I have a few friends that are all facing challenges today. Although the challenges are quite different, they all seem to share the same big, ugly obstacle….FEAR! Yes, it’s yet another bad four-letter word, and it can suck the enthusiasm right out of you. Or worse yet, it can completely paralyze you (say goodbye to any forward momentum!)
Why do we allow fear to get the best of us, and how can we beat it down and get past it?
Here are a few thoughts that may be helpful:
- Determine what it is –exactly – that you’re afraid of. Can you substantiate it? Do others recognize this in you, or are you conjuring and or elevating this fear in your mind?
- Consider – what’s the BEST thing that could happen if I overcome this fear? Weigh it out against – what’s the worst thing that could happen if I continue to let this fear stop me? Choose the better of the two situations and know that you made the right choice!!
- Integrate your faith and beliefs. Not that your beliefs have to exactly match mine or anyone else’s, but at the end of the day, it’s extraordinarily helpful to believe in something bigger and better than ourselves. Faith can be a very powerful thing!! As stated in Matthew 17:20 – He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
- Use your talents, strengths and accomplishments to overcome your fear. End each day by journaling about your accomplishments. Include anything you did that day that could be considered a success or a step in that direction. Include other people’s comments and compliments. Make the list as complete as possible and then CONGRATULATE yourself. Drift off to sleep with your sense of accomplishment and gratefulness. Your sleep will be more peaceful and your dreams more pleasant!!
What are some strategies that you have employed to get past your fears? How has standing up to your fears and facing them helped you with subsequent problems? What advice can you give to others that can encourage them to get past their stumbling blocks and obstacles? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how to overcome!!
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Erin Schreyer is Owner/Managing Partner of Sagestone Partners, LLC. She is passionate about building into people and companies to help them achieve their greatest potential. Erin can be reached at [email protected]
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Erin,
Thanks for the great post. I appreciate the idea about journaling to end the day. I’m usually so spent that my best journaling time is first thing in the morning, but I like the idea about reflecting at the end of the day. For me, remembering that I can make a difference tomorrow is a great thing for me. When I stop looking forward to the future, I’m being fearful. I reflect on my past experiences and remember that like Paul said in Romans, “if God is for me, who can be against me?”
Mike…
Thanks so much for the comment, Mike!!! Way to reinforce it with the Romans scripture!!!
Hi Erin! Great post. I love how you give people some steps to take. Nothing conquers fear better than action. I think your suggestions of self-research are best. Tapping back into your potential and realizing, yes..you CAN do this. You were born with great stuff in you, so you are MEANT to be great.
Thanks for leading, Erin. (:
tammi
It’s my belief that the best remedy to overcome fear is to have a strong, compelling vision/desire/love. Love is the opposite of fear, and unless we truly focus on the overarching thing we want/desire/love, we will get blocked by the fear. When we keep our eyes focused on the thing we passionately desire, we move into a whole new place of outcome creating (as opposed to problem reacting – fear). The more we find ourselves and our organization moving in the direction of our deepest desires, the stronger the emotion to see it through. The stronger the emotion, the greater the motivation.
This was a terrible post.
So you think FEAR is the reason for suffering? And your solution is to determine if you should be afraid of the thing and then believe in Jesus and pat yourself on the back every day? And your basis for this juvenile system is what? Your instincts?
That’s probably why this post is so terrible. Instead of being afraid that maybe you should back up some of your claims with real insight or maybe even a fact, you just pooped out this post. Lack of fear that this post was going to turn out as badly as it did may have doomed it from the start.
No matter though, I’m sure you sat down at night and journaled like crazy about how you posted a post that day, so nothing more to fear, you gave it your all!!
Erin,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It is normal to have FEAR feeling to be within us, as human as it involves a lot of uncertainties. If it is not, ermm…may be she/he comes from different planet and not human. As you suggested, more importantly, how a person overcomes this feeling of fear and to make it to the opposite i.e. courage and bravery. We are all human beings are given the greatest gift i.e. brain [separate between human and animal] and to use this to address the fearful feelings, and after exploring all the available alternatives, we all need “divine intervention” [ regardless what belief a person is i.e. before and after the decision have been made. In the Holy Qur’an, Allah says
[3:73]- ” Verily, right guidance is the Guidance of Allah ” . However, we shall try our level best before leave it to the
“Divine Intervention “.
Hi Erin,
Looking to “Divine Intervention” is a great way to understand how to deal with fear. I came across this as a way to understand that angle:
Question: “What does the Bible say about fear?”
Answer: The Bible mentions two specific types of fear. The first type is beneficial and is to be encouraged. The second type is a detriment and is to be overcome. The first type of fear is fear of the Lord. This type of fear does not necessarily mean to be afraid of something. Rather, it is a reverential awe of God; a reverence for His power and glory. However, it is also a proper respect for His wrath and anger. In other words, the fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes.
Fear of the Lord brings with it many blessings and benefits. It is the beginning of wisdom and leads to good understanding (Psalm 111:10). Only fools despise wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7). Furthermore, fear of the Lord leads to life, rest, peace, and contentment (Proverbs 19:23). It is the fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27) and provides a security and a place of safety for us (Proverbs 14:26).
Thus, one can see how fearing God should be encouraged. However, the second type of fear mentioned in the Bible is not beneficial at all. This is the “spirit of fear” mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). A spirit of fearfulness and timidity does not come from God.
However, sometimes we are afraid, sometimes this “spirit of fear” overcomes us, and to overcome it we need to trust in and love God completely. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). No one is perfect, and God knows this. That is why He has liberally sprinkled encouragement against fear throughout the Bible. Beginning in the book of Genesis and continuing throughout the book of Revelation, God reminds us to “Fear not.”
For example, Isaiah 41:10 encourages us, “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Often we fear the future and what will become of us. But Jesus reminds us that God cares for the birds of the air, so how much more will He provide for His children? “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). Just these few verses cover many different types of fear. God tells us not to be afraid of being alone, of being too weak, of not being heard, and of lacking physical necessities. These admonishments continue throughout the Bible, covering the many different aspects of the “spirit of fear.”
In Psalm 56:11 the psalmist writes, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” This is an awesome testimony to the power of trusting in God. Regardless of what happens, the psalmist will trust in God because he knows and understands the power of God. The key to overcoming fear, then, is total and complete trust in God. Trusting God is a refusal to give in to fear. It is a turning to God even in the darkest times and trusting Him to make things right. This trust comes from knowing God and knowing that He is good. As Job said when he was experiencing some of the most difficult trials recorded in the Bible, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15 NKJV).
Once we have learned to put our trust in God, we will no longer be afraid of the things that come against us. We will be like the psalmist who said with confidence “…let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (Psalm 5:11).
Recommended Resource: How to Win Over Depression by Tim Lahaye.
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