What Are You Afraid Of?
Dear Friends,
Many of our fears, when expressed aloud, can seem irrational. Those who know me well know my fear of spiders. Why would anyone be afraid of these small creatures? I can't even really explain it myself. I can cope fairly well with the smaller ones, but the larger ones with big bodies just send a shudder through me and my heart pounds, and usually it takes a cry out to Jason to come and deal with it before I can begin to calm down and relax.
One September as I lay sleeping in bed I felt something tickling me on my shoulder, being only half awake, and not knowing what it was, I just brushed it off with my hand. (By the way, in case you were wondering, it was a big spider.) It landed on Jason's chest, which woke him up, he grabbed it and flung it away from him where it hit the wall with a soft thud! Sad to say, (for me anyway) it crawled off somewhere and we never found it. I struggled to return to sleep, believing that it might find it's way to me again!
Now, we can laugh at some fears, and may consider others to be bizarre, but some hold a lot of power over us and can stop us living the life God intends for us.
Until God revealed it to me recently I hadn't realised that there were two fears in particular which were holding me back from moving forward into the plans God has for me:
1. The fear that I am not good enough - I listen to other women teachers, I read what is written by women writers and see how gifted they are in their calling. I compare myself with them and don't think I'm good enough to do what they are doing. I focus on my fear rather than on my faith. Do you ever find yourself doing that? God never says to you and me that we're not good enough. Perhaps others say it about us, we may even tell ourselves it, the devil definitely says it to us, but God - never! He says the opposite, he says you are good enough, he says I've created you and I've chosen you. Not only that, I have called you and therefore equipped you for service. I don't compare you with anyone else, you are unique and you shouldn't make comparisons, concentrate on me working in and through you, equipping you for what I have made you for.
2. The fear of my health failing me - having lived with migraines and M.E for years, I have become used to the reality of not always being able to make plans, because I never know from one day to the next how I will feel and if I will be strong enough to enjoy the plans made. There's the frustration of having to cancel something, sometimes at the last minute, because of poor health, and letting people down who may have been relying on me. So I have this fear that I will plan to serve God and then feel too ill to follow through on my commitment. The fear of possibly not feeling well enough on the day can stop me from stepping out in faith. Once again I focus on my fear, giving it power over me, rather than focusing on my faith in God. What does God tell me and you? He tells us it's ok to be weak, to have limitations, because he has more than enough strength for us and that we are to allow him to work his power in and through us. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 it says "Each time he (God) said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." (NLT) One of my favourite verses is Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (NIV) Yes, there may be times when I'm not well and don't have within me the resources I need but that's ok because God is the source of all that I need. He also tells us to remember our past. Why? Because when I look back over my life I am reminded how time and time again he has proved himself faithful. I have experienced how he has enabled and empowered me to do that which I could never, humanly speaking, have accomplished on my own. When we are reminded of what God has done for us in the past, we can have confidence to trust him for our present and future. He has never let us down before so why should he now? And the answer is he won't, it's impossible for God to let us down as it goes against his character and who he is. "If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is." 2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT)
My fears and your fears may be powerful, they may have a strong hold on us, but when we focus on God, we realise that he is all powerful and he is mightier than any fear we have, and that with our faith in him we can overcome our fears. The size of our faith doesn't matter, we may have little faith, but what matters is who /what we place our faith in. It's all about placing our faith in our awesome God. We can also pray the same thing a father asked of Jesus in Mark 9:24 "The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'" (NLT) Or in other words, I do have faith God, but help me in the weakness of my faith, help me overcome my doubts and my fears, and strengthen my faith.
Time and again God's word commands us to not be afraid and gives reasons why we do not need to fear, for example:
1. God's presence is with us, "This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
2. God is always true to his word and what he has promised, "Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!" Deuteronomy 1:21 (NLT)
3. God is our help, "The Lord who made you and helps you says: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one." Isaiah 44:2 (NLT)
When I focus on my fears they seem insurmountable and I am paralysed, but when I focus on faith, that is, I focus on God, I focus on his word and place my trust in him, then I am enabled to move forward into the life God has for me to enjoy.
My daughter, Jess, also has a fear of spiders and I can't help thinking that she has learned this response, in part, from me. We do learn from others and I want to be a great example to those around me, particularly to my children. When they look at me, I want them to see a woman of faith, someone who isn't held back by fears but someone whose focus is on God who gives me the faith to move forward. That my example will give them the confidence and courage, so no matter what fears they may have in life, they can, with God, overcome them and can also step out in faith to enjoy the life God wants them to experience.
To Think About:
At this present time are there any fears which have a strong hold on you? What is it that they are stopping you from doing?
What can you do to change your focus from your fears to focusing on God instead?
Why not remind yourself of the 3 "Don't be afraid..." verses mentioned above. You could also look up some more of these verses in the bible. What can you learn from them?
