Working Through Your Fears

Welcome to Working Through Your Fears. In this book you will find some simple solutions to battling your fears. We are not alone in this universe. We all have an enemy who constantly battles our souls to keep us from having a successful relationship with our creator, and to keep us away from our purpose in life.

But through God’s word, the Holy Scriptures gives us words of life that will encourage and inspire us to do what God has sent each one of us here to do.

From our positions in life – whatever that may be, and wherever we find life takes us, we are to do all for the Glory of God.

God’s word tells us…

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye invited Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me [with help and ministering care];
I was in prison, and you came to Me [ignoring personal danger].

Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’

The King will answer and say to them, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it for Me.’ Verily I say unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (AMP) Matthew 25:35-40

We must always remind ourselves…there is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love…1 John 4:18
 
HOW YOU CAN OVERCOME FEAR

WHAT IT IS

Fear can manifest in a very physical way. It makes its presence known when a person starts to shake and become weak. Others hyperventilate, the heart rate rises, goose bumps may appear, sweating occurs, and blood sugars and white blood cells increase. Nerves may act up, and what is more commonly known as ‘butterflies in the stomach’ may be felt.

When a person is subjected to a continuous state of fear their metabolism along with their organs may be altered. Their behavior can also be changed when faced with fear resulting from a traumatic event or constant danger. Fear can make a person run away from the situation, hide or even freeze from perceived disturbing situations.

The fight or flight response is much like a deer trying to cross the road who has become caught in the headlights on a road and freezes. It is not that the deer is blind, but its eyes may be fully dilated to capture as much light as possible, and then they cannot see at all. This causes them to freeze until their eyes can adjust. They do not know what to do, so they do nothing except stand there.

Being timid or shy is the same as being fearful. It is not from God because the Father gives us love, power, peace and a well-balanced mind, discipline and self- control.

2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP) tells us that … God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and sound judgment and personal discipline (abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control.)

FEAR OF PEOPLE

Fear of People which is a phobia is called Anthropophobia. It is the extreme, irrational and unwarranted fear of people or society. Fear of people is a pathological form of shyness and timidity that shows itself as awkwardness and uneasiness if in public places. It can be traced back to traumatic experiences.

It affects their daily lives, education or their occupation. To acquire what they want regarding these activities they minimize their interactions with people.

What causes fear of people is usually an intense negative experience with people in the past which may have triggered the fear of people. Sometimes the mind can wrongfully learn to fear people. Certain groups of people fall prey to this phobia and they may be ‘highly strung, or overanxious which can lead to this debilitating illness.

FEAR IS A SPIRIT

Fear is a spirit that produces physical and emotional symptoms in us. When fear attacks us, we may feel shaky and find ourselves sweating. This is the physical manifestation from the spirit of fear. It may take everything we have to speak or even move. This does not mean we are cowards but are in fact being attacked.

Fear never stops coming against us in this life, so we must learn to do what God tells us to do whether we feel fear or not. Ask God to take the fear away then with courage, be obedient to what God has called you to do.

God does not tell us not to shake, sweat or tremble, but the Word many times tells us to ‘fear not.’ This means working through that fear to defeat this enemy and we do this by not giving up. Keep pressing in until you make it to the other side where you will find peace, love, and joy. You may have to rebuke the spirit of fear to let go of your circumstances, then ask God to give you peace, and freedom and power to stand.

When God told Joshua over and over to fear not In Joshua 1:9, 10:8 (AMP)He let him know that fear was going to attack him, but that he must walk in obedience and do what God told him to do.

Fear is crippling and the only way to defeat fear is to meet it head on. If you let fear take root in your life it becomes a crippling disease.

It can stop us from advancing in so many areas of our lives today. Career wise it stops us from going for that promotion, and thus we allow ourselves to settle for the comfortable job that we have worked in for the last 40 years.

Depression is one of the worst illnesses circulating today and, it is a form of fear. It affects millions of people around the world. Unfulfilled desires in life, resulting in crippling fears is what holds a person back from accomplishing anything worthwhile in life.

Our health can be crippled by fear, too afraid to go to the doctor in fear of what the results of our tests will reveal. Fear can stop us from going for that new house, new job, a trip (too many fear factors to consider there).

Until we learn to face our fears head on, we are crippled in our present station in life. We are holding ourselves back by not ridding ourselves of that crippling disease - fear.

If there is a fear that holds us back and we haven't been able to overcome it, then we need to appeal to the higher source, God, who can help us conquer that fear.

