The Devil Trap. - Fear, Worry And Anxiety

Well, good morning Newlife Church, and yes, 2024 is almost upon us. Man, this year seems to have flown by, and we’re already in December, preparing for the carol service tonight. I know many of you, like me, are wondering, “Where has this year gone?” It felt like January was just yesterday. I also believe that, looking back, we have had to overcome a lot this year. You know, I am so thankful for this series because sometimes, yes, even in church life, the devil is at work. We sometimes want to believe that when we enter the gathering, the ekklesia, the devil stays outside—that once we are saved, baptised, and growing, the enemy will stop attacking our lives.

But this series has shown us that the devil likes to entrap us. We have seen so many different snares that the devil uses, and if we’re not careful, we can fall into those traps again. So, I want to look at another trap today, and boy, I stepped into this trap like a mouse who saw cheese, went for it, and got caught. But through God’s Word—His living Word—you can get out of this trap. I want to show you the trap so that you can see it when it comes. I want you to be like a church mouse that, when you see the cheese the devil has planned for you, you’ll recognise the trap before the cheese and steer away from it.

Let me ask you: how many of you have ever driven in thick fog? You cannot see ahead, you cannot see the road signs, and you cannot see other vehicles. As I describe this, what feeling are you currently experiencing? Panic, fear, and anxiety, right? You see, the trap that the devil uses is like the fog on the road—it clouds your spiritual vision. Even though there are road signs and we have GPS directions, we still cannot see clearly.

This is one of the devil’s traps: the trap of fear, worry, and anxiety. I believe these are connected; at least, they were in my life. Looking back, anxiety often resulted from fear and worry. Anxiety is described in the Bible as an uneasy feeling of uncertainty, agitation, dread, or fear. The most common words in Scripture translated as “anxious” or “anxiety” are the Hebrew de?agâ (used ten times in various forms) and the Greek merimma (used twelve times in various forms). Anxiety in Scripture is portrayed as being inconsistent with trust in God. David prays: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts” (Psalm 139:23). Jesus’ command, “Do not worry,” occurs six times in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25–33) and is paired with encouragements to trust our heavenly Father.

From the beginning, God never wanted us to fall into this trap. He knew we would be tested and gave us the solution. But I want to start by sharing a few ways we fall into this trap—ways I’ve fallen into, though there may be more.

1. Doubting God’s Sovereignty

The devil’s tactics are simple. He tries to shift our focus away from God and onto the storm rather than the One who can calm the storm. The storm appears worse, and the waves seem bigger when we focus on our circumstances instead of God. This is exactly what Peter did.

Matthew 14:24-31:

But the boat [by this time] was already a long distance from land, tossed and battered by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night (3:00–6:00 a.m.), Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. [Mark 6:48; John 6:19] When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately He spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!” [Exodus 3:14] Peter replied to Him, “Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water.” He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus. But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened and began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately, Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Like Peter, we often start with faith but quickly become overwhelmed when life’s storms—uncertainty, financial struggles, health issues, or relationship challenges—feel bigger than God. This shift in focus leads us to question whether God is truly in control, trapping us in fear and anxiety. The devil uses this to make us doubt God’s sovereignty, whispering lies like, “God doesn’t care,” or “This situation is too big for Him.” When doubt creeps in, we sink into fear, thinking we must fix things ourselves. The moment we believe our circumstances are stronger than God’s power, we fall into the trap of doubting His sovereignty.