Conquering Fear!~Day 17

 

When we don’t face fear, we reduce our lives to accommodate it. We numb ourselves instead.

 

How many times do you fail to live in the present because you’re so busy building “what if” scenarios about the future? Some people are ruled by fear. It keeps them from experiencing joy.

 

The enemy of your soul really doesn’t have any weapons – all he has is pretense. So he builds an argument around the question, “what if?” What if I’m rejected again? What if I can’t pay my rent? What if no one likes me? The irony is that God often poses that same question to us from a positive perspective. He wants us to partner with him in changing the world and wants us to visualize that better world. Asking “what if” can be a wonderful faith-building exercise, or it can be a debilitating fear-inducing habit.

 

If you’re going to fear anything, Psalms tells us, fear the Lord who holds you in the palm of his hand. “If the Lord had not been on our side…the raging waters would have swept us away.” (Ps. 124)

 

Misplaced fear

Fear is natural, but often misplaced. Watch too much CNN and you may become a fearful person. The enemy of our souls would like nothing better. Fear is his weapon of choice. He wants you to wear it like a garment.

So, what do you fear? 

Jesus put it into perspective for his disciples when he threw them into a journey so dangerous that he said they might be killed (re-read Matt. 10): “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God…”

Ever since then, new generations of disciples have been following Jesus into dangerous places with his words ringing in their ears telling them not to fear. 

It’s normal for his followers to battle the temptation to fear. What a privilege it is to share that with a world whose knees are knocking. We have what they are looking for!

So, let me invite you to consider a few questions:

Are you afraid?

Do people see the fear on you? 

If so and if what Jesus said about his followers dying spooks you, consider this fact: There has never been an era in the history of mankind that was safer (see this book for the facts). People live almost twice as long as they did a hundred years ago. We live in a time of unprecedented health and comfort.

Fear missing God’s will

The bad news we read is out of all proportion to the actual risks we face in life. The Bible says that we should fear God. What we really need to fear is missing out on his will for our lives.

He has an amazing future in store for us, but we have to trust him to get there. He wants the best for us and wants to help us in places where we’re weak. 

Combating Fear

So, if we’re feeling fear, how do we keep from wearing it? How do we fight it? A good place to start is with Scripture. God tells us that “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 

Practice faith by visualizing God in the middle of whatever impossible or threatening circumstance we may be confronting. His love for you and his desire for your well-being will destroy the fear-based works of your enemy if you’ll trust him.*

Application

Three steps to help you fight fear:

• Identify the thing you fear most. For many, it’s not a specific outcome, but failure that they fear. If it’s failure, then pride may be at the root of the issue. People don’t want to look bad. Ask yourself, “Should I really care that much about the opinions of others?”
• Consider the worst thing that could happen. And recognize that it wouldn’t be the end of the world. 
• Going through fear, not around it, is usually the best strategy. Resolve to face into it and you de-fang its poisonous place in your imagination.