No Fear

Day #28

I don’t do scary.

I don’t watch scary movies.

Jurassic World doesn’t count, 

that’s just good entertainment 

right there!

Haunted houses are not my thing.

I would NEVER watch zombie shows or movies.

I won’t even watch those silly detective shows with characters 

that make bad jokes over dead bodies like they 

aren’t even horrified someone is DEAD.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller video 

scared me the first time I saw it.

I guess I don’t get why FEAR has become such a multi-million dollar business when fear is such a stumbling block for so many of us.

Fear keeps us from being who we were intended to be.

Melanie writes a blog, Blue Marble God, and has done a wonderful series this month on fear.

31 Days of No Fear.

Such a great idea, right?

It’s been fascinating.

She wrote a letter to fear that is worth reading.

(It’s Day 8 in her series.)

I read it out loud at my women’s retreat.

At the end of the letter she listed the top 10 fears:

1. Fear of flying

2. Public speaking

3. Fear of heights

4. The dark

5. Intimacy

6. Fear of death

7. Fear of failure

8. Rejection

9. Fear of spiders

10. Commitment

Honorable mentions were snakes, crowds, small spaces and clowns.

Recognize any?

I did.

In a dark world that refuses to follow the light, its Creator, God,  I can understand one who allows fear to rule their lives.

But why is it that we who KNOW God 

and earnestly SEEK Him, 

struggle with fear too?

I looked up antonyms to fear:

assurance

calm

confidence

faith

contentment

encouragement

ease (not easy, but “at ease”)

It was an AHA moment.

We aren’t supposed to be fearless in our Christian walks.

We are supposed to keep walking in spite of our fears.

Melanie said this in her blog series on fear,

“When we choose or allow fear to be our guide, it’s living anticipating evil rather than anticipating goodness.”

Yes, we need to “protect ourselves” with the armor of God like I wrote about yesterday, 

but that is with THE ABSOLUTE FAITH  

and ANTICIPATION 

that God can do ALL THINGS.

Don’t give that power to flying

or the dark

or public speaking

or commitment 

or clowns.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come 

that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10

There is no full life when we are stuck in fear.

The “full life” might still include some fear but insert the antonyms:

“I am afraid of the dark, but I have the ASSURANCE that YOU are the light, 

Lord, and in You there is no darkness.”

1 John 1:5

“I am afraid of failing but I have CONFIDENCE in You, Lord, that You have plans to prosper me, 

not harm me, plans to give me hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

“I am afraid of speaking in front of all these people staring at me but I know it is YOUR PEACE (CALM) that you give to me, Lord and you ask that my heart not be troubled and to not. be. afraid.”

John 14:27

The power of God is SO MUCH more powerful than any spirit of fear.

Act like it.

Don’t run from your fears and change your entire lifestyle to avoid them.

That’s living anticipating evil.

Run towards them, 

anticipating GOODNESS.

God will not let you down.