The Lord popped a thought into my mind the moment I woke up. He wanted to illustrate a significant truth. In my mind I saw myself in a chairlift swinging out over a very deep canyon.

I would not be doing that in the natural! Instantly I felt fear. My whole body reacted. I redirected my next thought to praise. I praised the Lord for His power, and thanked Him for being in control of all things. My body calmed down.

Then He spoke these words into my heart: emotions are driven by your thoughts. I quickly got out of bed and wrote the words down in my notebook.

I have read numerous times that all disease starts in the gut. Fear is a great contributor. Why? When we are fearful, our bodies are in a constant state of fight or flight. Yet, our brain does not distinguish between real or perceived fear. It reacts the same. Our heart rate goes up, our breathing increases, but our digestion either stops or decreases.

God has given us an amazing digestive system. However, we can compromise our health by entertaining unhealthy thoughts. According to the Hebrew thought, our gut is the seat of our more passionate emotions such as anger, love, or hate.

We need to translate that into our thought process. Can disease then be created by our thoughts? Constant anger or fear certainly negatively affects our digestion. Without healthy digestion our body would not function as the Lord intended.

Job 3:25-26 says, “For the thing that I feared the most has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes.” Notice his words. His fear and dread caused his negative physical symptoms.

I am told, but have never searched it out personally, that there are 365 ‘fear not’ verses. I want to encourage you to recognize how your thoughts are driving your emotions. It is for your future health. Here is one ‘fear not’ verse that I love.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”