For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self-discipline.  II Timothy 1:7, NLT

     In the book “Strong Women, Soft Hearts,” by Paula Rinehart, she has a chapter called “Living Beyond Fear.” She makes a statement: Fear is the enemy of passion and a roadblock to the wisdom God would give us. Why is fear the enemy of passion? I made a list of all the things she said in this chapter that fear does to us and in us.  Fear:

-Puts us in bondage

-Is the enemy of passion

-Is a roadblock to wisdom

-Breeds paralysis

-Stalks our souls

-Strangles the life of our hearts

-Comes from resisting the gentle prodding of God to move in a new way

-Gives us a shrunken form of the life we are meant to have

-Binds and restricts

-Trains us to stay in place

-Is fed by shame

-Keeps us on the treadmill of performance

-Immobilizes us

-Discourages us

-Causes us to think too small and expect too little

-Makes us afraid to be who we are

-Speaks harshly and with chronic disapproval

     Lynne Hybels says of her fear: “I learned that I didn’t really know myself very well. Fear always hides the truth. Fear magnifies our weaknesses and it hides our potential. Only God knew the real me and the path I needed to be on. If I listened to the voice of fear, I would basically do nothing. I chose to talk down fear.”

     Fear is never going to go away, because God is always calling us to walk by faith, not by sight. The uncertainty of faith can create fear if we let it. Facing the fear means we are going to take responsibility for our lives and gain some measure of control (by not letting fear control us). What if you chose to leave your emotional baggage at the doorstep of your past and stepped into the future, deciding that you will no longer let your fear dictate your choices?

*Which thing on the list of fear responses has hindered you the most in your life? What will you do?

In the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bind all lying spirits causing fear and anxiety in me. I resist Satan and all his evil workers. In the name of Jesus and by His authority, I command them to leave my presence. God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. I therefore reject fear and choose to walk by faith in the Holy Spirit, rooted in the strong love of God, and with the sound mind of Christ, in whose name I pray, Amen.


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