4 On-Going Ways to Boot Fear Out of Your Heart and Mind

Fear.  It has become part of my wardrobe yet I keep trying to throw the thing out and send it to the local thrift store.  But for some reason, I can’t get rid of it.  I keep wearing this emotional villain like it’s my favorite pair of jeans.

But it’s not.

Fear strangles me.

Holds me back.

Causes me to feel unsure.

Timid.

Questioning.

All things that are quite unbecoming of a woman of faith.

So, I wrestle with the darn thing.

But, I’ve learned to recognize some triggers, things that set the Fear Monster off in my soul, and I seek to avoid them at all cost.

A woman of faith doesn’t need to dance with Fear because it will trip you up.

But the other day I couldn’t avoid the trigger because it showed up in my church service.

I knew what was coming.  Harmful and destructive thoughts, (straight up lies,) that were going to have a negative impact on my soul.

As I waited for the guest speaker to come out, I quickly found myself becoming agitated.

Discouragement was lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on me followed by being disheartened.

As the speaker continued, it only took a matter of minutes for me to become disappointed with myself.  And then the disappointment quickly turned to being disgusted with how I’ve let fear dictate certain areas of my life.

Looking back over that day’s event, it occurred to me that I heard more of the enemy’s voice than the guest speaker’s voice.

But God wasn’t far off from the whole situation.  He knew I’d be at church and He knew the guest speaker was going to be there too.  Of course, He made Himself known to me because I’m His daughter.  He knows my weaknesses, my anxieties, my thoughts.

The Holy Spirit’s quiet whispers started to trickle into my heart…

I’m with you.

With Me, all things are possible.

I’ve called you to do this hard thing.  Trust Me.

I have prepared you for such a time as this.

Is there anything too hard for Me, daughter?

Don’t let fear rule your heart.

Over and over again, I have to condition my heart and mind to fear God more than fearing failure, judgment, criticism, or rejection.

Friend, are you like me where you’re habitually wearing Fear?  Is this emotional villain a common thread in your life?

Maybe you’re fearful of the future?

Fearful of stepping out in faith?

Fearful your husband won’t…………………..fill-in-the-blank.

Fearful your husband will……………………..fill-in-the-blank.

Fearful you won’t ever marry?

Fearful you’ll marry the wrong guy?

Fearful your children will bring you shame or worse yet, walk away from the Lord?

Fearful you’ll lose your health?

Fearful you’ll lose your job, home, finances?

There are certain areas of my life I realize I’m a coward looking to run and hide, yet I long to do this life as a courageous woman; one who walks with The Lion of Judah who fights our battles.

So I ask myself the question….What kind of woman do I want to be?

I want to be a woman of giant faith, but the only way I’m going to get there is by giving Fear a boot because a woman of faith doesn’t have room in her mind to share it with Fear.

The following Wednesday I was back at church listening to a different guest speaker and he made a comment about the Psalmist David.  You know, the man of giant faith who killed a giant.  Yeah, that one.  Well, the pastor mentioned how David was so incredibly tossed to and fro when he wrote some of the Psalms.  One minute he is calling out to God due to fear and then in the following sentence he was full of faith.

I made a mental note of this truth wondering what I could glean from it because I knew at that moment God was trying to reach my heart.  Teach me something.  Show me a path, if you will, to finally come up with a game plan to punch Fear in the face and put it out of my mind.

And the plan He showed me was oh, so simple!

4 On-Going Ways to Boot Fear Out of Your Heart and Mind

1. Cry out to God.  Tell the Lover of Soul what’s going on inside your soul. (Duh.)
2. Seek out the Scriptures so you can apply Truth to your life.  You’ve got to read God’s Truth to know Truth.
3. Make a mental and emotional choice to embrace God’s Truth instead of Satan’s lies.  Yes, it is a choice.
4. Then walk by faith. Put your feet to faith. This one right here is where the rubber meets the road, girlfriend!

You and I can recognize our fears all day long.

In fact, we can even coddle and nurse them.

Make excuses for them.

Think on them day in and day out and eventually we succumb to the enemy of our souls.  His lies paralyze us from the plan God has for us and yet, we still listen to Satan.  In fact, when I’m coward-like, it’s because I’ve meditated more on Satan’s lies than on God’s truth.  Oh goodness, just typing out that sentence makes me want to vomit.  I know full well that Fear is not real.  Yet, for some reason, I’ll let the lies of Fear push me around to where I’m living in a false reality. Yes, sometimes I’m just ridiculous like that.  Especially since we have the power of the Living God residing in us.

Fear is not real, but Jesus is.

Which one am I going to trust?  More importantly, which one are you going to trust?

I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

In what area of your life is God calling you to trust Him and have faith?  Write it down.  Let it simmer in your heart so God can do a work in you and through you.  And then move forward in faith.  This is the key to unlocking the door where Fear has been residing.  You and I have to move in the power of the Holy Spirit to tell Fear to leave so we can be free from this bondage.

Let’s make the intentional choice today to be faith-girls, not fear-girls.

Live a poured out life for Christ,

Jolene Engle

#faithgirl