The Fear Factor: Feeding Fear

Fear:  An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, threat, dread, dismay, or panic.

Since 2012 I FEARED to sleep with the light off. How did this happen? I used to be the type of person that would walk into a dark room like no one's business. Well, God shook me one night and revealed the dark side of the spiritual world and instead of taking it in and moving forward, I began to fear. Fear had trapped me for TWO years but fear was originally designed to keep us safe.  It is an internal alarm system that goes off when real life or death situations arise. If you read in one of my previous post's titled "I'm Going To Worship You Forever…" after that night I was unable to sleep without a light.

After months of this I could tell I was not resting at night. It was as if my body was resting but my mind kept working - so I still felt extremely tired in the morning. It's safe to say I had not rested appropriately for the past two years. God did not create us to live this way - in fear.
Up until a few weeks ago, a close family member approached me about the nightlight and that it was time to face reality, practice my faith and sleep in the dark. I somehow gathered the courage to do so and told God, "I don't think I can do this…but I want to find rest only in You…" His Word reminds us that 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).

Psalm 91 also reminds us to not fear because we are safe in God's abiding presence.

1 Whoever goes to the LORD for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,

2 can say to him, "You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust."

3 He will keep you safe from all hidden dangers and from all deadly diseases.

4 He will cover you with his wings; you will be safe in his care; his faithfulness will protect and defend you.

5 You need not fear any dangers at night or sudden attacks during the day

6 or the plagues that strike in the dark or the evils that kill in daylight.

7 A thousand may fall dead beside you, ten thousand all around you, but you will not be harmed.

I can testify that the first night I slept in the dark without fear I rested like no time ever before. I was overjoyed with sleeping in the dark the following night and have been since. What I found funny is that while I slept peacefully in the dark, everything was off - lights, cell phone, laptop... I woke up with over 20 text messages. The joys of group text messaging. 

Fear can blind, paralyze and separate us from God's fullness in our lives. Faith, opens our eyes to whom God really is. That is why you can't let anything or anyone separate you from His love. Always guard your heart from everything and always forgive and ask for forgiveness. That's the way we can worship in Truth. Although my experience may seem like a silly example of fear there are plenty of things people fear. It is vital to understand how fear works both negatively and positively.

Constructive Fear:

*Protects/alarms us

*Pushes us to new heights

*Propels us forward

*Shows growth

*Shows healing

Damaging Fear:

*Keeps you stagnant and stuck

*Causes phobias, anxiety, illness and depression

*Makes you doubtful and distrusting/lack of faith

*Prolongs healing and growth

*Not how God created us to live

*Sees the bad in situations, not the good

“Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable.”  -Harry Emerson Fosdick

I pray that if you struggle with fear that it will no longer hinder you and the plans for your life, in the name of Jesus, Amen.