Not So Much Afraid

Depending how you look at it, this may or may not be a continuation of my last two posts.  However, it's something that I've found myself thinking about a lot lately when hearing some of the struggles of the people around me (including my own).  What is it?  In a word:  fear.  It's a horrible little four-letter word that has taken up residency in too many of us.  It's truly causing so much destruction in our lives and yet we're not even seeing it.  Here are some of the ways I've seen it played out in myself and others: 

• not living up to your best for fear of failure
• unable to be authentic for fear of not being accepted
• not tackling finances head-on and suffering financially for fear that you really can't afford the life you want to have
• not cleaning up life's messes for fear it will take too long or require too much effort
• allowing our physical bodies to deteriorate for fear that diet and exercise will be too great of a sacrifice

Those are the big ones, but fear rules us in little, everyday things too.  I'm not writing all of this out of a heart of judgment (I'm talking to myself too, ya know).  This is coming from a heart that's breaking over the damage it's caused.  I'm truly compelled to preach you and me a message in the form of a blog!

II Timothy 1:7 tells us that God did not give us the spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and a sound mind.  Have you ever noticed that when you're dealing with the things that make you afraid, you feel powerless and can't even think clearly?  Honestly, it's rational to behave normally around people and not try to put up a front.  It's rational to open up a bank statement.  It's rational to add in a few fruits and veggies.  Now, I realize there's usually a lot more to it than the picture I'm painting.  But just imagine how much more prepared we could be when going into battle with our struggles if fear weren't in the picture! 

I hope we'll both take hold of the fact that God has given us power, love, and a sound mind.  We can access this at any moment, any time, in any situation.  When we are being overtaken by fear, we can know it's not from God.  We can, through His help, overcome ALL of these things in our lives.  "...In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  (Romans 8:37 NIV)