When my boys were little they had trouble sleeping at night… they were afraid. Afraid of the dark, their closet, their toys, the trees blowing outside, anything and everything… Mommy made it her mission to find the problem and fix it. We prayed every night before bed for good dreams, we got a night light, we talked about what they could dream about, and I even traded pillows with one of my sons so he could have good dreams like me. This is something we constantly fight against… FEAR.
Our minds are sponges. They absorb everything we see and hear all through out our day. The good, the bad, and the ugly… that is why we need to be extremely careful about what we allow into our hearts and minds. Things stick with us longer than you would think. That is why my husband and I have made it our job to help "protect our boys minds” until they are old enough to do it for themselves. One area we strive to protect them from is fear.
We gauge our decisions for our children by our choice to protect what is allowed inside of them. We restrict where they go and what they do for a purpose. The things that we see and hear stick with us. We never want to put them in an atmosphere where fear will grow inside of them. For that reason we are very protective over their media elements, they aren’t allowed to see scary movies, go to haunted houses, or watch things that may have scenes that are too intense. These kinds of things can invite “fear” into our lives. I saw a horror movie when I was a child. I was sitting in the midst of a bunch of adults and I can still see the vivid images. It really sticks with you… it stuck with me into my teen years. In fact the fear stuck with me as well… I was afraid to sleep at night. Fear grew as I got older. It dictated what I did or didn’t do based on what the possible outcome could be. I lived my life based on the “what if" mindset of life. I would think about doing something based on what could possibly happen as a result. I inserted the worst case scenario of course. When my husband was running late from work… he got in an accident. When I got sick… I was dying. Fear began to consume my thought life.
Even though I knew God and had a relationship with Him, I still allowed fear to affect my life. It wasn’t until I decided to trust God with every area of my life that I started to notice a positive difference. I had to come to the point where I realized that God held my destiny. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Do you know what the opposite of fear is? Faith. Our walk with God is a walk of faith and walking by faith is a new way of living.
So... how can we overcome fear and begin this new walk of faith? Here are few thoughts to help you:
~Fear should always be combated with scripture. We have power over fear when we speak in faith. When you put God’s word inside of you… it stays and comes back when you need it.
~We can build our faith by hearing and speaking God’s Word daily.
~As we read and memorize God’s word, it will become a part of us and give us control of our thoughts.
~Face your fears with faith believing that God is in control of whatever the outcome.
There is a scripture that I memorized that helped me overcome and face my fears. It is one that I passed on to one of my sons to use as a weapon when he felt afraid. When Jesus fought the devil He used scripture. The devil wants to fill us with fear and paralyze us, but we can overcome him with the word of God.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says “Take captive of every thought and make it obedient to Christ.”
As I began to walk in faith, a part of my process of overcoming fear was taking captive of my thoughts. Sometimes our minds can run wild with possibilities. I had to learn to give my thoughts to God. If it was a good thought, I could keep it. If not, it was God’s to have. God became my filter for my thoughts and my life. When we allow God into every area of our lives… we no longer have to live in fear, we can truly experience LIFE.
I pray today you will face your fears with faith believing God to do the impossible. I challenge you to let Him have control of every area of your life. You can trust Him!
Living to leave a legacy!
Julie
Julie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your advice and encouragement! I, too, struggle with fear. It was just recently at ReviveAnderson that I gave it all to God and told him I don't want them anymore. While I do still feel fear from time to time, I know that I can just give it to him and move forward in faith. Your boys are lucky to have you as their Mom, protecting their hearts and minds from what the world says we should listen to, watch, or participate in.