values you. The Creator of Heaven and Earth loves you. The God who speaks things into being protects you and wants to see you succeed and prosper.
Take a look at Ephesians 2:10 once more, but now in the Amplified Classic version:
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Ephesians 2:10 AMPC
Mona is great, but she’s not going to get up and change the world. She may inspire people to do amazing feats, but she can’t do what you were made to do. And that’s why God is clear about taking care of you better than the Louvre takes care of Mona.
However, unlike Mona, we must actively and intentionally participate in order to stay focused and walk in the reality of Ephesians 2:10 in the everyday.
God is so good, He’s done more than secure an insurance policy for us. He gave His very best gift to make freedom and a successful life possible for you when He gave His Son to die to free you from fear, worry, anxiety, slavery, sickness, lack—should I go on? But we can’t just accept that gift and then not stand strong to keep the enemy from stealing what belongs to us. Instead we must stay vigilant as we move forward to keep what belongs to us.
Knowing that the enemy would make futile attempts to bully us into relinquishing the good works and inheritance God has for us, He filled the Bible with instructions to keep us in the place of continuous victory. From Genesis to Revelation, the Word contains numerous reminders of what our inheritance entails, particularly when it comes to the mind.
One verse that always helps me to avoid the lure of fear and anxiety is so simple that I instantly get annoyed when I don’t bring it to mind in response to the enemy’s schemes:
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:3
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
Isaiah 26:3 AMPC
The Bible doesn’t say we’ve been given access to a little bit of peace when we’re desperate. It says we can stay in perfect peace. Perfect. Peace. If you’re like me, then I know for a fact that perfect peace sounds so much better than panic attacks, headaches induced by crying, and nail-biting, stomach-churning meltdowns or feeling overwhelmed and cornered.
To protect that peace—because everyone is all about protecting their peace nowadays—and close the door to fear’s entry point, it will always be critical to monitor your intake. Yes, the Word, worship, and relationship are absolutely vital to triumphing over the enemy’s schemes. But many times we are pursuing the good and allowing the not-so good to come along for the ride.
And here’s what I mean by that:
1. Mind Your Ears
In the day and age we live in, we are constantly bombarded by messages, alerts, and companies trying to grab our attention. There is a lot that it would be helpful to not hear, but one thing I’ve implemented that’s made a huge difference in my thought life is monitoring my music intake. No, it’s not quite helpful to listen to music promoting what God calls sin, but I’ve even become selective about Christian music lyrics. While it was easy to have Christian radio playing in the background, in 2020 I started questioning everything and realized that some of what I was hearing was not what the Bible was saying.
For the record, I actually prefer Christian music to songs that justify revenge and physically assaulting an ex that was unfaithful. However, I would say monitoring the lyrics I was hearing was helpful in diffusing the lure of fear and anxiety, because I was no longer listening to (or singing about) hard circumstances and impossible situations. I know circumstances can look impossible, which is why I’d rather focus on the God of the impossible who brings about healing, deliverance, and miracles regardless of how things look. If I’m singing or humming along to how hard and challenging things are, then I am actually meditating, rehearsing, or programming my thoughts to be keenly aware of the problem, making it a lot easier to miss the solutions the Lord is making available to me.
If what you’re hearing is not in line with the Word of God, consider opting for music that boasts about God, His power, His authority, and how He willingly works miracles. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and He wants to see you triumph in every situation.
2. Mind Your Eyes
I’m sure we all know the things we don’t need to see, but one thing I eliminated that proved extremely useful to my peace was to eliminate the time I spent watching the news. Eons ago, I felt prompted to reduce the time I spent watching television during our annual church-wide fast. I was not excited about that, but I complied even though it meant missing the season finale of Lost, which goes to show how long ago that was. That time of fasting allowed me to focus on some key issues the Lord wanted to highlight without me using television to distract me from addressing those issues. Well, although I got used to watching less TV, completely eliminating my nonstop news intake has been one of the most beneficial steps I’ve taken. Instead of sitting and letting every segment of bad news and fear-inducing headlines agitate me or play with my emotions, I spent more time meditating upon the truth of the Word. When I needed to know something, I looked up specific pieces of information, popped into one press conference for a set amount of time or quickly scanned a few headlines. For me, this was a much better approach than listening to how horrible things were going and how much worse they were going to be.
3. Mind Your Mouth
Words carry power. The Bible is very clear when it lets us know that life and death is in the power of your tongue and that your tongue directs the course of your life the way a rudder does for a ship.
It’s important to declare the Word and the promises the Lord has for you. It’s also important to watch where you share your words. We can take a lesson from Joseph’s life. The Lord gave Joseph a glimpse of his future, which he shared with his brothers. Steeped in family competition, his siblings weren’t as excited as Joseph was about his trajectory toward leadership. Joseph had a vision from God, but that vision didn’t need to be shared with his brothers. The vision was for Joseph. His family was not equipped to steward the vision that had been given to their brother, even though they would be the ones to benefit from it coming to pass.
The people around you may love you, but when they haven’t seen what God has shown you and don’t have the capacity to receive what God has given you, their response can sometimes feel unhelpful. When we take Mary’s route, waiting to share things until an appropriate time, we eliminate the possibility of having other people’s doubts influence us, agitate us, or cause us to waste time, particularly if you have perfectionist tendencies. (Luke 2:51)
So here’s a question you might want to consider:
How does anxiety try to creep in? What thoughts or scenarios, environments, or people act as a trojan horse, allowing fear-based thoughts to hide, fester, and remain unchecked?
As you ponder that question, also consider these three actions I’ve taken that have made a huge difference in my outlook and ability to sidestep the lure of fear and anxiety’s tactics so I can train myself to stay focused on things above.
As an art lover, I often like to remind myself of something that I’ll pass along to you: DaVinci was a great artist, but God is greater than Da Vinci. And Mona is pretty fabulous, but she’s not you. You are irreplaceable.
God has great things for you to do and enjoy today and every day of your life. The ability to remove anxiety as our go-to response, frees the mind and emotions to move forward into those great things without unnecessary hesitation. Instead of wondering how it could work, we’re freed up to enjoy the moment of opportunity, as we see God strategically position us in direct alignment with His plans. Like children, we can remain excited, worry-free, and ready for adventure. God knows life is so much more enjoyable when fear no longer has access to us.
Don’t let worry camouflage the goodness that are available to you today. Don’t let anxiety distract you from the things that will make you feel truly alive. It’s all right there. The reason you were set free is to live and really enjoy life, so never let fear’s lies stop you. Because the best really is yet to come.
Until we see Him,
Fia