Fear most definitely empowers but you have to ask yourself, who is it empowering? You? If it were you, don’t you think you would feel a whole lot better than you do with all the excess baggage of fears you carry around with you?
What are you most afraid of? Think about it...we all have fears. It may be that tiny nagging fear that you may not have enough money to eat dinner the next day or it could the all consuming fear of tomorrow. Whatever it is, fear is something that we all have to deal with...not live with.
The minute you start believing your fears, it becomes a reality. Why? Because you empower it to exist by believing in it. In the book of Job 3:25, Job laments, ‘For the thing I fear comes upon me and what I dread befalls me’
I used to be afraid that nothing good in my life would last. No good things last...that was my motto and believe me, they didn’t. I’d have a perfectly splendid day and something horrible would happen and send me into a spiral of depression. I used to be afraid that I would never be good enough for anyone and acted cold and distant towards the people I really cared about because I was afraid if they came too close they would see that horrible person I was. Consequently, my coolness rebuffed them and did make them see that I wasn’t what they needed.
It’s a simple equation really. When we fear something, we act out of that fear and get a reaction. Built up over time, it becomes a walking reality.
I still have some fears but I have learned that when faith is stronger, fear becomes a distant memory. Faith is the extreme opposite of fear. Where faith is, fear is rendered powerless. As a believer we are not exempted from fears but we are empowered to handle them through faith. My role model always says ‘when fear comes knocking on your door, send faith to answer it’. You can be rest assured that you won’t find it on your doorstep when you do that often enough!
So, you may be thinking, ‘how do I build that faith? Let me ask you a question. If you could vouch for someone, who would it be? Your mom? Your best friend? Whoever it is, you and I both know that you can only vouch for that person because you know them well. You don’t go vouching for someone you met only last night, do you?
The same principle applies. When you spend time with the one who has the answers of tomorrow in his hands, you get to know him well enough to stare the fear of tomorrow in the face and say, ‘I may not know tomorrow but I know the one who holds all tomorrows’.
When you familiarize yourself enough with the giving nature of God, you can stare the fear of lack dead in the eyes and say, ‘The lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack! When God becomes more than an eye in the sky for you because of the time you spend with him through his word, you can stand at the door and say to that fear; ‘all things are working together for my good!
The more you know God, the less fears you have. So the next time you have fears that cut off your air circulation and increase your heart rate to an all time high, remember; faith empowers God to move on your case and fear empowers the enemy to crush you...who are you empowering?
wow!!estrella is on fire for Christ! keep up the work!keep it comin love 'em
ReplyDeleteVery good text Elle! but very peripheral in divulging the true nature of your main points. Religion , fear, trust. Religion is inextricably linked to fear and trust but not necessarily the other way around.
ReplyDeleteFear - its engrained in us and it stems from our instincts to self preserve. in this regard it is not a thing of shame or to be frowned on - instead it should be understood, put in context and bent to your will to make you a better person. do not fear the fact that you fear your failure, accept the fact that your fear of failure is acknowledgement of your need and will to pass or an indicator that you are ill prepared for the road you embark on. The fear would not rule you but help dictate your actions to work harder which would inevitably lead to success.
Flip side of fear - in overwhelming amounts reactions to it are irrational and disproportionate causing us to fail. it is not fear that fails you but the implications of year brought about by your reactions to fear.
Trust - it stems from familiarity or atleast that's the general consensus held - but not totally true. trust is spurred by a thousand two different factors, and it is varying in its depth or intensity.
A smartly well dressed, rich looking individual automatically invokes a peripheral level of trust on sight even before you make verbal contact with them.
in-depth trust is brought about by prolonged exposure to someone or something! in truth actions are predictable in stable conditions. a change in conditions throws allot of changed reactions into the equation.
a friend you have known for 20 years does something really bad and totally unexpected - in truth it is unexpected because you have preconditioned your image or idea of them based on the conditions you have witnessed them experience or experienced with them.
In human beings the need for trust or to be trusted is actually of greater value than trust it self. shall we say the premise of trust is of higher value than true trust.
true trust is blind but very gratifying.
Religion - 100% based on faith. faith is an amazing attribute but is 99% of the time misplaced and used in a wrong context.
I'd accept my understand of religion is far from in-depth but my understanding of the reaction and interaction with religion leads me to believe it is never taken in context but on blind faith - context evolves but faith doesn't.
What's up Estrella? You are amazingly hot! Now You've got something sizzling and inspiring.I must be honest: I celebrate You in my heart for such a bold step to express your convictions about certain essentials in life. I agree with you in many ways, but have some stuffs to say..... In this case we've got a juxtaposition of faith and fear. But in reality, the extreme opposite of faith is unbelief, not fear( though they work together).Remember Jesus couldn't do much in His hometown because of the people's unbelief not their fear. FAITH IS A LAW( that comes with grace and truth).It gives you the advantage in life. Faith is the response of the human spirit to God's Word( God's Word is the fundamental of all realities).Unbelief is a crippler which deprives people living life at its best, by beclouding their vision( it operates in the realm of sensory perceptions and has numerous limitations ). Rememeber Rom 4:20. Fear is inspired by evil reports(negativity) that persons imbibe/entertain. It cannot protect anyone( this is different from a nudge,intuition, or certain inner signals that are designed to guide and guard us in life's journey). Only twisted realities( determined by circumstances and situations) are birthed by the power of fear- what a mirage! As individuals, when we consciously frame our realites with God's Word( the Spoken Word- Rhema),we naturally live a transcendent life that is void of unbelief, fears, doubts,insecurities, and inadequacies( knowing that our sufficiency is of God). Faith is not revealed to the senses or instincts.Faith is spiritual not instinctive. THE SPIRIT OF MAN IS FASHIONED TO BE THE SEAT OF FAITH. Faith is not a child of religion, but the infilteration,resonance and result of His Word in your life( in your world). As long as one remains and sticks to God's Word amidst thorny adversities, unbeliefs and fears are shut out... It's not natural for a God-born person who consistently walks in the consciousness of who he/she is, to be crippled by fear. Your understanding influences your communication. The final question is : What words do you feed on/speak out? What do you meditate on? what influences your choices and decisions? God's Word or evil reports? This will definitely determine the direction of your life. SPEAK FAITH, NOT UNBELIEF. elijah ekanem
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