10/24/2013 11 Comments Fear Not Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway and in the Fear Not Blog Hop! A winner has been chosen - Rebekah Wiseman! Thank you again for joining us. I hope that you'll consider hopping with us again sometime. In recent weeks, I've read books by people who overcame crippling fear - fear brought on by traumas that would, frankly, cripple anyone. I've heard stories of people stopped in their tracks by sorrows and distresses that none of us would ever want to go through either. I've witnessed friends go through trials, be rescued from things that seemed hopeless, and find comfort in situations that looked unconquerable. In these stories I've listed, God has been the hero,as is only proper, because in their traumas these people were able to see God work miracles in their lives. But sometimes, our fear doesn't look big. Sometimes it looks small. Sometimes fears masquerade as little things, that to others seem minor, trivial. Yet these 'little' fears can and are just as crippling as those big ones, and maybe even more so because we don't recognize them. We don't get help for them. We think we're able to handle it on our own. We're like that nine year old saying 'I'm nine, dad. I'll be fine!' So what are these so-called little fears? Fear of what others think. Fear of being disappointed. Fear of change. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. I doubt I've listed them all; there are all sorts of things that we fear. And any one of them can essentially cripple us. Fear of what others think stops us from witnessing to someone about the gospel. Fear of being disappointed can stop us from committing ourselves to a direction God's leading. Fear of change stops us from making those moves we know God wants. It all stops us just as effectively as the big traumas, the evil touching a life and changing its course, the death of a loved one. Not to minimize those bad things that happened to some, but these smaller fears, they get overlooked. They aren't thought of as important because they aren't always brought on by a dramatic or traumatic incident. But they're as real and as powerful, because oftentimes we aren't prepared to meet them. They're small enough that they get through our defenses. The first step in overcoming? Recognize that it's a fear, and then recognize that God doesn't give us the spirit of fear, but of power and of a sound mind. When we have things to overcome, it seems so simple to just say 'Get in the Bible!' But that's what God says to do. I recently heard this illustration: The Holy Spirit has a toolbox for me, but it's up to me to fill that toolbox. I need to fill it with Bible verses, so that when the Holy Spirit opens it up, He has tools to speak to me with. Give Him something to work with. Psalm 23:4 Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Isaiah 41:13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. There are so many other verses as well. Look them up. Memorize them. Study them. Dissect and digest them. Make them a part of you. Learn to Fear Not through Christ. After all the secrets, will she be able to recognize real love when she sees it?Jaiyl had felt many things in her young life - betrayal, fear, loneliness, anger - but never the love of a family. She was trained only to keep the family's many secrets. She was different, set apart, special they said - which really meant alone. Until one day, everything changed. Jaiyl must come to trust God, and those around her, or all was lost. ……..................... Van knew there was an entire world out there beyond his mountains, but he could never quite bring himself to get up and go see it. Then someone from out there came to him. He gets thrown into a fight he didn’t start, with powerful people who don’t want to be found. He has to figure out what really conquers all, before it’s too late. Jaiyl is all secrets and fear, Van has nothing to hide, nothing to fear. Together they must fight for the freedom of those they love.
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