What am I afraid of? ….depends on the
day.
Once fear takes hold, it free falls
and mingles with every thought…every word…every situation.
I have discovered fear is a battle of the mind.
I have discovered fear is a battle of the mind.
Most of my fears never come to pass. But,
I build them up in my mind and they become an ogre hiding under the bed.
I do mental gymnastics to avoid anything
that conjures up my fear’s reality. I avoid situations. Build walls around me. Make
excuses. I pretend. Bring along a friend. I spiritualize.
I do whatever it takes to keep fear hidden.
Even stop living.
Fear is always bigger when we don't face it.
Not talking about it causes the fear to grow in size, sprout claws and sharp
fangs, enlarging its power over us.
Fear holds us captive with invisible chains
that encircle and squeeze so our life is crippled. We cannot embrace or enjoy life
when fear has tightened its grip. 
It is only through the power of Jesus
Christ that the chains are loosed.
Remembering that Perfect
Love—God—casts out fear, will help us to know who is on our side. He is the one
that fights the battle for us. The darkness of fear is exposed in His Light as
the Truth sets us free from the powers that hold us captive.
I am not an expert on the subject of
fear. I only know I have grappled with it for years. Sometimes it was winning.
And others I gained glimpses into what was really going on to understand my reaction.
I do know I have wanted to understand
more of what “perfect love casting out fear” means in my everyday life—to my
fears—to my battles. Someone once said that fear is the absence of God. Something
to think about.
God IS Love. So, He is the One who chases
away fear. He is already victorious through the battle on the cross. His
presence brings peace, because His name is Peace.
So, if I am fearful, I know I need
more of Him. Lloyd John Oglivie says,
“We can’t evict fear on our own. Only
Christ can do that. The secret is to focus on Him and not on our fears.”
~ Facing the Future Without Fear (pg 47)
When we see God as Mighty, All
powerful, Able…His power overrules our fear. And, the way we discover who God is,
is to delve into His word and see how He met the needs of those who faced
fears. He will meet us there and show us more about Himself.
Is fear reigning in your life? Do you
need more of Him?
I would love to hear how He is
delivering you,
Jeanne
* Lloyd John Oglivie's book is out of print but can be found on Amazon.com
