Free From Fear

 (This is day 4 of a 31 day blog series titled Live Free.  )

I am a recovering phobic. Taking one day at a time, facing one fear at a time.

I’m not sure when fear first affected me but I know I was really young.

Did you just about everything in this world can be scary if you let it be?

For example in grade school, I feared bedtime because of my bad dreams. In high school, I feared being called on, so much so that I couldn’t even listen to my teacher. In college, I dropped out early because I feared the required Public Speaking class. When my kids were young, I feared them choking on grapes, being shocked by electrical outlets or drowning in the bathtub. And now as an adult, I’m fear the painful aging process. I fear both success and failure. And I especially fear missing out on what God created me to do.

Speaking of fear, even the news can be a source of terror for a former phobic: learning about pesticides and growth hormones in our foods or the radiation of going through x-ray machines at airports. And this is just the beginning of the list of possible enemies to watch out for. Panic. . .Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Bad news is everywhere, but isn’t the Good News everywhere too?

Goodness me, I want to live free. Please!  I want to be freer today than I was yesterday. I can’t stand the way fear has taken years of my life away. Fear is a joy stealer.

Here’s what I know to be true about fear.

Fear never stops.

Fear will always be a temptation.

Fear is real and can be helpful in times of crisis.

But chronic disabling fear is not from God.

Here are two ways I live free from fear:

1. When I’m scared, I don’t deny it anymore, instead I acknowledge my fear to God. And I accept the truth that when I’m afraid, God is still there. Cool thing is I’ve noticed when I face my fears head on, they shrink in size and I gain new freedom. And isn’t that what we all want? More freedom in Christ? Yes.. For example my fear of public speaking is now behind me. Sure, I still get nervous, but I love to speak encouragement. I come alive with purpose and passion. God uses me in spite of my fears.

2. If I allow fear to be the center of my attention, then fear becomes my god. And I’m tired of living that story. I want God to be God in my life. So I’m learning to shift my focus. Think of a kid throwing a public tantrum and how a parent uses distraction to get them to stop crying and start laughing. Well I do the same thing. I use distraction to divert my focus from fear back to God. I purposefully look for something beautiful by taking pictures of nature. Or I repeat truth,”No weapon formed against me will prosper.” Or I sing “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone.” Haha. Or I listen a positive message on YouTube that feeds my spirit. Basically I find creative ways to think of God while I’m struggling and thank Him anyway.

The bottom line is I can’t stay stuck in fear for the rest of my life,  so I intentionally choose Life, which for me,  life is best found in God Himself.. He is big. He is strong. And He is worthy of all my time and attention… fear is not!

Q4U:  What do you fear? Please share in the comments on my blog or on my Facebook page.

(To find out more about the over 1,400 bloggers writing this month of October. Visit The Nester. I guarantee someone is writing on a topic that interests you! The variety is amazing!! And if you’re on Twitter, look for us by the hashtag #31days.)