83. DEAL WITH YOUR FEARS Psalm 118:6

During the great depression in the 1930s unemployment hit 25 per cent of the American population, and our country was in much the same boat. Savings accounts were wiped out by bank failures, Farmers lost their land to repossessions, and people were having trouble feeding their families. During this dark time Franklin D Roosevelt addressed his nation. In these words ‘Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses, needed effort to convert retreat into advance.’ What most people didn’t realise at the time is that the President himself had experienced some dark hours during which fear paralysed him. He was born a child of privilege and educated in Europe, at Harvard, and at Colombia law school. But at age 39 he was struck with Polio which left him severely disabled. During his recovery he developed an extreme fear of fire. He worried he wouldn’t be able to escape because of his disability. But in time he overcame his fear, regained the use of his hands and even learned to walk again with the use of braces. He re-entered the political arena Fearlessly campaigning to become the Governor of New York. Which he did in 1929. He then went on to become one of Americas greatest Presidents. He also Joined with Britain and her allies in the victory of World War 11. In his memoirs he recalls, When he turned to God for help,courage and guidance, He received it. Are you afraid today? If you are, stand on this promise,’The Lord is on my side, I will not fear, What can man do to me. (Psalm118:6) We tend to think that successful people are exempt from fear, nothing could be further from the truth. Every generation in history has experienced fear. The first person God created was Adam, and the first recorded words Adam spoke were these:-’I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself’(Genesis 3:10) . Fear is genetic; It’s part of human nature. Studies confirm that seven of our greatest fears are; (1) Finances, (2) Health, (3) Career Concerns, (4) Parenting Struggles, (5) Family Relationships, (6) Accomplishing Personal Goals, and (7) Death. Are you fearful and anxious in any of those areas? Fear can be a destructive force in your life. One of the old English words for fear is”Sudden attack” It’s akin to an old German word that means “Ambush or Snare”, That’s what fear does it attacks, and takes us Captive. So what’s the answer? Faith in God! Fear weakens but Faith strengthens. Fear imprisons, but Faith liberates. Fear Paralyses, but Faith empowers. Fear disheartens, but Faith encourages. Fear sickens, but Faith Heals. I understand that the words”Fear Not” appear 366 times in Scripture, if that is so, God has given us a ”Fear not” for every day of the year and also one for leap year! And here’s one of them, “Fear Not for I have redeemed you, (bought and paid for you) I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1). Today God is with you and He promises to be with you in every situation you face. If you allow it, fear can be devastating. Why? Because it breeds more fear! And the most insidious thing about fear is its ability to exaggerate. C .Everett Koop Former Surgeon General of the United States, Observed, ‘People just have an inappropriate sense of what is dangerous . Do you fear flying? The fact is you are more likely to die from choking on a piece of food than in an air crash in a commercial aeroplane, Are you afraid of dying in a robbery? You are more likely to die playing sport than be stabbed to death by a stranger. How about Sharks, afraid of them? More people are killed by farm animals than by sharks each year. What about surgery? You are much more likely to die in a car crash than surgical complications. Seldom do our fears come to pass. In our minds we conceive disasters that will likely never happen. And when they don’t occur, we think, That was a close one! The truth is – Our thoughts were the only thing creating potential danger for us. So how should we deal with our fears? By practising the truth of this Scripture. ‘You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast’ (That is committed and focused on You – in both inclination and character) Trust confidently in The Lord forever. (He is your fortress, your shield, your banner) For The Lord God is an everlasting Rock. The Rock of Ages (Isaiah 26:3-4) To enter the Promised land the Israelites had to cross the Jordan river at the stage of its flood. Were they afraid? How would you feel? Nevertheless, the only way to reach their goal and destiny was to do the very thing they feared! When you let fear take hold, you become more fearful and end up creating a debilitating cycle that works like this; fear breeds lack of action; lack of action breeds lack of experience; lack of experience breeds ignorance; and ignorance breeds fear. It makes you afraid to do the very thing that would be beneficial to you. Taking action means you have to step into the unknown and do the untried – and that can be scary. But, if you give in to your fears, you wont move forward. You don’t receive the benefit of what you avoid, nor do you gain the valuable experience that will improve your life. As a result, you will remain ignorant about that area of life, and ignorance always breeds more fear, making it that much harder to push ahead when you want to achieve your goals. Henry Truman remarked; “The worst danger we fear is the fear of being paralysed by doubts and fears, this danger is brought about by those who abandon Faith and sneer at Hope...by those who spread cynicism and distrust to blind us to our great chance to do good for all mankind.’ Someone once said;; “Fear is the Darkroom where all our negatives are developed. It’s interest paid in advance on a debt you may never owe. And it undermines Faith – in yourself, in others and in God. Charles Spurgeon once said;”Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its problems but today of its strengths” As long as you allow fear to take the wheel, you will never get to where God wants to take you or develop and discover the talents He has placed within you. And here’s the great thing, God will help you to confront and conquer those fears that control you. David the Giant Slayer, author of Psalms and Israel’s beloved King, often found himself with his back to the wall, This is when he wrote:-Make haste to help me Lord” (Psalm 38:22), “Lord, be pleased to deliver me” (Psalm, 40:13), David knew who to turn to, “The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1). When God is the source of your strength you can face your worst fears, and overcome them Sometimes the thing we fear does happen, and if we haven’t learned how to trust God to bring us through, we tend to use our own instincts, running away or mistakenly believing they will just go away, but they don’t. So what should we do?. We can’t wish or wait for it to go away,The only way to escape this prison of fear? Is action. You can only work your way out. Every time we escape that prison of fear we grow stronger. Fear has no upside, and no benefits, it pushes us in the wrong direction while producing nervous energy as you fight its paralysing effects. Don’t let fear rob you of your God-given potential. Learn to trust God in small things, while believing Him for greater things. Start stepping out in your small fears attempting to do them in His strength and you will find God will grow you into trusting Him in bigger things. It works for me!!When you succumb to fear you are already beaten, and you’ll always stay where it’s safe, and that’s sad. Because you can’t reach your potential by always staying in a safe place. Shakespeare said “Our doubts are traitors, they make us loose what we oft’ might win by fearing to attempt’. What would you attempt in life if you were sure you couldn’t fail? Before answering, read these words of David. ‘When I cry out to You...my enemies will turn back...I know because God is for me.(Psalm 56;9). Believe that God is on your side today, then step out and attempt the thing you are afraid to do! You’ll never be the same again – because You are liberated. Thank you for reading these thoughts on not allowing your lives to be ruled by fear . I have carried this one verse in my mind all my life, and even when my worst fears are realised (and sometimes that happens) I know “God is with me so what or whom should I fear”. A strong faith will dispel all your fears. So work daily on your Faith in God and be fearless. God bless, Phaline. -------------------------------