Hello Reader,

You notice a symptom.

You Google it.

You feel better for a few minutes.

Then the thought comes:

“But what if they missed something?”

So you search again.

I’ve spent most of my adult life around sickness— first as a paramedic, then as a Physician Assistant in pain management, primary care, and now neurosurgery.

And medicine has taught me something uncomfortable:

If you go looking for the worst possible explanation for a symptom, you can almost always find one.

A headache could mean something serious.

So could fatigue.

Dizziness.

Nausea.

Chest discomfort.

Numbness.

And Google will happily frighten the sense out of you for free.

The problem isn’t that the sensation is fake.

The problem begins when fear turns a sensation into a conclusion.

“My head hurts” is a fact.

“I have a brain tumor” is an interpretation.

“My heart skipped” is a fact.

“Something is dangerously wrong” is an interpretation.

Fear makes those interpretations feel certain.

Then you check.

Search.

Ask for reassurance.

Feel better briefly.

And when the fear returns, you repeat the cycle.

For Christians, this can become especially confusing because fear can disguise itself as stewardship.

You tell yourself:

“I’m just trying to take care of the body God gave me.”

Sometimes that’s true.

But sometimes “being responsible” becomes an attempt to eliminate uncertainty.

And that’s where I think we need to ask:

What action does wisdom require—and what extra action is fear demanding?

Wisdom may require an appointment.

Fear may demand five opinions because none can guarantee the future.

Wisdom may require checking something once.

Fear may demand checking it every hour.

Wisdom may require learning enough to make a decision.

Fear keeps searching long after you’ve stopped learning anything useful.

Faithful stewardship doesn’t mean ignoring your health.

If you believe you’re experiencing a medical emergency, seek emergency care.

If a new, persistent, or worsening symptom needs evaluation, get it evaluated.

If your clinician gives you a plan, follow it.

But once the responsible step has been taken, fear may still demand more.

More searching.

More checking.

More reassurance.

More certainty.

And certainty is exactly what you cannot get.

Jesus said:

Jesus didn’t promise that nothing difficult would happen tomorrow.

He told you that tomorrow isn’t today’s assignment.

So when health anxiety takes over, try this:

Separate the sensation from the conclusion.

What do you actually know?

What is fear predicting?

Then ask:

What responsible action is required?

Take that action.

And unless the facts materially change, refuse the extra action fear demands.

Don’t Google it again.

Don’t repeat the same body check.

Don’t ask for the same reassurance in different words.

Then bring the uncertainty to Christ.

You may still feel anxious.

That doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision.

Faithful action doesn’t require the feeling to disappear first.

It requires you to stop letting fear decide what you do next.

If that’s difficult for you, I created something to help.

The Spirit-Led Response Protocol is an eight-step journaling process designed to help you identify what triggered you, separate facts from fearful predictions, and choose your next step with wisdom and self-control.

It’s built for the exact moment when you want to search, check, or seek reassurance again.

​[DOWNLOAD THE SPIRIT-LED RESPONSE PROTOCOL]​

Your body belongs to God.

Tomorrow does too.

Take the responsible step.

Then trust Christ with what remains.

Rooted in Christ, Jonathon Ennis Founder

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