I have studied and blogged on the subject of fear for the past ten months. As I studied large sections of Scripture, my eyes opened to a few startling facts.
Fear can control.
Fear can paralyze.
Jesus doesn’t want me or you, living in fear.
Fear is certainly a well-used tool in our enemy’s toolbox. And yet, no matter how worn it may get, he always reaches for it again, knowing it will work.
But what is fear exactly? In my own definition, it’s concern or worry over what may happen. It’s what races through our minds when awakened at 2 am. It’s what prevents us from falling into sweet sleep at 10 pm. It’s what can distract us on the road at 7am and what can cause us to miss an important conversation at 6 pm. Fear can be a thief, a liar, even a murderer. Sound like anyone else we know? Fear can share many qualities of the enemy himself.
When I first felt called to take my word of the year and write ten months of blogs centered around how to become fearless, I briefly wondered if I could find that much to say. SIlly me! There was no end of material from my own life and no end of encouragement from Scripture on how to live fearlessly. I am sure I have only scratched the surface. But in summary, I would settle on the three facts stated above:
Fear can control. Unfortunately I have lived this way too many times. And even though examples of this from decades ago easily flood my mind, I have vowed to intentionally work with God to stop it. Nothing, no thing, should have control over me. And while it is human to feel afraid, even paralyzed at points, we have incredible wisdom and instruction to follow in places like Philippians 4, telling us what should be ruling our minds. Positive truths promised by God, not fears fertilized by the enemy.
Fear can paralyze. How many times I myself responded in shock where I couldn’t even pray. Yes, we are promised that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groans when we are incapable of prayer, and thank You Lord for that! But after that shock, what should my initial knee-jerk response be? Carry it all to my loving Father who will sort this mess out and somehow, some way, bring good from even this. When I stay paralyzed from prayer, the enemy celebrates that not only is my mind frozen but so is my faith. And frozen things are quickly shattered with one striking blow. No, I need to quickly move into prayer. Even if it’s first pouring out my heart, words tumbling forth in incoherent phrases. The importance is speaking to God, showing trust that He cares.
Next comes a place where I acknowledge my limits of what I know and what I can do. The place where I realize and verbalize that I need to park this firmly in God’s capable hands. It’s hard, as I so often reach to take it back. Again. And again. And then again. I see God’s eyes crinkling into a slow smile as He gently reassures, “Child, it’s okay. I have this. Let me handle it.”
Jesus came to give life and to give it abundantly. An abundant life doesn’t come from living in fear. That doesn’t mean we await a time when nothing pulls at our heartstrings or causes a few wrinkles to form on our foreheads. No, it means when those times come, as they surely will, we know what to do: surrender them to God.
Live faithfully. Not fearfully.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t always arrive there in that faithful place on my own. Thankfully I am not expected to. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to remind us of God’s promises in Scripture to steady our hearts.
He gave us Jesus’ examples to corral our wandering minds.
And He gave us His Words to remind us of His great love for us, that He will never give up on you or me.
If you, like me, want to learn to live fearlessly, we need to read His Words, be reminded of His promises, and build a trusting relationship with Him. While we need to pursue Him in order to begin to do those things, He is more than willing to help us. Let’s ask Him for help with just that.Prayer: Dear Lord, You know my deep desire to live fearlessly. You also know how human I am. How my heart often leads my mind and my actions. Help me to draw closer to You, so that I can learn to trust You, even in those difficult days. Thank You for Your loving care, and Your promises to work all things for my good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.