Giving Up Fear

Our current focus on giving things up for Lent has led me to undertake this series of releases. Attempting to let go of any number of behaviors, concerns, ideas or situations.

On this weekend edition of “Becoming Today”, I’m seeking to say goodbye to fear.

Hello Rochelle,

I know better than anyone that what I am addressing today is something that no one should have to live in or with. In desiring to give up fear I realize it is a battle that I have fought many times. 

Fear should be completely unnatural, yet for many of us in our early years we are not only taught to be fearful, live in fear, we are misled to accept that fear is a clear and present danger everywhere we look. 

We are not intended to live in a state of being afraid.

As the Scriptures reveal, in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline”.

Do not let fear rule. Fears of what others think of you, fear of making a decision, fear of not being popular, is all demoralizing. It adds nothing to your experience. Realize that “they” will criticize, judge you, or ridicule you no matter what, so who cares?

Oft quoted is Psalm 118:6, “The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”.

I have personally found, learned , come to understand that it really is true. He has shown me time and time again in my life that fear is unnecessary. I’m not saying that it is easy to overcome. But things worth having are generally worth the effort it takes to achieve or acquire them. 

I hope these words assist you in your current battle.

Love,

Rochelle

Since I know I am not alone in needing to deal with fear, today I’d also like to offer some additional inspiration.

The idea of ‘fearing not’ is expressed a multitude of times in the Bible. Many times as direct commands in the Old Testament by God and direct statements attributed to Jesus in the New Testament Gospels. 

In Isaiah 41:10, it is written: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”.

Deuteronomy 3:22 offers these words, “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you”.

Flipping to Luke 12:32, it’s reported that Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

And in John 14:27, He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

So in another possibly easier said than done scenario, we need to recall that with the grace and mercy available we must choose to reject fear. Take the action of making the decision.

How do we do that? By selecting faith over fear. 

Faith is the assurance of things we hope for, but have not yet received. Faith is also the confidence, belief and trust in things that are not seen. Faith must be present before a prayer can be answered.

Faith is hard work, but its rewards are truly remarkable. 

In putting my Faith into action and actively without reservation demonstrating my confidence in God I learned that fear is a liar. It’s not conceived by God, and it is fear that is constantly telling us false things to hold us back. 

In the Scriptures we are instructed numerous times to not fear anything.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not 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

Where there is risk, there is always the potential for reward. We must choose to act in those moments and not react to circumstances that develop from our lack of action or the outright refusal to act, decide or choose.

And when making those decisions we need to remember that honesty is the best policy.

Don’t make excuses. When you are honest with yourself you will find it easier to accept and embrace what is before you and create a  foundation to be built upon.

Some wisdom here to motivate you towards accepting the responsibility to make and commit to your decision can be found in James 1:4,  “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”.

This process as I am certainly witness to does take a lifetime. It’s something we must constantly evolve and adapt with.

Not living in fear does not mean you will never feel afraid, but remember you can consciously decide to refuse or rebuke it. Just say no to fear. Fear not, be not afraid and allow those emotions to be replaced with ones of joy, victory and becoming.

Our Creator did not create us to be fearful, yet as I have testified to many times, some of my earliest memories from people who were much larger, much more possible included the threat that they would “ put the fear of god” in me.

Now of course I understand that they completely misunderstood the intended usage of the word fear in their mantra, however when your first memories are formed as a three or four year old, you quickly learn that “god” is to be afraid of and that if you don’t do what he or others want then you will be punished. 

For me those corrections were not gentle and far too often they were physical acts of violence. 

So yes I did learn to be afraid of this “god” they invoked. He was to me at the time all seeing, watching me constantly, just waiting for me to do something to give an excuse for me to be struck down. Often that “I’ll put the fear of god in you” was followed by “I’ll knock you through the wall”. 

I did not know it at the time, but I would have a lot of “UnLearning” to do and it took a long time. That’s why I say the sooner the better when you can come to accept that fear is an unnecessary thing. 

When I first launched this concept I admitted, “I will be writing a letter  a day addressing something that I need to release, revise or rejuvenate in my life. As I share this idea with you, I’m still uncertain as to what exact format or style these letters will develop as.

It is my intention to let the Spirit guide me into identifying the area of need, and then seeking resolution and support for them. In releasing the ties that bind, I know that growth and healing will follow. My goal is that will refresh my perspective and lead me to my own series of resurrections along our shared path”.

I also continue to encourage you to consider doing your own exercise. Whether in a journal, a document, video diary or scribbled on the back of  a receipt just select whatever form you feel most comfortable with.  Plus just because I’ll be doing them daily, you don’t need to, just set your own standards and goals as for the frequency.

You could also opt  to share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section. Which if you’re on the website follows below. Or if you’re a daily subscriber, you can click on the headline at the beginning of the conversation and be taken.

Also if you’d like to raise questions or share in a less public manner, you can always send a message through our Contact page. 

Think about it. Pray about it. Meditate on it. Consider it and then come Monday decide to join us for our next edition of “Becoming Today”.