Fear

Print this picture on white paper, then stare at the
three dots in the middle for
one minute, close your eyes and you will  see the most
incredible picture of Christ appear in your darkness!
Fear not for I am with you. Isaiah 41:10

Fear is such an awful thing, isn't it? Emotions becoming so overwhelming that they affect you physically, mentally and spiritually! Sometimes with reason, such as times we need fear to protect us or warn us from danger, but more often than not, fear is a waste of precious energy! It's very similar to worry, it gives nothing but takes everything, leaving you empty of good things and full of bad energy! I once saw a demonstration of muscle testing where the teacher asked the student to stand straight with arms up and out to the side. When the student was asked to think of a fearful or worrisome thought, their arms were pushed down to their sides with no effort at all! Their own muscles couldn't fight the push of the teacher's fingers against their arms! Then, they were asked to take the same stance and think of a positive and cheerful thought, as hard as the teacher pushed, the students arms could not be pushed down! Our attitude sends instant messages to our bodies nervous and endocrine systems and the reaction happens in micro-seconds to our thoughts!

Every time you stress, worry, experience fear....your body goes into a shock and awe mode against itself which weakens you in a myriad of ways! I also heard a fact from a study that after a time of stress, it's takes the body 9-18 months for the effects of it to manifest in you physically! That's remarkable that God designed our bodies to be able to fight the effects of stress but He also made it clear that stress, negativity, fear, anger, worry....will tear us up in an attempt to eat us alive! I also spoke to a doctor who told me that some people's bodies are weaker and the results of the anxieties will cause severe physical problems, from ulcers to severe life threatening diseases. Fear is the mind taking a situation, exaggerating it to thoughts of what could happen beyond that moment, on to where your heart pounds faster and your breathing patterns change, then to a point where you deprive yourself of oxygen and thus....fear. It all starts in the mind and you can end it in the mind if you would concentrate on your breathing and tell your mind the truth! Sometimes managing fear can save your life.

There are scriptures upon scriptures in the bible regarding fear, and most of them are of an angel or Jesus saying, "Do not fear." This verse in Phillipians 4:6-7 is one of my favorites..."Do not worry (also, do not be fearful). Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus." A wonderful act of faith on our part would be to memorize this and other scriptures so that we can recall them instantly! What a fantastic way to send our body a positive message rather than a destructive fearful one in a time of need. This next verse I'm going to quote always makes me laugh because it is so ludicrous to me that God would tell me to do this during the most severe of circumstances! Psalm 46:1-3, God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action." Oh, o.k. Lord, I'll certainly take that into consideration when the earth is falling into the sea! God is totally serious about how present He will be when times of disaster come. Are you serious about believing Him?

I'm very experienced with fear for many reasons but I'll just share a few....The earliest memory of fear that I can recall was the morning my mom woke up and had a severe stroke! It would be a long 9 year journey not only for her but for all involved. I was only 4 when it happened and all I knew was that my mom just laid there completely paralyzed, starring at the ceiling with frightened eyes! I didn't feel deep fear till they took her away and I thought she was never going to come back! This long term fear is like an I.V. with a slow drip that keeps you always alert for the next seizure or fall! It felt like I held my breathe for years, just anticipating the next scary event!

My second story of fear is about the weekend I was held captive in the woods and I was raped. I literally had to pretend and play along with the assailant in hopes that I would make it home alive. The doors and windows of the cabin were locked and nailed shut, the phone was torn out of the wall when he caught me trying to call for help and the worse result of it was how he stole my sense of control! I had none, no control at all and that is a horrible feeling when everything around you is OUT of control! My life was threatened over and over as scare tactics like playing chicken with Mac trucks, driving at fast speeds towards cliffs all while being violently screamed at in my face, came like waves of torment for hours! After I broke his hand as he tried to leave me in the desert in the middle of the night, I was eventually thrown out of the car in a very small town that was extremely isolated! I called my sister and she could only get a bus pass out of the small town , so I sat on a bus for 16 hours bleeding, in  pain, and traumatized. That fear stayed with me for many years and it manifested itself in several quirks like never having noise in the house or never having a door or window open. I tried to live a normal life but every aspect was driven by fear and that mind-set held me captive for much longer than the assailant did!

