When the voices won't be silent

 Have you ever had times when the voices in your head kept insisting that you were going to fail? Or maybe they were telling you that you were in danger? Maybe it wasn't a physical danger you were facing, but it was a financial danger or a relationship danger or some other type of danger. Perhaps the voices were shouting that you were in over your head in some matter, and you wouldn't emerge victorious this time. Even worse, no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't silence those voices. They kept replaying the tape over and over again in your mind, and at night the volume seemed to get louder.

Maybe you've not experienced this. I have. Yes, even ministers can battle anxiety and have times when the voices in our heads seem to overwhelm us. If a mighty prophet like Elijah had to fight such battles I figure I'm not immune to them either.

You might remember that after Elijah defeated the false prophets the wicked queen Jezebel sent word that she was going to take Elijah's life. You might think that after the victory Elijah had over the prophets he wouldn't be scared of such threats, but he was. He ran for his life and begged God to take his life. He told God he had had enough and couldn't take any more. I can identify, and I'm guessing some of you can as well. Being a Christian doesn't make us immune from such feelings.

Even though we know God is with us and will bring us the final victory in all things, there are times we feel we've had all we can handle. Fears and anxieties begin to threaten to overwhelm us. We begin to believe the voices that tell us this time God isn't going to come through, and the more we begin to believe this the louder the voices get. Is there anything we can do to conquer these voices and fears?

The thing that has helped me is to spend more time in the Word and prayer. I keep reminding myself of God's promises, and I talk through my feelings with someone I trust completely. That person is my wife. It needs to be someone who won't judge you or think less of you because of your fears and doubts. Unfortunately, some Christians will make you feel worse in such times because they will question your lack of faith or even your walk with God. Avoid those people! Be honest with those who will walk with you during this valley in your life. God will use them to help you through, and when you get through the other side you will realize God was with you through the entire journey. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, and He never will!