All of my life I've dealt with various phobias: fear of heights, fear of deep water (and I can swim), fear of flying, fear of large bridges, fear of debilitating disease, fear of public speaking, and fear of embarrassment and failure. I feel I've missed out on lots of fun and adventure because of some of my phobias. I feel that other phobias have held me back both socially and professionally because I was too paralyzed by my fear to jump into the fray and participate like I really wanted to. It's taken me 41 years to realize that fear is a tool of Satan. Was I ever angry when I found that out! He's not going to hold me back any longer!
These fears I'm speaking of are not to be confused with "fear of the Lord," which doesn't mean terror. In that sense, fear means reverence. The only time you should feel afraid of the Lord is when you're not walking in the light with Him. That's irrational too, though, because God has graciously given us as Christians a second law of pardon whereby we can obtain forgiveness of our sins just for the asking and thereby "clean the slate" as it were, with Him.
God told Joshua not to be afraid, but to be strong and courageous; not to be discouraged, for He would be with Joshua wherever he went (Josh. 1: 9). God promises to be with His children too (Mt. 28: 20; Heb. 13: 5).
I am to fear no evil (Psa. 23: 4). I am to fear no person for the Lord is my light, salvation, and stronghold (Psa. 27: 1). He will strengthen, help, and uphold me (Isa. 41: 10). Like David, I will seek out the Lord to deliver me from my fear (Psa. 34: 4).
Paul said, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Phil. 4: 13 NIV). I remind myself of that passage often because it is concise and easy to remember and so true. Like Peter walking on toward Jesus on the water, if I look away from Him, I will sink. That's Satan's way of keeping me from achieving all God means me to accomplish. Also, if I hold back from serving God out of fear, I'm omitting doing what I know is right for His kingdom.
I've started to win the battle over some of my fears. It's taken lots of prayer and determination on my part. Lots of new experiences are scary at first, but actually being able to check that off my "conquered" list is a fantastic personal high.
Love Ya,
God Bless!
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3 comments:
Great job w/the fear blog. But it's pretty hard being a single mom w/a lot of health problems(you know who I am)and not have fear, almost to the point of completely losing faith. I just keep praying, teach my son to keep praying, and ask my congregation to keep praying, knowing that someday(only God knows when,& that's frustrating also) things will get better. Keep up the good work w/the blog.
C'mon, now, I know there are some young ladies and ladies out there who can relate to fear. Besides, "KAFFEEKLATSCH" loosely translated is 'discussion over coffee'. Doesn't anyone remember the SNL skit "Coffee Talk" or am I just that old? Let's get some coffee talk going!!
I have some readers that I understand have some problems posting to the site, and for that I am so sorry. Keep trying, please.
I will post again at some point this week, but right now I'm neck deep in about 3 other projects demanding my immediate attention. Bear with me. Sometimes I post two articles in one sitting. I do like to make sure that I have my facts straight, so I do have to do my homework before I post. Fact checking takes time.
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