Tag Archives: fear

The Switch – Day Two

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Facing Your Fears

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”” – Romans 8:15 (NKJV)

img_0811Fear produces bondage. It restrains you from moving forward. Even the bravest person in the world is afraid of something. To fear is human. We are born with an acute stress response known as hyperarousal. You may know it as the Fight-or-Flight response. This was first described by Walter Bradford Cannon as “a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival.” The harm only has to be perceived, it doesn’t have to be real. The response is the same.

Jesus’ own disciples experienced fear, even though they had witnessed His miracles time and time again.

“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” – Matthew 8:23-27 (NKJV)  

After Jesus’ death and resurrection these same men would go on to courageously spread the gospel, losing their own lives for it’s sake. What changed? How did they conquer their fear? Could it be that having seen Jesus risen from the dead, they finally grasped what He taught in Matthew 10:28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”

They moved from operating in fear to operating in faith. This doesn’t mean they pretended there was nothing to fear. They didn’t hide their heads in the sand and pretend all was well. They faced their fear with confidence knowing that God loved them and the reward of eternity with Him far outweighed the temporary pain and hardship of this life.

We too, must learn to face our fears – real or imagined. How much of our lives do we waste worrying over things we cannot control? Fear is a thief. It steals your peace, and if you allow it to, it will steal your purpose.

I am a worrier, but I have found that most of the things I worry about never come to pass. What a waste of time. I am learning to take my cares to the Lord in prayer and trust that His will WILL be done. Faith is the antidote to fear. If you are a worrier, I encourage you to find as many scriptures as you can about trusting God. Write them out, memorize them and use the sword of the Word as your weapon against fear when it attacks.

Prayer: Father, I thank You that You are more powerful than anything I fear. Because You love me, I know no matter what happens in my life, I can trust You. Help me to be a woman of faith, Lord. Help me to see things from the proper perspective. Nothing can compare to the joy that awaits those who serve you.

 

 

 

The Switch – Day One

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FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV)

img_1090Fear of the dark is a common childhood fear. You may remember fear striking your heart when your parent reached for the light switch to turn it off. But where does that fear come from? It certainly isn’t based in reality. Some experts believe this fear is encoded in our genetic makeup because our ancestors were at greater risk of being attacked by predators during the night. Freud believed fear of the dark was really seperation anxiety in the absence of the mother. Whatever the reason, it is an intense and irrational fear which we often define as a ‘phobia’. While most children begin to outgrow their fear of the dark at around 9 years of age, at least 5% of adults report still being afraid of the dark.  

 You may be wondering what this has to do with spiritual growth. The Word of God tells us “FEAR NOT” some 365 times. Fear does not come from God, therefore it is something to be overcome.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

This week we are going to study how to replace fear with faith. According to Pastor Ty Mustafa the switch evolves the moment you overcome your fear. You go from darkness to light. While most of us aren’t afraid of the dark anymore, we are afraid of something. What are the fears you struggle with? Are those fears rooted in experience or are they False Evidence Appearing Real?

Whatever our fears may be the truth is, our circumstances do not define our reality. God’s promises are our reality.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are bigger than my fears. Your Word tells me I am more than a conqueror through Him that loved us.. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Help me Lord, to walk by faith, not by sight. Let Your peace rule and reign in my heart. 

Perfect Love 

Posted in Self esteem, Spiritual Growth by

I John 4:17-19 tells us we can have boldness in the day of judgment. Why? Because the perfect love of God casts out fear. I needed to hear that this morning.
Satan loves to torment us with fear. He feeds on our insecurity and doubt. Just last night I was praying from a place of fear and defeat. Some say Satan whispers, but at times I feel like he is shouting at me …. “YOU’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH, YOU’RE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT, YOU ARE A FAILURE … etc., etc., etc! It’s the same condemnation he has tortured me with all my life.

  • Yes, it’s true – I am not good enough, but Jesus is and He took my judgment!
  • Yes, on my own I could never make it, and that is why God sent the Holy Spirit to be my helper. I am not in this fight called life alone.
  • Yes, I fail God everyday. But God assures me in His Word that He will forgive me if I confess my sin.

I love that God often gives me a verse of scripture in response to my prayers. As I read these verses this morning what stood out to me was, “But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”  

You see, our perfection doesn’t come from our performance. It comes from being hidden in Christ. He didn’t choose me because I was worthy, He chose me because He loved me … with a perfect love.