Peril Within: Danger of Internalizing Worries

The more we internalize these anxious thoughts, the more they will bother us and inflict problems. Often it is our pride that makes things worse by assuring ourselves that we can deal with our problems on our own.

Two helpful outside sources are friends and our spiritual journal.

A friend helps us sort out our problems by just being a sounding board for our thoughts. Our spiritual journal is also helpful in this area. Are you keeping a spiritual journal? This is a very important Christian spiritual discipline.

We are often very relieved when we finally are able just to talk to some friend about 'what is on our mind.' Solitude keeps the anxious thoughts whirling about within the mind without any thorough examination of them. This leads to a very vulnerable stage where one is unable to rightly judge his or her circumstances. Objectivity is lost.

Some people can acknowledge their problem about unclear thinking. Usually they think something is wrong and that they need to see a psychiatrist. What we really need is a friend, a relative, a pastor, etc. to help us get some objectivity about an issue. Psalm 1 further cautions us on getting advice that is not biblically based. It would be better to ask our small group leader for help than some stranger that we don't know.