Isaiah 41:10 (AMP)

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Face that fear, don't let it win. Ask God to help you overcome that which you cannot do on your own. The Word says that 'we have not because we ask not.' Taking God at his word, ask, and he will answer.

Case Study #1

Fear of rejection is also a big issue today. Many years ago, I used to be petrified of singing in church. The enemy of my soul would use my loud voice to make me believe that everyone would be staring at me if I did sing.

For awhile this inner struggle continued, until really wanting to sing for the Lord, I confronted the fear that was installed in me and told the enemy that since God gave me this voice, I was going to use it for Him, and that broke the struggle. I have been singing ever since and even went on to record music and performed for special events.

Even though I have been victorious in overcoming my fear of singing in public, the enemy of my soul continues to attack me with fear. To this day I must pray before singing in public or standing in the studio to record the songs the Lord has given me.

But the difference now is that I know the Lord has helped me and will continue to help me each time I call on His name. For I know and have proved it, there is power in the name of Jesus.

Several years ago, the Lord gave me a vision of myself singing in front of thousands of people. That is the vision that I claim that will come to pass, and the dream that I hold dear. I know that one day I will stand in front of people and be victorious in what God has called me to do.

Philippians 4:13 (AMP)

I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]

Case Study # 2
Several years ago, I had a falling out with a relative. What happened was painful. I had felt betrayed. I would try in myself to forgive this person as I knew I must.

I am a born-again Christian, and forgiveness is part of the Christian life. But every time when I would try and forgive, the enemy brought flashbacks and hurtful remembrances of what had been said back to me.

The enemy was trying hard to make me believe I would be rejected if I forgave this person and spoke to him. That he would not speak to me and I would be wasting my time. I fell victim to pride and fear, afraid that he would stub me to my face. The enemy of my soul was delighted that we were not speaking, that no forgiveness was sought. When we get hurt we just want to draw away from the situation and keep to ourselves. But as Christians we must not be afraid to forgive, for then we are able to turn away from fear and pain.

Finally, I told the Lord, 'I cannot forgive this person on my own, I need your help, God." It was as easy as that. God delivers just in knowing that we want to forgive and can't do it on our own. Honesty is a big thing with the Father.

The next time I saw this person I tested it and noted the feelings about the encounter. No flashbacks, no hurtful memories. I felt no anger, animosity or anything negative on that day, and that was a victory. If God can do it for me, He can do it for you.

Case Study #3

Several years ago, I met my biological family. Among them my youngest sister exhibited signs of the fear of people. At the time she was only about 5 years old. I realize that she did not know me upon meeting, but it was a long time before she would speak to me. Something traumatic in her earlier years resulted in stunting her emotional growth and it took a long time for her to warm up to me. As she came to know and trust me she knew I would not hurt her. In my sister’s case, time and good experiences won her over.

If you have issues trusting people you will shy away from associating with them. The key to overcoming the fear of people can be accomplished with the help of the Lord if you allow him to heal you. But you must ask God to take the fear of people away and fill you with love, and His peace.

Put your trust in God and not man for He tells us to not put our trust in man.
Psalm 146:3 (AMP)tells us …Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man in whom there is no salvation.

We are not cowards because we feel fear, it is what we do with it that counts. We are cowards only if we let fear rule our decisions. Fear is a spiritual state and it is an enemy of our souls. It can keep us trapped and stagnated in our daily lives.


GOD’S PROMISES IN OVERCOMING FEAR

ISAIAH 54: 14 (AMP)

You shall establish yourself in righteousness (rightness, in conformity with God’s will and order) you shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

If we live a pleasing life before God, He promises to handle even the thought of oppression or our destruction. He will take the fear away so that it does not even touch us.

ISAIAH 41: 10 (AMP)

Fear not (there is nothing to fear), for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you, yes, I will hold you up, and retain you with My (victorious) right hand of rightness and justice. (Acts 18:10.)

What an amazing promise from our Father!

Hebrews 13:5,6 (AMP)

Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I WILL NEVER [under any circumstances] DESERT YOU [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], NOR WILL I FORSAKE or LET YOU DOWN or RELAX MY HOLD ON YOU [assuredly not]!”

6) So, we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “The Lord is my helper [in time of need], I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

What more can we ask of our Father who loves us unconditionally. We must put our trust in God and lean on Him. Remind God of His promises when you are faced with adversity, and He will deliver you from all your fears.