We live a life of fear.
It's true.
Fear is not something that is instilled in us. God did not create us with a spirit of fear. It is a learned emotion. If you don't believe me, watch a baby that has learned to crawl. They will pull themselves up onto a couch and jump off as if they expect themselves to magically float to the floor with the greatest of ease. No, instead they crash hard with a resounding thud followed my a mouth locked in a silent cry before the wails of the banshee escape into the air. They then know that falling equals pain, therefore they will not try that again (usually). They grow fearful of the pain that comes as a consequence to the jump.
Children also learn fear, not only from actions, but from their influential people - namely their parents. A baby sits and plays with his blocks and once a spider slowly creeps up his leg, you don't see him screaming for someone to kill it until it is nothing more than a black speck (ok, that may or may not be referring to me). No, they look at it with wonder and amusement. Their little brows furrow in a questionable gaze at this weird thing that doesn't inflict any harm on them but tickles their skin. It isn't until the mother comes in and screeches like a howler monkey before jerking the baby up and running from the room as if the spider is going to attack and kill in one swift motion. The baby then learns that the strange little creature is something to be feared. Why....? Well, because mommy fears it. The one that the baby puts all his trust in is fearful and therefore he must be, right?
We fear so many things; some outlandish and some not so much. I will not go into the weird phobias I have because to many they seem ridiculous but to me they are quite real. Fear. Fear that has been instilled inside me at an impressionable age.
Fear is an emotion that effects us in so many ways. Physically it causes our heart to race, causes an outbreak of perspiration, nausea, shaking, immobilization, enlarged pupils, dry mouth, etc. Mentally it causes anxiety, depression, feeling of inadequacy and just an over all feeling that we are controlled by our fear.
The biggest thing that fear does, in my opinion, is keeps us from reaching our fullest potential. The majority of us share one common fear - the fear of rejection.
Whether it be rejection by a family member, an employer, a teacher, a mentor or someone we have romantic feelings for - the fear is the same no matter of race or gender. It creates missed opportunities and crumbled relationships. What God has possibly sent for good will turn sour as our fear consumes us like a poison.
In the NIV version of the Bible there are over 300 verses based on fear. Here are a few of my favorites....
"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."-2 Timothy 1:7
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." -John 14:27
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9
"In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" -Psalm 56:4
"I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears" -Psalm 34:4
"the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." -Luke 1:73-75
God doesn't say that we will never have fear. We live in a world that is full of some pretty scary stuff. However, He tells us we have no reason to fear because He is watching over us.
Like the old saying, don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. Don't fear taking a step out of your comfortable little box you have created for yourself. Do something daring! You want to go back to school even though you think you are "too old"? Do it! You want to start a new ministry or Bible study? Give it a try! You have wanted to tell someone how you really feel about them for awhile now? Take a deep breath and blurt it out! You want to take on a project that seems impossible? I remember reading somewhere that ALL things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26).
If you live in fear, the enemy has a foothold on you. You will constantly be afraid of failing therefore you will never try anything. The enemy will use the fear to keep you from reaching a potential that you never knew you had but was planted in you before you were even born. Don't listen to the "I can't", the "what if", or the "I don't know..." God wants you to prosper and wants the best for you. He wants you to strive farther than you ever thought possible.
It will be frightening, perhaps even down-right terrifying....but all it takes is one step. One step and God promises to meet you there. Peter - he took one step out of the boat when the other disciples were cowering in the corner, freaked out not knowing what they were going to do amidst the storm. Jesus called out to Peter and he took that first step out of the boat. It was when his focus became cloudy and his fear set in that he began to sink and even though the fear consumed him just as the waves threatened to do, Jesus still reached into the darkness and pulled him out. Peter did not cower in the boat. He knew that if he reached out to his King that all would be okay..that he could do anything - even the impossible, walking on water!!
It only takes a few seconds of courage to create a path of greatness. Just take the step and Jesus promises to meet you there.
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