Battles on the outside, fear on the inside

Fear. False evidence appearing real. The assumption that things are about to go inexplicably wrong for you and the impact of that thought leaves a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. Your mind races, you go over scenario after scenario, each one getting worse as you start to think from a place of fear. I think we all have experienced fear. We all have fears. The battle is in overcoming them.

The Bible uses the phrase fear not 365 times. To me this is a reminder to rid myself daily of the fears that try to come on me.
There are no fearless people. There are just people who learn how to overcome those fears because they learned that it isn’t real. The evidence is false. The devil is a liar. He uses fear to keep you from moving forward and entering into all that God has for you. It’s subtle too where your fears are rationalized to the point where they not only  understood but sometimes accepted.
Let’s talk about some of the ways fear holds us back. Personally, just doing this blog was terrifying. You have to put yourself out there where there is a risk people will hate it. I think most of our fears are rooted in two basic things, failure and rejection.
We are afraid to fail and we are afraid sometimes to put ourselves out there because then we are vulnerable and with vulnerability comes the risk of rejection
That’s why most people find it easier not to be themselves but they present a version they deem as more acceptable and therefore less likely to be rejected
It’s human nature I guess to protect yourself. But we have a responsibility to be real, to be honest and to be our authentic selves. God made you unique! He crafted your sense of humor, your wit, your charm all those parts of your personality that make you you! We honour him by living out loud. This is not screaming from the roof tops or seeking to be the centre of attention at all times but it’s simply being and loving who God made you to be.

The battle is in accepting yourself, shortcomings and all. None of us are perfect. Focus on your strengths and use them to reach others. I learned people always respond to sincerity and realness.
Whatever challenges you face, the strategy of the enemy is always the same….to fill you with fear so that you freeze. To stop you from moving forward. To halt you from making progress. To get you to give up.
God is the opposite! I like how the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:5
When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside.
Conflict, trouble and hardship are all a part of life. I say this often now but they are not necessarily an indication that you are doing something wrong. It’s important to understand that as long as we are alive we will have different seasons in our lives, some good some not so good. It’s how we respond that matters. Your attitude is shaped not by your experiences but by your response to whatever you are experiencing. Sometimes with the trouble and hardships, it amplifies our fears. Fear of losing, whether it be friends, security, finances whatever no one likes to lose.
Don’t buy into the hype though. God’s plans toward us are good, to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future, when you take that in, you realize we cannot lose! Because in Christ we win! God’s plans for us far exceed any way may have for ourselves. Trust in His goodness. Wait on Him. Don’t be fearful, I learned from my pastor to speak faith to my fears. Give it a try
You control the trajectory of your life by how you deal with the hard things and how you handle the fear that is designed to freeze you up.
I have made a conscious decision for 2022 to remind myself that I honour God when I rise above the fears and the challenges by standing on His Word and believing in His promises rather than being intimidated by false evidence appearing real. The realest thing in my life is Jesus and guess what He overcame the world, He died for you and me, He is our ever present help in time of need and He is calling us out onto the waters by faith. Step out in faith and see the possibilities of promise.