Vicki
Many of our fears, when expressed aloud, can seem irrational. Those who know me well know my fear of spiders. Why would anyone be afraid of these small creatures? I can't even really explain it myself. I can cope fairly well with the smaller ones, but the larger ones with big bodies just send a shudder through me and my heart pounds, and usually it takes a cry out to Jason to come and deal with it before I can begin to calm down and relax.
One September as I lay sleeping in bed I felt something tickling me on my shoulder, being only half awake, and not knowing what it was, I just brushed it off with my hand. (By the way, in case you were wondering, it was a big spider.) It landed on Jason's chest, which woke him up, he grabbed it and flung it away from him where it hit the wall with a soft thud! Sad to say, (for me anyway) it crawled off somewhere and we never found it. I struggled to return to sleep, believing that it might find it's way to me again!
Now, we can laugh at some fears, and may consider others to be bizarre, but some hold a lot of power over us and can stop us living the life God intends for us.
Until God revealed it to me recently I hadn't realised that there were two fears in particular which were holding me back from moving forward into the plans God has for me:
1. The fear that I am not good enough - I listen to other women teachers, I read what is written by women writers and see how gifted they are in their calling. I compare myself with them and don't think I'm good enough to do what they are doing. I focus on my fear rather than on my faith. Do you ever find yourself doing that? God never says to you and me that we're not good enough. Perhaps others say it about us, we may even tell ourselves it, the devil definitely says it to us, but God - never! He says the opposite, he says you are good enough, he says I've created you and I've chosen you. Not only that, I have called you and therefore equipped you for service. I don't compare you with anyone else, you are unique and you shouldn't make comparisons, concentrate on me working in and through you, equipping you for what I have made you for.
2. The fear of my health failing me - having lived with migraines and M.E for years, I have become used to the reality of not always being able to make plans, because I never know from one day to the next how I will feel and if I will be strong enough to enjoy the plans made. There's the frustration of having to cancel something, sometimes at the last minute, because of poor health, and letting people down who may have been relying on me. So I have this fear that I will plan to serve God and then feel too ill to follow through on my commitment. The fear of possibly not feeling well enough on the day can stop me from stepping out in faith. Once again I focus on my fear, giving it power over me, rather than focusing on my faith in God. What does God tell me and you? He tells us it's ok to be weak, to have limitations, because he has more than enough strength for us and that we are to allow him to work his power in and through us. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 it says "Each time he (God) said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." (NLT) One of my favourite verses is Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (NIV) Yes, there may be times when I'm not well and don't have within me the resources I need but that's ok because God is the source of all that I need. He also tells us to remember our past. Why? Because when I look back over my life I am reminded how time and time again he has proved himself faithful. I have experienced how he has enabled and empowered me to do that which I could never, humanly speaking, have accomplished on my own. When we are reminded of what God has done for us in the past, we can have confidence to trust him for our present and future. He has never let us down before so why should he now? And the answer is he won't, it's impossible for God to let us down as it goes against his character and who he is. "If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is." 2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT)
My fears and your fears may be powerful, they may have a strong hold on us, but when we focus on God, we realise that he is all powerful and he is mightier than any fear we have, and that with our faith in him we can overcome our fears. The size of our faith doesn't matter, we may have little faith, but what matters is who /what we place our faith in. It's all about placing our faith in our awesome God. We can also pray the same thing a father asked of Jesus in Mark 9:24 "The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'" (NLT) Or in other words, I do have faith God, but help me in the weakness of my faith, help me overcome my doubts and my fears, and strengthen my faith.
Time and again God's word commands us to not be afraid and gives reasons why we do not need to fear, for example:
1. God's presence is with us, "This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
2. God is always true to his word and what he has promised, "Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!" Deuteronomy 1:21 (NLT)
3. God is our help, "The Lord who made you and helps you says: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one." Isaiah 44:2 (NLT)
When I focus on my fears they seem insurmountable and I am paralysed, but when I focus on faith, that is, I focus on God, I focus on his word and place my trust in him, then I am enabled to move forward into the life God has for me to enjoy.
My daughter, Jess, also has a fear of spiders and I can't help thinking that she has learned this response, in part, from me. We do learn from others and I want to be a great example to those around me, particularly to my children. When they look at me, I want them to see a woman of faith, someone who isn't held back by fears but someone whose focus is on God who gives me the faith to move forward. That my example will give them the confidence and courage, so no matter what fears they may have in life, they can, with God, overcome them and can also step out in faith to enjoy the life God wants them to experience.
To Think About:
At this present time are there any fears which have a strong hold on you? What is it that they are stopping you from doing?
What can you do to change your focus from your fears to focusing on God instead?
Why not remind yourself of the 3 "Don't be afraid..." verses mentioned above. You could also look up some more of these verses in the bible. What can you learn from them?
Vicki
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