I’ve had this post in my head for months. It’s about fears. It’s about food. And it’s all about God. This week, I stepped out in facing my fears by making a forty day personal commitment between me and God.  For forty days, I’ll move towards God and farther away from my deepest fears.

Draw near to God and He will draw near you. (James 4:8)

It’s hard to be honest with you because I don’t know who you are. You might be my neighbor, my colleague, or an acquaintance I see at the grocery story. I don’t know everyone who reads my blog, but when I’ve talked about addictions, eating disorders and overcoming in the past, I’ve heard from you.

My struggles resonate with your struggles.

So I share.

Even though my stuff is “in the past” it’s still part of my present. By talking about my struggle with food, I risk you looking at me strangely when we’re together or having you judge me or risk that you’ll gossip to others about my stuff.

But my fear are your fears. So here it goes.

Instead of  facing my fears by running to God, I run to food, to substitutes for food and things to help me avoid food. While I still go to Him with most of my struggles, but I don’t lean on Him for my every need.

Do you?

If you have a personal relationship with Christ, like me, He wants us to run to Him. Every time. Not just on Sunday mornings, not just when we’re in trouble, not  just when we’re worried.  He wants us to run to Him with our every thought, care, joy, pain and everything in between.  

But who or what do you run to instead? A friend? Coffee? Shopping? Wine? Food? Sex? Exercise? Control? Manipulation? Anger? Your rights?

Our coping mechanism masks underlying fear. 

Fear of the unknown

Fear of failure

Fear of succeeding

Fear of giving up control

Fear of being exposed

Fear of our insecurities

Fear of abandonment

Fear of death

Fear of who we are.

I’ve lived one decade with an eating disorder and two decades without one. That’s pretty darn good in the fight of overcoming addictive behavior. But I can’t run away from food. I face it every day. Every day I have to make choices about it and the role it has played in my life of coping with my fears and insecurities.

God has been challenging me that He wants me to run to Him even more.

He wants the same from you, too.

Because He wants all of us. He wants His perfect love to cast out all fears (1 John 4:18).

God’s asked me to come to Him instead of what brings me comfort, fulfillment and satisfaction.

He wants me to lean into Him with my fears and let Him satisfy.

As you read this,

• Are there things you should give up so He can have more of you?
• What do you run to instead of running to God?
• What do you substitute for God  in overcoming your fears?
• Will you let Him take your fears and pour His perfect love into you to cast them out?

It’s scary facing your fears without the armor of what we cope with.  But God’s ways are better than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). I’m ready to let Him do it. I’ve learned I can trust Him.

Will you join me by facing your fears for forty days by running to God instead of your coping mechanism? If you want to join me, I’d love to know how I can pray with you – prayer partners! You can comment below or email me at brenda@brendayoder.com.

😎 😎

If you’re not ready to face your fears for forty days, join me in another informal endeavor. I have the privilege to join Kayse Pratt at kaysepratt.com as a leader for her Simply Devoted challenge to be in God’s word every day for six weeks. She’s put together accountability groups for women to study God’s word daily.  While the groups are already set up, I’ll be posting words of encouragement on my Facebook page for you to be in God’s word, too!   Kayse’s passion to draw women to God’s word mirrors mine and I hope each of you can take the challenge to be in God’s word – even for a moment every day.  So join me as I partner with Kayse and her readers by being intentional about being in God’s word!  Come on over to the Facebook page for discussion about what you’re learning about God from His word!