When we are afraid to fail or be rejected, we tend not to "put ourselves out there", which can keep us from so many blessings that God may have for us. For instance, how can I share my faith with someone if I don't have the courage to open up about it? What if I become so concerned of a possible rejection that I just don't say anything? Then I have failed. I have failed God and that person because perhaps I was supposed to share with them, and didn't. This is one way that fear goes on to effect others, and not just yourself. We may tend to think that it is one of those things that can remain hidden, that won't be noticed if we never share about it, but the truth is that when we suffer silently, we really have no idea how many around us we are really having an impact on, or in some cases, could be having an impact on.
I think that there are some misconceptions when it comes to the word fear, people throw it around figuratively; for instance, we must have a "fear" of God (which I know is a translation of text in the Bible, but...read on). In reality "fear" of God really means reverence, humility, consciousness of thoughts and actions regarding His Word (and Him). I think that a lot of people take the word fear literally in terms of how they see God, and instead of seeing Righteous Ruler, Loving Father, and Holy Creator, they just see big-mean-angry-guy-in-the-sky. There is also at times a feeling of fear when you are about to do (aforementioned) stupid things. But again, that nagging feeling that you have isn't actually fear, but a healthy dose of wake-up-genius!!! Fear is never a good thing, and it should not be associated with feelings that lead to positive outcomes. Too often we blur lines in our beliefs that lead from a righteous thought process to one that is not righteous, or even right. Over time those blurred lines and thoughts become an unhealthy representation of the right thing, and become socially acceptable.
As I said, I don't know when or why I started to have fear controlling me, but I do know one thing, the source of fear. The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." So logically, we know that fear itself is based in one place, satan. If we are to conquer fear through Christ, we are conquering a tool that satan has used on our mind! What freedom! Because fear is something that sneaks in slowly, sometimes unnoticed, it can have a deadly on our souls. It can literally put our minds and spirits into bondage that is difficult to break out of, in fact, there is only one thing that can break the yoke of fear- Jesus. Jesus said that He has come to set the captives free, that is , those held captive by a spirit of fear, or doubt, or worry. All we must do is ask Him to release us from the burden of fear, and know that He is doing a work in us. We may have to pray over and over again, and we may have to have a mantra of biblical promises involving freedom from fear, but it is possible.
I pray that if you are reading this, and you also suffer from a spirit of fear, that you will be set free. I pray that you have the freedom to lift your hands in surrender, rather than have them tied down in worry. I pray that you have faith in His might and power to guide you and help you to overcome when things get tough, rather than doubt every step you take. I pray that the spirit of fear is broken, in Jesus powerful Name, and that you instead will be filled with peace, and a sound mind. I do not believe in accidents in this life, and I truly feel that God led you to read this post on this day, because it is part of His purpose for you to KNOW this, and to not only know it in your mind, but for it to sink into your spirit so that you understand it in depth. So just know that you are loved, and that you are not alone in this trial, because you have my prayer over you, and you have the Father's loving gaze over you always.