Overcoming FEAR!

2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (NIV)

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (KJV)

 

            Fear! It can be both good and bad, helpful and hurtful, destructive and constructive. There is a time to use it and a time to pray for it to flee. Fear in the sense of staying away from a dangerous animal is good. However, fear which cripples you to the point of making you live an unproductive life is bad. This is the fear that the Bible speaks of. We are to be bold in the things of God and not allow fear to cause us to crawl into a shell. We cannot be as effective as God would have us to be if we have the spirit of fear. Because we know that this spirit does not come from God, we know that it is from none other than the enemy. Satan who comes only to kill, steal and destroy wants to paralyze us with fear and in so doing, he can successfully block our blessings in the process.

            I have done many things in life that I was afraid of doing. Just the thought of branching out there to do what others wouldn’t have dared to try to do was always appealing to me. However, I didn’t always do this because I wasn’t afraid, I did it because I WAS. As a child, I grew up singing in front of people mostly at church. However, little did people know, I was actually afraid of being up front. Every time that I would get up front, there nervousness would come over me. However, I continued to do it for a long time even in my adult years with that same fear on the inside.

            Later, I joined the mime ministry at my former church and I always had to be in front of people. However, each time that I would get up, I had to make sure that I prayed so that my anxiety would not take over. I was absolutely terrified to be in front of people and at this church, it was larger than any congregation that I had been part of. However, due to being under an awesome leader, I learned to ask God to take that fear away from me each time that I had to go before His people. So that’s exactly what I did. After my former leader stepped down, I became the next mime leader and even though I was afraid of not being as efficient as my former leader had been, God allowed for us to thrive as a ministry. He ordered my steps and fear did not overtake me.

            However, I am once again at this place in my life where I have to ask God to help me overcome my fear of being upfront. As a writer, it is very easy to be behind the computer and write magnificent stories, blogs, and other materials. You don’t have to be in front of a national audience and I can do this at the tips of my fingers. However, I will soon have to begin doing book signings, public speaking engagements and possibly mentoring programs with especially youth and women. Even though this is something that I would love to do, I am having to pray to God about the fear of it. Not only am I afraid to be in front of people, I have a fear of SUCCESS.

            You may ask, “How can someone be afraid of success?” Good question! See, it is easy to expect a failure. I am quite used to that because I have had my fair share, as many of us have. However, when you know that God has put something in you and it will actually work because He ordained it, that part can be quite scary. There are many people who are afraid of success and sometimes they sabotage themselves in order to keep themselves from succeeding. Yes, it may sound crazy, but this is quite real. Sometimes, we become our worse enemy. We don’t have to worry about others harming us because we do it to ourselves. So how can we overcome the fear of success or the fear of doing anything in our lives? Let’s take a look into this further. As I give these tips to you, I am also having to do this myself because I am dealing with this myself.

Pray

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (NIV)

Prayer is the key to fear. God and fear cannot occupy the same space. When we pray to God, we must tell Him what we are afraid of and ask Him to take that fear away from us. God knows us better than anyone because He created us. Therefore, He knows our deepest thoughts and concerns. Because He made us, He is the best One who can help us. It is like you buying a Toyota car. Yes, other mechanics can help fix the vehicle, but taking it to the original manufacturer can sometimes be the best thing to do when there is a problem because they were the ones who made it. I want to go to my Manufacturer for my problems. Yes, I can get self-help books, go to therapists, etc. However, the One who made me is definitely the ONE can fix me. No questions asked!

Encourage Yourself

1 Samuel 30:6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

David had gone through a time when people were wanting to do harm to him. However, he had to go to God and encourage himself. Sometimes, we may not always have someone to go to in order to inspire us, say the right words, and give us words of encouragement. Therefore, we must do this to ourselves and believe that God has our back even when we are afraid. We must say that, “I am good enough.” 1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (NIV)

We are great because we have the Spirit of God on the inside of us and He is stronger than any fear that the devil tries to cast upon us. Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you…” (NIV)

Control Your Imagination

What are you thinking about? Are you imagining the worst case scenario? Are you one minute excited and other times you think that the storms will roar? Think on the positive aspects of any situation. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (NIV) Because we know that God does not give us the spirit of fear and that we can encourage ourselves in Him, we can think on the things of God and what He has said about us. We know that God wants us to do well in life and that we can do this successfully if we learn to put our trust and faith in Him. Do not worry about what can go wrong, but focus on what will go right. Do not waver back and forth on this because it leaves room for the devil to creep in. James 1:6-8 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. (NIV) Stay constant in your faith and believe God. He will do what He promised that He will do.

Take Action

Do not sit and let fear of success or failure keep you from pursuing your dreams. You can over overcome your fear if you actively do whatever you are called to do. You can pray that God takes the fear away, but you must allow Him to show you that He will do it. Just praying about it and not moving towards it will only go so far. James 2:17-20 …faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Bud someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God, Good! Even the demons believe that –and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” (NIV)

God is letting us know that we have to always take some action with our faith. You can’t expect a move of God if you aren’t willing to move yourself. Now, there are times when God will let us know to stand still. However, we must not allow our fears to dictate to us when to stand still. We must act based upon the Word and guidance from God. Whatever God has laid upon your heart to do…Just Do It!

He will give you the means and the way to accomplish what He has put in your heart and do not allow the enemy to deliver a package of unwanted fear to your doorstep. Once you open it, it is hard to return to sender.

Don’t Worry About What Others Will Say

One thing that I have learned since becoming a writer, you will always have your share of nay-sayers. There are some people who live only to pour sour milk onto your dreams and aspirations. They have not made goals for themselves and therefore, they will attempt to cast poison onto your dreams. They are really envious of you and wish that they had the determination and drive that you possess. It is not that they couldn’t have gotten it for themselves, but they allowed their fear to hold them back in life and therefore, they want to transfer that seed of negativity onto you. Do not let this happen. They will lie, crook and scheme to prevent whatever success that they fear you will attain. Let them try if they must, but remember that God has a hedge of protection around you and will not allow you to fall into their traps. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” (NIV) Don’t worry about what others will say. God is the only one who has the final say. Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you, “ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (NIV)

Summary

There is so much that the Bible says to encourage us and help us with every emotion that we face. However, I know that God is stronger than any seed of doubt, fear, anxiety and/or other negative connotation that comes my way. I remember one day, I was sitting at my former church waiting for service to begin when one of the elders came to me with a word from God. She said, “Do not worry about what others say about you.” Mind you, I had not told this lady anything in regards to possible gossip, but I knew that God had given her this word to deliver to me. God did not want me to be afraid of what others think, worry about if I would succeed, or let the seed of doubt cripple me. He wanted me to be bold and courageous. I still have to talk to myself and tell myself that I never have to fear success and/or failure because God has me. It is not an easy process and the enemy tends to put doubt in my mind with regards to what God has for me and if it will work. However, God reminds me of subtle things that He has done to let me know that I have the Green light. I never have to fear because He is always there and will be by my side in whatever assignment that He has me on. May God bless you and remember that God is not a god of fear.