Fear
Insecurity
Doubt
What you think you lack…
What you think you don’t have…
Who you think you aren’t…
These are the monsters that keep you from living the life you were meant for.
Am I right?
They tie your hands behind your back and make your feet feel like they have been planted in cement. You don’t move forward – too afraid of the what-ifs. You can’t go back. So you live somewhere in the middle of what you want and where you are.
There’s a reason they call fear a form of bondage. Because it is.
What if, though? What if you swallowed down that lump in your throat?
What if, you said a brave yes and took a leap of faith forward. Trusting that there would be someone there to catch you if you fall.
What if, everything you had made up in your head – all that could, would, should happen, didn’t? What if, you were wrong?
“If you’re not afraid, you’re dream isn’t big enough. Your dreams should scare you.” Want to know why? Because they need to be “ridiculously crazy so that the only way they will ever succeed is if God intervenes.” (Mark Batterson)
Fear is good, you know you’re on the right path when you feel it. But don’t let it paralyze you. (<==== Click to Tweet)
When I was younger I remember being scared of the dark. For a number of years I shared a room with my younger sister, until we moved and had our own bedrooms. Even with my own room and large bed, I would still sneak into her room and sleep. Too afraid to face the night on my own. I would wonder why she wasn’t afraid too. And how it must feel to go to sleep and not wonder what monster in the closet was going to come out tonight (of course there were never any monsters, only made up ones in my head).
To this day you will not find me sleeping with a hand or foot off the bed, for fear that something or someone is going to reach up and grab it.
Fear has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Fear of the dark turned into fear of trying new things, afraid that I would fail and look foolish.
Then it turned into fear of not being enough, or having enough, knowing enough. Once fear gets in the door. It gets bigger and bigger. And soon it has a hold on every part of your life.
Until…
Until you open that closet door with all the imaginary monsters (fears) and tell it where to go. They aren’t the boss of you!
That’s right. Next time you want to run when God says walk, try trusting Him. (<====Click to Tweet)
Do you know the verse, “We can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength?”(Philippians 4:13) That has long been my life verse. When I decided I was tired of not living up to what I knew God had designed me for, I would repeat, and still do, this verse. It would remind myself that in my strength I couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t write.
I couldn’t be the mother and wife I needed to.
I couldn’t go out of town on my own and visit with people I had only ever “met” online (what if they turned out to be ax murderers? They didn’t! ;)).
But with God I could do ALL things He wanted me to do.
There really isn’t any reason to fear.
Together, let’s open our closets on the count of three and then slam the door in the face of fear for good.
1…2…3!
Shared by: Alecia Simersky
Alecia,
I struggle with fear. This is such a powerful message. I’m putting this on my favorites list.
Thank you.
In peace sister,
Chelle
It’s a daily battle isn’t it? Thankful we don’t fight these battles alone…we have each other! Love you, Chelle.
mmm … dear Alecia. The monsters lurk, unbidden, don’t they. And they change masks over time. But still they are the same, just fear in a different disguise.
The enemy wants us bound and captive. I am so thankful that Christ came to set us free. I’ve gotta keep looking His way … much more often. And stop giving those ugly beasts the attention they crave.
Thanks for these thoughts this morning, friend …
Thank you for stopping over, Linda. Oh, yes, the fears change as we get older, but they are still there lurking, waiting to make their presence known when we least expect it.
Oh yes, fear. How powerful it can be — either holding us back or propelling us forward. It’s how we choose to handle it and Who we choose to help us deal with it.
How grateful I am that through Jesus I CAN do all things and I don’t have to allow fear to take away my drams or keep me sleeping with one eye open.
Great post!
Amen.
Grateful we get to be brave together!
Me too, Holley.
Donald Miller said this at the Storyline Conf on Thursday and Friday and it really resonated with me . . . “The Gospel is an invitation to a difficult story.” For me I fear the unknown. I prefer a clear plan. But God calls us out of our comfort zones. What if what we fear most is the one thing He is calling us to? I’m working on trusting Him as I take some brave steps…one brave step at a time.
Beautiful post, Alecia.
Blessings. xoxo
Amazingly true. So inspiring. I too believe that fear is inevitable, even the big people in the Bible felt it. But how we deal with it is what matters. Let’s not let fear stop us from moving forward.