JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Worry, anxiety and fear are the same thing. They're the same emotion, just experienced on different levels, like stair steps.
Fear is a negative emotion caused by a real or perceived threat to our well-being. Anxiety means being uneasy and nervous about something we can't control--an event, person or problem. Worry is to mentally dwell on difficulty or trouble. This chronic concern is the lowest level of the emotional staircase.
The first step is worry. Worry turns to anxiety. Anxiety becomes fear.
Scripture commands us not to do any of those things. Don't worry. Don't be anxious. Do not fear. God would never command us to do something if we didn't have the ability to do it.
God wants our lives to be free from worry, anxiety and fear because these emotions distract us from God. They rob us of our families and joy. Yet we are in complete control of them. Worry and anxiety exist only because we allow them to.
How do we overcome them? Remember that God is your loving Father and He cares for you. Don't worry! Instead, start rejoicing that you have the best Father in the universe!