Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, harm or pain. It is a painful emotion experienced when one is confronted by a threatening danger or evil.Fear can be very exhausting or overwhelming and, no matter how much we try to break away from the grip, it always seems to cause us unexplainable emotions. Fear is a power that controls the human emotions. Fear suddenly makes our heart to skip. Fear has caused many deaths! Fear shows its ugly face before death whether in cases of sicknesses and accidents.We must carefully answer these questions:
Is there any hope of breaking free from fear?
Can we break away from the crippling power of fear?
I believe we can experience freedom from fear! There are so many areas of our lives that the yokes of fear needs to be broken. Fear can cause a person to fail in life. The fear of failing has contributed to the success of some people while at the same time making it impossible for some people to try in life.Fear creates emotional baggage in our lives. Fear was a factor that sank Peter’s faith when he dared to work on the water. Fear can occupy our minds so much that we are unable to make quality decisions. When we say that, we have no emotional baggage whatsoever, we are simply lying to ourselves. Breaking free from fear takes step-by-step or gradual processes, but we can accomplish faster results if we reach out for some help.Fear has a way of holding a person’s mind and not letting it go. Take for an example, a person who was once involved in automobile accident may develop a phobia and until the fear of being in another accident is broken, such individual may never want to drive again. Fear makes us to think of the worst! Fear breeds negative thoughts in our hearts!To achieve greatness in life, we must break the spirit of fear in our lives. Fear is a spirit! Yes, fear is a tormenting spirit! There are many ways that we can open our lives to the spirit of fear:
Fear of not having money to pay the house rent or children’s school fees.
Fear of our homes being burglarized.
Fear of being attached, robbed or harmed.
Fear of natural disasters.
Fear of life and death.
No matter what our fears are, fear will cause a phobia to keep us from going back to the place where fearful incidents took place. Whatsoever causes us sleepless nights are the results of the spirit associated with fear.It is easy to forget about God when fear flares up in our hearts. Fear is part of the plan of the enemy to disconnect us from intimate relationship with God. In our state of fear, we must always remember that God is there to save and deliver us. Speaking positively and responding confidently can also help us to overcome crippling fears. 1 Timothy 1:7 said that, God has not given us the spirit if fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind. You can never be in a sound state of mind when you are afraid.The questions to ask yourself are:
Why should I be afraid?
What are the things bringing fear in my life?
You must know that God does not want you to be bound by fear so it’s time to close the door! Fear is not His will for you or part of His blessing for your life!A friend shared her experience of the spirit of fear that overtook her life when her aunty died years ago. The aunty had no child of her own so my friend always visit to assist her on holidays. She did not want her aunty to feel the void of not having her own biological child. Their relationship was very close! She grew to know her aunty better and her aunty loved her too. The aunty eventually conceived and gave birth to a child, but she lost the baby after one year. She was so devastated, she cried and would not eat. She got herself so worked up that all the advices she received fell on deaf ears. She was very bitter and asked many questions! She blamed herself and constantly asked, why me? She challenged God on why He would give her a child – only to be taken away from a tender age. The traumatic grief finally led to her death months later. My friend’s life was shattered deeply. She cried so much that she could not dare to sleep alone in her room. The thoughts of her aunty and their activities together filled her mind. It got to a point that whoever she sees, looked like her late aunty. Moving around in the house became a problem. The thought of her aunty appearing to her occupied her mind.One day, she discovered Ecclesiastes 9:5 “for the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.”Like a miracle, every thought of the dead vanished from her memory.Here is the key, to every situation in life, there is a Word of God to deal with the issue. Whatever challenges you are facing today that is causing you sleepless nights, I encourage you to pick up the Word of God and begin to dig deep. Remember that the Word of God is a light unto our path.How to Break away from Fear.
Put Your Trust in God: We need to realize that fear is the opposite of Faith. By acting on faith, we can change our mind-sets — tell the mountains to move and they will obey. You must learn to trust God to help you break away from every fear that has bound your life. Ask yourself, why do I fear when I know that my condition will not consume me? Why do I fear when I know that God will supply all my needs? Why do I fear the enemy when I know that God has given His angels charge over me? True faith in God helps empower us to overcome the power of fear. (see Ephesians 3:20). Trusting God helps build up our confidence. Romans 8:31 said, if God be for us, who can be against us.
Ask For the Love of God to Fill Your Heart Romans 5:5: 1 John 4:18 says, there is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear. When we are caught in the web of fear, we are not perfected in love. Instead of allowing fear to control our lives, we must pray for the love of Christ to fill our hearts!
Identify the problem: What is it that is causing you to fear? Identifying your fears can help you to deal with the root of fear in your life rather than focusing on the surface or symptoms.
Address the problem: Once you have identified the problem, it’s time to address it. Take for an example: a woman who is afraid of engaging in a new relationship may need to confront her past hurtful marital experiences or friendship. Her core issue is not fear itself but trust. She is afraid of opening her heart and trusting another person because of the fear of getting hurt again.
Tackle the issue biblically: As stated earlier in this article, there is a Word of God for every situation in life. Once you have narrowed down to the real issues, you must then address them biblically. Let’s use point number 4 as a case study, what does the bible say about trust? In Psalms 118, we are to put our trust in God and not in any man. We are not to trust people but to trust God who is bringing the people into our lives.
Take Practical Steps: Keep in mind that taking a step is a gradual process. Once you have figured out what direction to go, break everything down to practical action-steps. In other words, it is time to do something! Take action to solve the problem!
Be willing to fail: Many of our fears can come down to taking risks and perhaps, failing in some of our efforts. Ask yourself a hard question about what really is at risk? Here is the critical part: You might not get that scholarship you have applied for; you might not win a particular battle or get that job you are hunting for, but you can always try again. When you allow fear, failure will defeat you! Never accept defeat!
In my conclusion, we must renew our minds – change our mind-sets. We need to free ourselves from unhealthy patterns of thinking that we can do everything on our own. We must learn to constantly fill our minds and hearts with the truth because only the truth will make us free. (see John 8:32).Say this Prayer with me: Father, show me how to renew my mind and to break away from every fear that has crippled my life from achieving greatness today, in Jesus Name. Amen!
