I remember my first year and a half of ministry living in fear a lot of the time. I was afraid to speak up in meetings, I would hold in things I wanted to share, and I would hold back. All in all I didn’t know how to use my voice. As I reflect on my first year and a half in ministry, the fear of failure, fear of others and fear of what other people would think were barriers in my life. The question that began to run through my mind and that God placed on my heart during those days was: what would it look like to live a life without fear and is this possible?
I am a person who loves new adventures, new challenges and new journeys. Sometimes I consider myself to be an adrenaline junkie. As you can see in the picture above and the picture below there is something exciting about doing something I feared or never done before. I once heard Will Smith say in an interview when he was asked, what motivates you? His response was, “fear.” He said, “I hate being afraid to do something.” This has stuck with with me since the first time I heard his response two years ago. I give my all to embody this message daily by attacking my fears.
Fear has this unique way of saying, you are not capable of getting this done, you shouldn’t do anything, why you, just sit there and do nothing. Fear has a way of trying to keep you tied to your past. Fear does not want you to walk into a powerful and dynamic future. With this being said, fear needs to get out of the way! Would you agree?
Fear has power and control but the key to understanding fear, is to understand we are the ones that give fear power and control. Here is what I mean. So much of fear is mental. Fear comes from our imagination and emotion. If we believe something is a threat, a danger to us or scary we will begin to believe in fear. To me, fear is a choice. I have the option and choice to be afraid or to not be afraid. I have the option and choice to believe fear is real or it is not real. You have the same choice and option. This means we can conquer each and everyone of our fears on today!
Here are 5 tips to overcoming fear:
1) Understand that fear is a choice.
2) The spirit of fear is not of God.
3) Ask yourself why you are living in fear.
4) Write down your fears and come up with ways and strategies to overcome.
5) Do what you are afraid of doing.
Your mind has so much power! It is time to unlock your mind and set yourself free. You will feel more confident. You will be more alive than ever before. I do not believe God created us to live in fear. We are His children and we should be living a fearless life. God has given us gifts and talents to use for His glory. When we are living in fear, we hinder ourselves from using our gifts and talents for God’s glory.
Challenge for this weekend and the weeks to come:
Do something you have been afraid to do. Hopefully this something is positive and fun! 🙂
Josh Samarco 