Many people live in fear and anxiety much of their lives, but it is possible to break free from this bondage and live an abundant life. Here is a practical guide to living in peace:
1. Fear has an ecosystem. Fear distorts the facts and retells the story towards a negative outcome. The anticipation of a negative outcome increases my anxiety, which unleashes more adrenaline in my body. Greater levels of adrenaline cause an increase in my toxic thoughts. This increased toxicity releases more adrenaline … and the beat goes on until I finally have a panic attack.
2. The fear cycle is broken when I take control of my thoughts instead of them controlling me. I proactively retell each fearful story according to God’s good intention. Slowly the adrenaline subsides and dopamine (the feel-good chemical) is released in my body, which causes me to “feel” the reality of my divine outcome (2 Cor. 10:3-6).
3. I can’t always help what happens to me or around me, but I have 100 percent control over what happens in me.
4. Thankfulness is the simplest way to inoculate myself from fear because I can’t “feel” gratitude and “feel” fearful at the same time.
5. I can proactively control the level and frequency of thankfulness in my life. I simply make a list of all the good things that have happened in my life and the good words spoken about me. Then I envision them as I repeat them to myself. This is Biblical meditation (Phil. 4:4-9 and Josh. 1:1-8).
6. I can transform my life by renewing the way I think. Any thought that doesn’t inspire hope in me is rooted in a lie. I reject any thought that inspires hopelessness and search for thoughts that infuse me with hope.
7. I can’t afford to have a thought in my mind that isn’t in God’s mind because I have been granted the mind of Christ!
8. When negative thoughts are not resisted, but instead cultivated by dwelling on them for more than a few hours, they become attitudes. Attitudes are a “way of thinking.” So I go from a bad thought to a bad way that I process information. Eventually, I become pessimistic. Pessimism (the attitude of negativism) actually attracts more bad thoughts, which again creates an ecosystem of anxiety.
9. The ecosystem of pessimism inspires a faithless culture that affects the people around me. When they embrace my fearful, pessimistic and thankless attitude, they extend the culture of anxiety.
10. Over time, this culture of fear becomes a lifestyle of pain, panic and powerlessness.
But it’s all an illusion because all things work together for good in my life in the end. So if it’s not good, it’s not the end.
Have you been trapped in the ecosystem of fear? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Kris Vallotton is the senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and co-founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). Kris travels internationally, training and equipping people to successfully fulfill their divine purpose. He’s a best-selling author, having written more than a dozen books and training manuals to help prepare believers for life in the kingdom. He has a diverse background in business, counseling, consulting, pastoring and teaching, which gives him unique leadership insights and perspectives. Kris has a passion to use his experience and his prophetic gift to assist world leaders in achieving their goals and accomplishing their mission.
For the original article, visit krisvallotton.com.
