Fear Factor

What are you afraid of? What is your greatest fear? Why do we fear certain things? Does everyone have fears or is it just me? How do we overcome fear?

Have you ever stopped to think about the things you fear? We are fearful of many different things. One of the greatest fears for a lot of us is public speaking. Some people fear riding in airplanes while others fear driving on the freeway. We fear animals, insects, heights, small spaces, snakes, the dark, the light, the outdoors, the dentist, the doctor, our boss, our spouse, our parents.....We fear we won't make enough money, loss of a job, not getting a promotion, getting a promotion, not enough responsibility, too much responsibility....Whew!!! And so on, and so on.....This is just the tip of the "fear" iceberg. The list of fears can be a long one. Some well founded mind you while others are not. It is probably a good thing to fear alligators. It's silly to fear that the Patriots won't win the Super Bowl. (I mean come on, you know they are gonna win).

It is okay to fear things in life. But we cannot allow fear to control our lives. Fear can paralyze us if we allow it and Satan knows that. Fear is one of the enemy's strongest weapons. That is why it is so important for us to turn our fears over to the Lord in prayer. Jesus promises us that we have nothing to fear, not even death. Remember when Peter saw Jesus walking on water and he wanted to walk out on the water and meet Jesus? Jesus told Peter: "Come" he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith" he said, "why did you doubt?" Mathew 14:29-31

How do we overcome fear and doubt? Fortunately, God provided us this little book called the Bible. If we read His word and apply it daily He helps us manage our fears. How do we "apply" His word? It is as simple as stopping when a negative thought enters your head and asking the Holy Spirit to give you positive, life giving words from the Bible to counteract the negative. Sometimes, I have to pause several times a day and repeat this exercise. This may be something new for you and that's okay. God wants us to pause throughout our day and reflect on Him. If we yield to Him, He will bring us freedom from our fear and give us a peace like we have never known. I invite you to try this and see if it makes a difference in your life.