My third story is about the night the Northridge earthquake hit us in the east side of Simi Valley! We were sound asleep when the earth began to pound up and down so violently that the scrape marks from our headboard went 3 feet up the wall! It felt as though a big giant man came and ripped our house off the foundation then shook it like a child shakes a present! Our two french doors came unlatched from the top locks AND the bottom locks which went into the floor and the top of the door frame. I literally saw items from my house and pictures on the wall flying out my bedroom doors. The street lamp up on the hill blew the transformer which looked like fireworks exploding through the dark sky. And all this was happening while the sound of a train coming through your house was screeching in our ears! The event was terrifying but the worse fear was a few days later when I realized that I must not have any peace with God if this event could rock me to the core with fear that left me paralyzed! So, we went back to church and I studied my bible for all the truths I could find that I could combat fear with! The truth literally set me free! That earthquake is one of the best things that ever happened to me! God shook me up and got me right with Him and now I have peace.

Fear can be not only disarming but crippling to someone who doesn't know the truth about God and His mighty power and boundless love! The world is going to get more frightening but you don't have to become more frightened. If you study God's loving Word,  join a nice church and spend time close to God then He will draw near to you. His peace and truth will be your shield and you will not have to be a victim to all the fear that the world has to offer. Also, are you positive where you are going to go after you die? I am. That thought alone can cause tremendous subconscious fear that can effect you like dripping water corrodes what it pounds on. It's not by good works or being a nice person that we enter God's kingdom, it's only through the spilt blood of His Son Jesus! Inviting Him into your heart and accepting His gift of pardon is all you have to do. Just believe in Him and what He did for you on the cross and your eternal destiny will be Heaven!

Fear will always be a part of our existence but it doesn't have to run, rule or ruin our lives! Trust me, God's Word will be your sword that will annihilate the enemy! When Jesus was in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights with no food and Satan came to temp Him, it was The Word that Christ used to take down His enemy! We don't have to live frightened weak lives and feel afraid IF we have Jesus! Another bible verse that I quote often is, 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind." Also Proverbs 3:25,26, "Do not be afraid of fear that comes all at once. And do not be afraid of the storm of the sinful when it comes. For the Lord will be your trust. He will keep your foot from being caught." There are thousands of verses in the bible that are powerful like these and they're there for the picking! These words from God comfort me, they get me through by bringing me joy, hope, confidence in the Lord and the peace of knowing that He is in control when everything seems to be out of control! In the book of Peter, God offers to trade His peace for your anxiety! That is so loving and amazing that it makes me feel like a child who has the best dad ever!

This world comes at us fast, especially with all the technology that can carry bad news at the speed of light to such a huge populous! Bird flu, Mad cow, terror plots, civil unrest....are just to mention a few but if someone doesn't have Christ to comfort them, then I don't know how they will function if any of it becomes a reality for them! We have fear of death, success, failure, commitment, phobias by the hundreds, fear of pain, loss, loosing control, darkness, eery sounds..... it goes on forever! Until we see God as bigger and stronger than all those things then we will remain prisoners to fear! I used to freak out over everything but now it happens rarely because I have surrendered to God and I finally sat still with Him till I got to know Him. I let the fear drive me to His feet but I stayed and fell in love with Him! Stop trying to do life all on your own or pretending that having a relationship with God can wait! Satan can't convince you that there isn't a God because the evidence of Him is all around us in nature! But, the enemy can convince you that there is no hurry to have a relationship with Him! I have some scary things that are on the horizon but I know that God knows about them and that He will take care of them no matter what happens. If I can't change it then I try not to dwell on it. I just ask my Savior to save me :)

So, dear friends...as it says in Romans 8:15, You should not act like people who are owned by someone (or some thing, ie: fear...). They are always afraid. Instead, the Holy Spirit makes us sons and daughters, and we can call to Him.... "My Father."  Just close your eyes right now and picture yourself with arms reaching out and up, and saying, "Father, hold me and speak to me Your truths." Then, your Father, the God of all creation, reaches down and pulls you up to His chest, puts His hand on the back of your head as He prods you to rest it against His beating heart. In a deep calm voice He whispers in your ear, "My peace I give to you". You then sense His mighty wing of protection cover you like a child under his blanket and His warm hand rests on your back as He gently holds you. Now, picture your worries and fears trying to get at you while you lie in the arms of not only The Almighty God of the Universe but your Heavenly Dad! Do you see now, how safe you are, all your worries, fears and anxieties have no power over a child of God! No matter what your circumstance is, you can choose to be afraid or you can choose to feel safe, knowing that God will see you through. It is really a choice, we all have an option when it comes to fear, as to where we will let our minds go when times of trouble come our way. God promises that at the moment you need it, His grace will be sufficient to meet all your needs, 2 Corinthians 12:9. I've come to believe Him.

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you."

Romans 8:37 But we have power over all these things through Jesus who loves us so much! For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God!

1 John 4:18 Perfect love drives out fear.