Fear

Goodness knows that fear can get the best of you if you let it. Fear takes a hard root. It is the driver of anger, regret, worry, rejection, loneliness, bitterness, and well......________________......you fill in the blank. Often I think that I avoid it but the real reality is few of us slow down enough to face it head on.....grab it before it grabs us and takes us over. I read the quote below tonight, but in my nature I rewrote the ending. The first will be the original, then my alternate ending.

Original:
I must not fear.
Fear is a mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.                    Frank Herbert

That ending was just far too depressing. So here is mine **:

I must not fear.
Fear is a mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
**But it will not consume me.
I will not be so afraid of fear that I refuse to learn what it has to teach me about myself.
Or rather what God has to teach me about myself through it.
Processing fear is necessary so that it does not limit me, hang me up, or block me from becoming everything that I am supposed to be for the time God has put me here.
Fear will not leave me in the wake, but rather I will wake up to it.
I will be courageous as I have been commanded. (Joshua 1:9)
Face your fear and you will soon realize it was not bigger than your God.

Some other quotes that had some truth to them:

Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.      Bertrand Russell

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.    Eleanor Roosevelt

Right now I am also reading Priscilla Shirer's book One in a Million as well. It beautifully couples lots of echoed thoughts subtly and not so on fear as she talks about our journey through "our wilderness" on the way to the promised land. Lots of times she makes references that reminded me that really we don't do what we are intended to do with our wilderness and rob ourselves of the promised land with distractions and laziness. Ouch!! Thanks Priscilla. Isn't that just fear acting out. Fear that we missed the boat, missed our chance and now out of fear....somehow we have to make up for it. It's like trying to scratch our way up a vertical canyon wall. God's got us and He is going to provide and take care of us. Trust Him in the wilderness periods too.

I figured that if I battle fear this much someone else needed to hear this. The main thing to understand is that everyone deals with it. We might say it is with silence or others with self absorption, but it is there.  Anyone who says they don't is lying.....or not going through it right now.  Fear is one the ugliest things we battle because it takes so many different forms. Comes at us in disguise of something that looks like jealousy, pride, selfishness, or the like. It is really just fear rearing its ugly head. But again, I would go the step further. While fear of God builds our awe and reverence of Him and is necessary, who else knows where to hit us and exactly how to make us scared and make our skin crawl. You bet. Satan. And he has our "number and address" as Priscilla says. Hmm. Doesn't that make you a bit angry. That our wall can look so awesome with our sayings, and post, and stories and plaques and decor, but Satan sees exactly how he can crack us. And away he goes. Swinging whatever hammer he wants and not caring about the damage.

So my question for me and you is this. Knowing who roots this type of fear and who uses it so lethally against us, starts to shed a little light. It starts to make sense when we fall when we have done nothing to fight to stand. Done nothing but say we are busy and don't have the time to deal with it. Really? Ummm...Satan has time to attack YOU specifically but you can't make time to fight. Well then you better ready for attack when your relationships fall apart, but your facebook account appears intact. DO SOMETHING!!!  It makes me want to, as the above states, FACE IT. So that it no longer can be used against me. It makes me want to take the time....regardless of how long it takes......to get rid of it. Stop and give it the look it needs so that it is put back in its proper place and fears are left at the foot of the Lord. Where they belong. It is there we pick up his perspective and hope for us. And learn to manage what the enemy would use against us. It also reminds me to be ready for the battle, because if satan sees "the crack in the wall" and knows where to hit me....I better be ready with my fighting gear. Here's just a few......

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Fear you ain't got nothing on God. Psst. Hey Satan you lose in the end.