By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
I’ve learned over the years the best way to eliminate fear is to remove it from my physical, mental, and spiritual world. An alliance with terror is no way to live. Spending time with fear is fiend-ship. Nothing good comes from teaming up with an enemy and falling captive to its paralyzing chains.
So why indulge?
Fear is an emotion that shows no favoritism, affecting the weak and strong, the rich and poor. Its gripping tentacles dig deep into our emotions to ensure it’s a formidable enemy, but those who choose godly friendships can rid their lives of real and psychological terror.
Isaiah 41:10 ESV Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Fear doesn’t have to make sense; it’s present and dangerous. The emotion is not negative, but an intuitive means of protecting us from the threat of harm. Those threats can be physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological, and the resulting sensations alert the character to danger.
Whether the fear is genuine or imagined, the emotion affects us and requires coping skills. The anxiety and pressure can cause us to do whatever is necessary to avoid the triggered reaction and response. Faith, backstory, culture, education, upbringing, and a host of other factors make each fear unique. We can feel alone and ashamed or hide from others to avoid ridicule. The presumed danger is real. Fear manifests itself in paralysis, shock, seeking safety, fleeing, and/or fighting.
Respecting the outcome of a fear doesn’t make us any less a believer in Jesus Christ. Those who respect a healthy fear show wisdom in avoiding—running into a burning building, playing golf in an electrical storm, handling a loaded gun, swimming in shark-infested water, and the list goes on. Motivation fuels the choice to fight or flee. Sometimes it takes more courage to run from a harmful situation than to stay and fight.
Fear is natural and our body’s way of warning us of danger. Healthy fears keep us from making critical mistakes and avoiding danger.
- Don’t touch a stove’s hot burner.
- Don’t step into traffic without looking both ways.
- Don’t walk barefoot where poisonous snakes roam.
A phobia is an unhealthy fear of objects or circumstances that cause an unnatural reaction or out-of-proportion anxiety. The victim may suffer from various physical symptoms that damage the body physically and mentally. Some victims experience panic attacks.
- Fear of heights.
- Fear of flying.
- Fear of crowds.
To overcome a fear or phobia, we need to identify it, then explore why it plagues us and where the problem originated. Did the issue begin when we were a child or have life experiences conditioned us to behave in an unhealthy manner?
God wants us to live a life of peace by giving our fears to Him. We can do our part by surrounding ourselves with godly friends who can love and help us be emotionally healthy.
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV – For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
What are 10 ways we can move closer to God and leave fear behind?
- Pray for God to show us an understanding of our fear(s) and the best way to explore healing.
- Pray for God to place the right people in our lives to walk this journey.
- Pray for a positive attitude.
- Journal daily and include challenges and victories.
- Journal prayers for specific requests and praises.
- Understand, breaking the chains of fear will take hard work and time.
- Seeking godly counseling may be necessary.
- Confide in a close friend(s) of your determination to eliminate the fear and request accountability.
- Focus outside yourself as in volunteer work, tutoring, or mentoring.
- Prepare to help someone else who may be traumatized by fear.
Godly relationships help us see the reality of faulty thinking and how we can be affected physically, mentally, and spiritually if not dealt with properly.
Have you walked through the nightmare of an out-of-control fear? Is now the time to begin a healing plan that lines up with God’s Word?
