How Do We Fight the Fear?

I have a memory to share:

As a little girl, I remember telling my dad of a bad dream.

Scared me silly.

He said next time I have one of those dreams,  I need to force myself to speak to the scary and say to it you’re not real. This is only a dream, and now I’m going to open my eyes. Then force my eyes open.

That very night, I tried it.

It worked.

I couldn’t tell you what that dream was about; I don’t remember it.

I only remember what my father told me to do, and how to overcome fear.

But what about when we’re awake, and the scary is real?

Fear comes in different forms.

• It comes with fancy names, a phobia for every occasion
• It comes through medical reports, relationships, finances
• It comes when we need to move on , and when the lights go out
• It comes in what may happen, and what may not

From the creepiest bug, to the most overwhelming of circumstances. We’ve all experienced fear.

When fear encompasses our day, engulfs our thoughts, our effectiveness in serving and fulfilling our calling is greatly diminished.

Of course the enemy wants us to live in fear because:

FEAR = INEFFECTIVENESS

Fear weakens our spiritual immune system, and can cause physical harm as well.

In James 4:7, the word tells us to surrender to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from us.

There is evil in the world, no argument there.

But we can easily blame the devil for our own disobedience; our own unwillingness to surrender to God. Surrendering isn’t easy, but we tend to make it harder don’t we? It’s not as complicated as we make.

We have to learn to surrender our fear to God;

and this is key, we have to let  Him keep it.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”                                                                                                                                                                                         Romans 8:15

It’s time to cry Abba, Father, help me not to fear.

In order to squash fear, we need to take on a healthy fear:

The fear of the Lord. A reverent fear. A fear and awe of God.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.                                                                                                                                                                Proverbs 31:30 NIV

Love casts out fear akin to death, because we are kin to the Bread of Life.

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”                                                                                                                           Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV

What happens when we tell our kids not to do something, and they do it anyway?

Disobedience brings consequences.

God tells us numerous times not to fear. Ah, I get it.

And isn’t brave cooler anyway?

Face  Every  Anxiety  Resolved

Let’s be resolved to trust God and not fear.  Stand like Daniel; firm in faith and never wavering.

Be  Resolved  As  Virtuous  Esthers

Like Esther, we can have courage, we can be brave enough to face fear resolved.

Girls, we can do this. We can do this together. We can do all things through Christ.

Let’s fight back like David.

When he stepped out to face a giant piece of fearful, heads rolled.

Well, a head anyway, and it wasn’t David’s. We need not hide in fear, when we can crush it with faith.

Let’s remember our Father’s instructions for overcoming fear:

Surrender it to Him.

Speak to the scary. Yell if it helps.

Tell it God says I shall not fear. Then say:  Now I’m going to open my eyes to His truth.

How are you fighting fear today?

Share in the comments, so I can stand with you in prayer.

4 Ways: Fight Discouragement

Have you felt discouraged lately?

Hanging on like an Autumn leaf, fearing the slightest breeze could send you plummeting?

Guess what? You’re not alone.

This word discouraged. Seems it’s been a common thread running through conversations over the last several days. I’ve been there too.

We get tired; we grow weary; we have thoughts of giving up. We wonder where our passion has gone; why the fire feels as though extinguished.

The opposite of discourage is encourage; within both, courage can be found. In every discouraging circumstance in our lives, we must dig deep and find courage. Christ in us, the hope of glory. Christ. In. Us. What could make us braver than that? God knows we face discouragement; yes, Jesus endured so we would not grow weary.  Then the flicker. It’s still there. 

“For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” Hebrews 12:3 (NKJV)

Feeling discouraged? I’ve been there too. Reach out to a friend. Reach out for prayer. Reach out; because when we reach out, we aren’t holding in.

Discouragement isn’t cause to give up; it’s cause to step up. Grab courage right out of the middle of discouragement. tweet it

God has given us gifts to use; He has positioned us where we stand at this very moment in time. What could be more discouraging than not using our gifts? God chooses the weak to shame the strong. It may be a harder road than we would choose, but I’d rather be chosen than choose easy. How about you?

“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”      2 Corinthians 12:10 (NASB)  

Here are 4 ways to fight discouragement:

1. Pray. It may seem obvious, but we’ve been known to forget. It’s okay to talk with God about our discouragement. It’s His joy to refresh our souls.

2. Redirect our focus by boasting in the Lord, instead of thinking more of ourselves than we ought. Discouragement can be a form of pride. We feel sorry for ourselves for what we haven’t achieved; for what we haven’t accomplished; for where we’d hoped to be by now; for not being more appreciated; for feeling we don’t have a voice. Let’s redirect our focus off of ourselves and onto God. Let’s release the burden of self. God inhabits the praises of His people. Praise changes things. Praising through difficult circumstances takes our eyes off the difficult circumstances. Supernatural changes happen when we praise Him.

3. Believe the Word, really believe it. If I asked you if you believe what the Bible says is true, most of you would say of course I do. Do you believe it’s true for you? I’ve said this before, it’s easier to encourage others than it is to grab hold of it for ourselves. Believe the promises are personal. Wait on the Lord. “He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it” Philippians 1:6.  I’m thinking you’ve encouraged someone with that truth. Be encouraged, the you in that scripture means you.

4. Take time to rest. Discouragement and exhaustion go hand-in-hand. In music, a rest means you don’t play a note. Maybe we’re playing too many notes and ignoring all the rests. When we do, we aren’t playing the music as it was meant to be played. Rest in Him. Speaking of music, pop in your favorite worship music. Uplifting and encouraging lyrics is food for the soul. Maybe it’s as simple as knowing we’re not alone. Not the way the world says misery loves company, but the way the Word says unity through humility.

Remember friends, feeling discouraged doesn’t mean we’ve been defeated; it probably means we’re doing something right.  Press on. His mercies are new every morning.

Blessings and Peace to you,

DORIS

New American Standard Bible (NASB)Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman FoundationNew King James Version (NKJV)The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.