Don't let fears rob you of life. Fears often hold us back from the dreams and calling that God has planted inside of us. Far too many people settle for mediocre, "safe", bland, boring lives that leave them unfruitful and heading towards a head-on collision with an eventual casket full of regrets and unused potential at the end of their "lives". And it is usually unconfronted fears that cause this. You have dreams that God has planted in you! You have a calling that God specifically designed you for! You have gifts and talents and abilities all packaged within a uniquely custom made package of skin to fulfill a calling that only you were designed for. No one else can live your calling. Only you were made for that. But in order to get to who you are called to become you have to walk out a faith journey with God that will take you straight towards the very fears that try to choke out your life, your potential, and your fruitfulness for God's glory. You see, fears don't just VANISH; they must be VANQUISHED! They don't just disappear because you've got good intentions or even a great prayer life. Fears must be confronted in order for God's perfect love to cast out all fears. An unconfronted fear is an uncontrolled fear. And an uncontrolled fear wreaks havoc in your life. I've found that the best way to overcome fears is to take the fight to them. Confront each fear head-on! When I was 19 I made a poster board list of my top 5 fears, hung it on my wall, and resolved to no longer let these fears limit my life and potential in Christ. I prayed over them and then accepted the challenge from my Lord to trust Him as He was going to lead me on a journey directly towards them and through them. As my favorite author Tim Hansel used to say, "The only way out is through." One by one I confronted each one. Some were overcome immediately while others were a process. But just as important as the freedom that I experienced with each overcome fear was the actual deeper faith in and deeper closeness to my Saviour that was developed along the way. There are so many rewards that come from overcoming your fears - freedom, fulfillment, inner satisfaction, a Biblical definition of confidence, increased courage, fulfilling more potential, increased fruitfulness, less limitations in life, an authentic thrill, an unexplainable excitement, a seizing of the moment, living fully in the present, closeness to God, increased faith, breaking of generational fears, and the list goes on and on. In fact, the benefits of overcoming just one fear may lead to the same addiction I acquired - the addiction of overcoming ALL fears. But it all starts with identifying your fears. Then starting a process of confronting your fears by doing the very thing you're afraid of. For example, if you have a fear of public speaking then the only way to overcome it is by public speaking. Start small, like making a quick announcement or offering a small toast or standing up and saying one thing you're thankful for at your next family get-together or gathering with your friends. Work your way up to joining a public speaking club. Do some research. And keep pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Step by step you will be breaking the chains that attempt to hold you back while at the same time developing a courage to live life fully and freely as God intended you. It's an awesome thing to overcome your fears. Not many joys in life compare to it, especially when you draw closer to God as you do it. Below I've listed my original TOP 5 FEARS that I started tackling when I was 19 years old. Now, 28 years later, I still greatly benefit from taking the fight straight to my fears. God bless you in your journey!
MY ORIGINAL TOP 5 FEARS:
1) Rejection
2) Heights
3) Public Speaking
4) Failure
5) A fear of people knowing I had fears
2 extremely healthy fears to have are a biblical fear of God and a fear of a life full of regrets.
STRiVE to THRiVE!
