I recently ran into a good friend of mine. As I greeted her, I casually asked, “How are you doing?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Not good.”
I asked what was going on, and her words came pouring out. She hadn’t slept well for days. Her mind was locked onto a situation she knew she would eventually have to face—one she was dreading deeply. The more she thought about it, the heavier that dread became. Before long, she was anxious, overwhelmed, and physically sick over it.
“I don’t know what to do,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
I looked at her and said gently but firmly, “Dread isn’t from God—and you can’t let it fester inside you. You’re becoming anxious, overwhelmed, and sick over something that hasn’t even happened—and may never happen.”
That’s what dread does. It pulls us into the future and invites us to imagine worst-case scenarios. It convinces us to live emotionally in a moment that hasn’t arrived, draining our peace, joy, confidence, and sleep. If left unchecked, dread becomes like a dark cloud that seeps into every corner of our mind until it chokes out hope.
So let me ask you today: What do you do when you feel dread creeping in about something ahead in your life?
Here’s an important truth to remember—most of the things we dread never happen, or at least not in the dreadful way we imagine. Scripture captures this perfectly:
“There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread!”
Psalm 53:5 (NIV)
Why would God say that? Because He was with them the entire time. Their fear was louder than reality, and their imagination louder than God’s presence.
Dreaded situations are rarely as hard as our minds make them out to be. More often than not, we later realize we wasted emotional energy, precious sleep, and inner peace over something that either never happened—or resolved far better than we feared.
When those moments of dread come, remember this: God’s Word is living and powerful. When it is read, believed, and trusted, it can instantly deflate anxious thinking—like a pin popping an overinflated balloon.
Peter reminds us of this truth simply and powerfully:
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
1 Peter 5:7 NLT is an example of that saying, "Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you." And, Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT2) "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
When God's promises are meditated on and trusted, they pull us out of the deep hole of anxious thinking and instead help us refocus on God's love and promises to us! Let the initial cares and worries you feel be nothing more than an alarm that wakes you up and reminds you to cast your cares unto the Lord. Let them be the alarm bell to put all of your faith and trust in His love for you and promises to you! Purpose to shut down those dreaded thoughts and immediately turn your thoughts into faith-filled prayers for His help that you lay at Jesus' feet. Do so and you'll have learned to eliminate the worries and dread from your head!
Philippians 4:8 (NIV) "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."
