God Is So Much Bigger Than Any of Our Fears!

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“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….” Isaiah 41:10

The topic of fear has become a common thread in many Christian songs over the past year or so. Songs like ‘Fear is a Liar’ by Zach Williams, ‘Love Overcomes’ by Jesus Culture, ‘Mightier’ by Ben Cantelon and ‘The Breakup Song’ by Francesca Battistelli all express a new and growing emphasis on the reality of how often fear creeps into our lives threatening to cripple us. Thankfully, these songs don’t leave us hanging in despair, but point us to the source of our strength and hope.

What are some of the fears that we commonly face?

Childhood fears often start with the fear of strangers, the fear of the dark or possibly even the fear of clowns! As we grow up, we may discover that we suffer from arachnophobia - the fear of spiders or ophidiophobia - the fear of snakes. Some of these fears are understandable, but others are pretty much unfounded in reality. Take the fear of spiders. There are about a dozen types of spiders that are dangerous to humans. That's impressive, right? But guess what? It's not so impressive or frightening when you learn that there are approximately 35,000 different species of spiders in the world. So, I guess our fear level regarding spiders should depend a lot on where a dozen spiders call 'home.' As for snakes. That fear is understandable. After all, it began in the Garden!

One fear that affects over 20 million adults is acrophobia, better know as the fear of heights, while the fear of flying is believed to affect over 8 million people. We probably all know someone who is afraid of dogs or someone who shudders at even the idea of a thunder storm. How about this one? Trypanophobia. It is the fancy name for those who have a fear of injections, and mysophobia is the excessive fear of germs.

One phobia is simply titled 'social phobia' and it is related to situations where an individual fears being embarrassed or judged by others. A couple fears and phobias that relate to spatial circumstances include agoraphobia which is triggered by a fear of entrapment as well as claustrophobia which is specifically related to being stuck in a small or enclosed space. Other common phobias include the fear of dying, natural disasters, public speaking, pollution, gang violence, identity theft and a host of politically-driven fears.

Are any of these fears and phobias a part of your life? Or, maybe you have already overcome one or two? But, how about some of the even more common categories that can feed the seeds of fear into our lives. Things such as change, loss, failure and the unknown. When your circumstances seem to be out of control does your internal 'panic button' automatically get triggered? Granted an initial reaction of fear can be a very appropriate reaction to perceived danger, but how can we better handle the roller coaster of emotions that can sneak into our minds unbidden?

The Bible assures us that God has not given us a spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 puts it this way –

 “For God has not given us…
     - a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” NLT
     - the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control.” ESV
     - a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.” ASV

Choosing to trust God involves speaking truth into our hearts and minds - allowing the Word of God to be our focus and strength. Living in God’s truth and letting go of our fears isn’t necessarily that easy, but we do have the power through the Holy Spirit to consciously and intentionally make that choice. There are three simple steps that Debbie McDaniel shares in a blog on crosswalk.com. We must learn to…

1. Choose not to allow fear and anxiety to control our lives.
2. Choose to guard our hearts.
3. Choose to focus our minds on what is true in the midst of uncertain times.

“We might still feel afraid, but we can believe that God is with us. We may not be in control, but we can trust the One who is. We may not know the future, but we can know the God who does.”

After all, God is SO much bigger than any - and all - of our fears and failures! Fill your mind with His Truth, and always remember that He is only a prayer away.


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yokemates.blogspot.com

Resource found at https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbie-mcdaniel/33-verses-to-remind-us--we-do-not-have-to-fear.html


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