Fear. It is one of the basic human emotions. Everyone has experienced it at one time or another. It’s one thing when we face a momentary fear. Like an accident that almost happened. Or the sudden fear that we forgot something important. Only to realize that we hadn’t. These fears are gone almost as quickly as they came. It’s another thing when we face a lingering fear. A fear that never goes away. A fear that stalks our subconsciousness all the time. Occasionally surfacing to our consciousness.
These lingering fears can be practically anything. As I’ve posted the last couple days, one of my lifelong, lingering fears has been water. Specifically, drowning. The fear that you have may be different. Spiders. Heights. Small spaces. Being alone. Being in crowds. Public speaking. Dying. These are the more popular fears. There are other fears that strike closer to home. Being abandoned. Going bankrupt. Losing our job. Having our child get abducted. Or contract a serious illness. The death of a child. Or a parent. Or a spouse. Finally there are some of the unique 'Christian fears'. Tithing. Sharing our faith with others. Ministry. Sin.
Beside the fact that lingering fears are always dogging us, there are other negative consequences to it. Fear robs us of our joy & happiness. Since it is future-oriented (what might happen to us) it also robs us of the present. It can make us sick. Irrational. Paralyze us. In the long run I suppose that fear can even kill us. The Bible recognizes that fear is not good. In I John 4:18 we are told that fear has punishment or torment. No, unhealthy, exaggerated fears are not good for us. Not one bit.
There are several ways that people respond to their fears. Some try to ignore them. Pretend as if they aren’t there. Try not to think about them. Or give in to them. I suppose in some way that this is a form of repression. Sort of like trying to put the inflatable air mattress back into the original container. Good luck with that. Others try to run away from their fears. Keep busy. Stay active. Don’t give yourself any time to let your mind wander. And don’t go anywhere near anything that might trigger it. This doesn’t work either. The problem is that fear is in our minds. We carry it with us 24/7. How can we get away from that? So the moment that our mind isn’t otherwise occupied the fear is right there. Front and center. Bigger than ever.
The final way of responding to fear, the preferred way, is to face it. It’s amazing what happens when we do this. We usually find that we have made our fear out to be way bigger than it actually was. In some cases we find that it was ‘much ado about nothing’. Not all the time. Sometimes we discover that our fear was well-founded. Just the same, facing our fear is the first step to dealing with it. To overcoming it. This is where God can help. And friends.
The first place to start is with Scripture. My life verse is found in Isaiah 41:10. “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you by My righteous right hand.” I can’t tell you how many times this verse came to my mind when I was wrestling with some fear. I say the verse and the fear subsides! Another great verse is found in Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” No matter what fear we are facing, Jesus can help us. Now that is encouraging!
Next, we need to pray. To ask God to help us overcome our fear. To show us how small and puny it really is. Especially compared to His mighty strength. Then we need to take action. We need to make a plan on how we are going to deal with our fear. In my case, the only way I am going to overcome my fear of water is to get in the water. Reading books about how to swim isn’t going to help. Or watching other people swim. Sure, I can pick up some pointers but it’s not going to help me until I actually get into the water. Then I have to do something. Practice putting my head under the water. Try to float. Try to swim in the shallow end. It might not come right away. But if I stick with it I just might learn how to swim. Once I do that most of my fear of water will be history.
Another great resource in battling our fear is a friend. Tell someone about your fear. Have them pray for you. Have them encourage you and cheer you on. Let them take you by the hand, if need be, and walk you through your fear. Eventually you will make progress. The fear will shrink. It just might disappear entirely.
I don’t know what fears you have. I only know the fears that I have. Perhaps you know of a fear that is holding you back right now. If not, ask God to reveal one to you. Then begin to work on it. Take the suggested steps I mentioned. In God’s power and strength, overcome it. Be victorious. Be free. Feel the awesome power of God running through your life!
Lord, I pray for the fears that I have in my life. Fears that torment. Smoother. Paralyze. Fear is not from You. It has no place in my life. Help me not to be controlled by them. By Your mighty power may I gain victory over them. To live in freedom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
These lingering fears can be practically anything. As I’ve posted the last couple days, one of my lifelong, lingering fears has been water. Specifically, drowning. The fear that you have may be different. Spiders. Heights. Small spaces. Being alone. Being in crowds. Public speaking. Dying. These are the more popular fears. There are other fears that strike closer to home. Being abandoned. Going bankrupt. Losing our job. Having our child get abducted. Or contract a serious illness. The death of a child. Or a parent. Or a spouse. Finally there are some of the unique 'Christian fears'. Tithing. Sharing our faith with others. Ministry. Sin.
Beside the fact that lingering fears are always dogging us, there are other negative consequences to it. Fear robs us of our joy & happiness. Since it is future-oriented (what might happen to us) it also robs us of the present. It can make us sick. Irrational. Paralyze us. In the long run I suppose that fear can even kill us. The Bible recognizes that fear is not good. In I John 4:18 we are told that fear has punishment or torment. No, unhealthy, exaggerated fears are not good for us. Not one bit.
There are several ways that people respond to their fears. Some try to ignore them. Pretend as if they aren’t there. Try not to think about them. Or give in to them. I suppose in some way that this is a form of repression. Sort of like trying to put the inflatable air mattress back into the original container. Good luck with that. Others try to run away from their fears. Keep busy. Stay active. Don’t give yourself any time to let your mind wander. And don’t go anywhere near anything that might trigger it. This doesn’t work either. The problem is that fear is in our minds. We carry it with us 24/7. How can we get away from that? So the moment that our mind isn’t otherwise occupied the fear is right there. Front and center. Bigger than ever.
The final way of responding to fear, the preferred way, is to face it. It’s amazing what happens when we do this. We usually find that we have made our fear out to be way bigger than it actually was. In some cases we find that it was ‘much ado about nothing’. Not all the time. Sometimes we discover that our fear was well-founded. Just the same, facing our fear is the first step to dealing with it. To overcoming it. This is where God can help. And friends.
The first place to start is with Scripture. My life verse is found in Isaiah 41:10. “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you by My righteous right hand.” I can’t tell you how many times this verse came to my mind when I was wrestling with some fear. I say the verse and the fear subsides! Another great verse is found in Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” No matter what fear we are facing, Jesus can help us. Now that is encouraging!
Next, we need to pray. To ask God to help us overcome our fear. To show us how small and puny it really is. Especially compared to His mighty strength. Then we need to take action. We need to make a plan on how we are going to deal with our fear. In my case, the only way I am going to overcome my fear of water is to get in the water. Reading books about how to swim isn’t going to help. Or watching other people swim. Sure, I can pick up some pointers but it’s not going to help me until I actually get into the water. Then I have to do something. Practice putting my head under the water. Try to float. Try to swim in the shallow end. It might not come right away. But if I stick with it I just might learn how to swim. Once I do that most of my fear of water will be history.
Another great resource in battling our fear is a friend. Tell someone about your fear. Have them pray for you. Have them encourage you and cheer you on. Let them take you by the hand, if need be, and walk you through your fear. Eventually you will make progress. The fear will shrink. It just might disappear entirely.
I don’t know what fears you have. I only know the fears that I have. Perhaps you know of a fear that is holding you back right now. If not, ask God to reveal one to you. Then begin to work on it. Take the suggested steps I mentioned. In God’s power and strength, overcome it. Be victorious. Be free. Feel the awesome power of God running through your life!
Lord, I pray for the fears that I have in my life. Fears that torment. Smoother. Paralyze. Fear is not from You. It has no place in my life. Help me not to be controlled by them. By Your mighty power may I gain victory over them. To live in freedom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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