Fear is a liar

Many of us know of someone who is terrified of crime, death, heights, physical pain, ridicule, snakes, the unknown and a number of other things. These phobias result in dizziness, sweaty palms, tense shoulders and a rapid heartbeat. They then leave one feeling a sense of dread and as if one's life is in danger.
Thus, preventing us from living our lives fearlessly and fully.

Fear is one of the devil's tactics used to deceive us, make us miserable and keep us stagnant. Its so destructive, leading us to torment and even bondage. And its when our minds are contaminated with lies that they seep into our thoughts and lives, disempower us and leave us feeling ineffective.

Ever been in that state of mind before?

I have.
And for the past few weeks I have been captivated by the power I have given some of those fears.

Let's see...when I was a little girl, I was afraid of big, ugly monsters, afraid to watch horror movies and afraid of unkind individuals. And years later as a teenager, I feared criticism, failure and not measuring up to certain standards. Strangely enough, I conquered some of those fears but I also carried the rest into adulthood and developed new ones.

Nonetheless, over the years I have realized that I was not in fact afraid of those things or ideologies but rather the consequences of certain actions.
For example, when I watched a small clip of an evil monster, I had sleepless nights. When I had an encounter with an intimidator or someone cruel, I would build up 'build walls' and therefore be mindful of who I would befriend and trust. And as for criticism, let's just say that it left me feeling wounded as I bought into a number of lies.
Little did I know at the time that that was exactly what the devil wanted as he feeds off worry and other fears, going against God's Will for our lives.

See, the more I complied with those fears, the more my body language changed and the more insecure I felt of my abilities. But I finally got to a point in my life where I realized that I could not continue to live in fear as it already stole so much from me - attempting to 'choke' my dreams, faith and potential. And surely that is not what God wants in our lives.

Just the other day, I had an epiphany and realized that there are times in our lives when we may feel afraid of certain things or people but we cannot let it control our actions, our decisions and hence, our lives. For its then when we condone fears that they 'cripple' us and contribute to our inability to make decisions, live and enjoy the life that we've been given.

From that moment onwards I have decided to live by FAITH more (and completely) instead out of fear. And I aim to make faith my reaction to any form of perceived danger.

"What does that entail?" you might ask.

Well, on some days that requires that I bluntly tell myself that, "I refuse to live in doubt and fear because God has given me boldness". That way I deliberately rewire my thoughts and take every thought captive that does not line up with His Word (2 Corinthians 10:5). And I restructure the information I've been given. That includes:
☞ Rejecting toxic information
☞ Welcoming Truth
☞ Standing in agreement with the Word
☞ And putting on the armour of God daily: the helmet of salvation, the breast plate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sword of God's Word, the shoes of peace and the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:11-17).
As for the other days, I have to remind myself that I put my trust in God and I believe in Him and His promises. For I know that this pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6) and it encourages me to know that He has my back and He always has my best interest at heart.

With that said, let me reassure that this journey is a process but its not impossible.
So don't beat yourself up too much.
I know that I haven't arrived yet and you may feel the same way. I'm a work in progress.
A young woman whose still learning to exercise her faith muscle more (God's source of power) each day and do hard things even if she feels afraid. For I know that my faith is strengthened each time it is exercised and so is yours. Remember that the next time fear attempts to grip your heart...God is with you, always.

P.S. Here are a few scriptures to meditate on:

"So do not fear, for I am with you, do no be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". - Isaiah 41:10

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". - Jeremiah 29:11

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don't be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” - Matthew 14:27

Faith can move mountains. - Matthew 17:20

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. – Philippians 4:8

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. - Hebrews 11:1

- Mel ♡♥♡