Fear

Hello! Thank you for taking time to read this blog! As the leaves start to change color and summer comes to a close of this crazy and unpredictable year. I would like to talk about something that has been in my life, and in most of our lives.  It can tear you down emotionally and hold you back in life if you let it. 

Today we will be talking about fear! I can remember being very fearful as a child. Always scared of thunderstorms because I had watched a movie about tornadoes, or afraid to go to places like Florida because they had alligators. Now, whether you’re young or old I’m sure many of us are quick to proclaim, “Oh, I’m not afraid of anything.” But I’m talking about the kind of fear that goes beyond the scary, campfire stories, and running up the stairs from a dark basement. As humans we all have a common enemy which is Satan. His goal is to oppress and suppress anything God is trying to do. And likes using fear as a catalyst. 

The Dictionary can define fear as a noun defined as “An unpleasant often strong emotion by anticipation or awareness of danger.” Reading this I’m reminded here of David son of Jesse in the Bible. Being the youngest of his brothers, David was responsible for watching over the families heard of sheep. 1 Samuel mentions that David had the bravery to face and kill a lion and a bear with a club in order to defend his sheep. I can think of a time recently where I was walking on a trail deep in the woods by myself close to dark and I heard an animal move close by, I was made aware of the possible danger at that time and I immediately STOPPED. And started thinking about ways to defend myself if need be. It turned out that I wouldn’t be staring in “Rambo in the woods” that evening as whatever it was ran away, but it reminds me that fear is Satan’s way of stopping us in our tracks. For that brief moment, I was under the control of fear.  Later on in the story of David, it’s said that he was the only man on the side of his entire army that would accept a challenge from a much larger opponent, in Goliath, in order to claim victory over the battle. For this victory he was well rewarded at the time and eventually became king of Israel. 

I can think of an example, as a young adult where I had an opportunity to really grab ahold of my life and learn a lot about God and build my relationship with him. I had heard about a christian program focused on building young people my age up in life by serving the Lord and the community. But, going to collage was one of the requirements for the program I was interested in and I didn’t even have my GED. I knew I had struggled in school my whole life, and lacked confidence and I thought I couldn’t do it. Needless to say, at the time I never talked to anyone about the program and slowly found myself walking with a bad crowd and away from furthering my education.  After encouragement from friends and family I pushed myself to obtain my GED and after almost 10 months of working I surprised myself by passing the test.

It took me years walking in the wilderness of life before I finally turned back to God. I eventually did apply for that program and was accepted. And you know who was waiting for when I got there? Fear, but you know who else was there? GOD, and he had my back the entire way. This ended up being one of the most challenging periods in my life. I was reminded to the fact that God made fear as a useful emotion to warn us of danger, and never intended for us to be held back by it. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJ) says “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of sound mind.” 

Have you ever been afraid of trying something new? Like maybe when you were young you climbed all the way up up to the top of the of the high dive just to discover you were too scared to jump? If you did, and if you were ever brave enough to jump, you probably discovered how fun jumping actually was! Fear can keep us from doing things we love, or COULD love but were too scared to try. Don’t be afraid to take that leap of faith! Life Is full of experiences that you can and will learn from no matter the outcome. 

So in conclusion, life is uncertain, unpredictable, scary. Whatever you do in life, do it with the spirit that makes giants fall and with who’s name makes fear flee. The enemy uses fear to suppress and oppress anything the lord is trying to do. Don’t ever make a decision based on fear! That’s basically like Satan holding you hostage making you run around worried and wondering what to do. He’ll do anything he can to keep you from being calm, and in prayer and communication with God about what he wants you to do in the situation. I personally aspire to be fearless like David, knowing that when I stand with God there isn’t really anything to be afraid of.