So your man wants to move you and your family across the country?  Or maybe he wants to quit his job and go into full-time ministry?  Perhaps either one of you have lost your job and you can’t find a new one?  Or maybe you’ve just received a devastating diagnosis?

Now what do all of these scenarios have in common?  They will most likely strike fear into the heart of every wife.  Anytime we hear news that is contrary to our status quo or we’re asked to step outside of our comfort zone, this will generally cause us to have our freak-out moments.

One month after Eric and I were married, I quit my job.  I enjoyed my job and I was treated quite well by my employer, but my guy was (and is) self-employed, so I figured, “well, I’m his wife, so what better person is there to help him in his business than me?”

My man is used to being self-employed.  He’s been so since he was 18 yrs. old.  But, I, on the other hand, had always worked for someone else so when I quit my job to help him in his business, let’s just say my world was rocked, and I don’t mean in a good way.

I can remember standing in the living room of our tiny rental house at the time, and I thought and verbalized to him quite loudly, “how in the world do you live like this?”  Real supportive, wasn’t I? 🙁

During that time of my life I was a relatively new Christian, a new bride, and new to the self-employed world.  Those circumstances essentially created the perfect storm in my life.  A storm that if I didn’t choose wisely would lead my flesh to lash out and freak out.  Or maybe God was creating the perfect storm in my life that would cause me to grow in faith? 🙂  The situation I was in and how I was going to handle it would be a defining moment in my marriage.

So, what’s a girl to do?  Two choices were before me…

1. Be a supportive and encouraging wife who had the faith the size of a mustard seed?
2. Fear my future and tear my husband down in the process because I allowed my emotions to dictate my behavior?

Thankfully, I chose the more positive path and that season forced me to exercise my faith muscles; muscles I didn’t know I really needed to exercise, and muscles that I didn’t really know how to exercise!

To help me connect the dots of my current reality to the Christ-centered destination I was seeking in my marriage, I ran to the Bible because I knew I would find all Truth and Comfort within those pages.

And what I found was Faith.

Faith.  It doesn’t come naturally for any woman.  It comes from hearing the Word of God.  This meant I had a tremendous amount of reading to do!

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.  Romans 10:17

When Jesus said to his disciples, “Come, follow Me,”  do you think that was easy for them to hear?  I mean, really think of their perspective.  They had to drop everything and follow, not knowing where Jesus was taking them.  Those boys had faith!  Well, minus Doubting Thomas but that topic is for another post.

Jesus has asked me time and time again to come and follow Him and MANY times I don’t know where He’s taking me, and thus, life can be downright scary!  16 years ago when I said “I Do” to Eric, I also said I would follow him as the head of our home.  As we have walked through this life and endured storms, sometimes we’ve made wise decisions and sometimes, well, not so wise.  And sometimes life’s circumstances have required me to have a great amount a faith- faith that I did not have at the time.  So that meant I had to hit the so-called ‘spiritual gym’ and exercise my faith muscles.

When things have looked utterly impossible in my life, God in His sovereignty, knew exactly what He was doing in the heart of His daughter.  He was growing my faith in Him.  And He was causing me to look at Him and not my circumstances or even my husband, for that matter.

The faith-filled wife will look to the Lord, not her circumstances.

And without faith it is impossible to please God.  Hebrews 11:6

A few years back I was faced with another situation in my life that required me to have a great amount a faith, but at the time, I couldn’t muster up enough to get me through my problem.  I didn’t even have faith the size of a mustard seed!  In other words, this girl was depleted of her faith. But worse than that, I was gripped by fear!  In fact, I was paralyzed by it and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.  I knew this emotion wasn’t of God yet I couldn’t move beyond the feelings that were suffocating me. I knew I needed faith in this situation, but I was covered in a blanket of fear that I couldn’t seem to throw off of me.

So here’s what I did to overcome this problem.  Daily.  Hourly.  And minute by minute, I had to go back to the Word of God.  Over and over, I had to declare His Word to my spirit so my flesh (and the Enemy) wouldn’t defeat me in this battle.  Instead of being gripped by fear, I gripped to the Word of God and that is where and when my faith began to grow again. 

5 Simple Tips to Move from a Fear-filled Wife to a Faith-filled Wife:

1. Read the Word of God.
2. Listen to the Word of God.
3. Say the Word of God.
4. Write the Word of God.
5. Memorize the Word of God.

Choose faith over fear, my friend!

For a list of verses to help you grow into a Faith-Filled Wife, grab this printable list: Combating Fear and Anxiety Biblically.

Is Jesus asking you to follow Him?  And are you in a situation where you need to hit the spiritual gym? Share in the comments below!

More posts in the Becoming a Christ-Centered Wife series:

• The Content Wife
• The Confident Wife
• The Wife Who Bases Her Life on the Bible rather than Her Emotions
• The Wife Who Looks at the Cross
• The Faith-Filled Wife (Part 1)
• The Faith-Filled Wife (Part 2)
• The Wise Wife
• The Patient Wife

Live a poured out life for Christ,

Jolene Engle