When Fear Disqualifies You
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Heb. 11:1)
Fear is doubt about what we hope for and misgivings about what we do not see. (Fear 101)
If one is the power of God, the other is the de-powering of your life. If one is a jumpstart to the miraculous, the other is the stall out of your dreams. If one is you walking on water, the other one appears like you sinking, breathing in water, holding your neck and dying before anyone is there to save you. Help...
I spent approximately 80% off my life living like a fear-monger. I still have those tendencies. I quit jobs before the point my boss would really dislike me. I judged other women to protect myself being analyzed. I one-upped people to make myself feel like the all-star. I showed off my spiritual side to ensure I was God's favorite, not his punk-child. I chopped off the legs to good opportunities so I wouldn't have to acknowledge - I might fail. I worked like a girl on steroids to prove I was good. I developed an eating disorder to show you I could be as thin as you dreamed I should be.
If fear was a leash, I was the dog. Going wherever it pulled me. There wasn't one-time fear pulled me to success. Even if things worked for a moment, and I hyper-controlled a situation - making my kids Purell their hands until they were blue in the face - I still lost in the end when I saw the filth of guilt wash over me.
Fear disqualifies us from so much of God's great.
It drags, us, sons and daughters of God, to the sidelines of stuck.
It disregards God's Promises.
It diminishes our perception of God's love.
It wages a war against the Spirit.
It exalts the pursuit of self.
Fear is fret. Faith is hope.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb. 11:6
Imagine for a minute, our biblical friend, Noah, in modern day. Faith tells him to construct an ark. To go about it right where everyone can see. To find the wood and assemble it. Can you see the sun shining at this point? It likely is. Envision Noah, as if he's your neighbor, measuring out cubits high by cubits long (Cuckoo!). Then, see him gathering animals, two of every kind and bringing them on the boat (Is he nuts?). Then finding and storing every kind of food (Stockpiler!!!).
Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Gen. 5:22
Today, we'd wonder about Noah...
But, let me ask you this, what would you do if you were him? Would you listen to God or would you fear man's opinions? Would you listen to God or would you doubt what he told you?
Fear often disqualifies us from our greatest calling.
It tells us the things of God are irrational.
It clouds our vision of what God has promised.
Faith speaks the opposite; it says, "Do it anyway."
What is it, you need to do anyway?
It is no wonder Noah is a famous name on the Hebrew's 11 Hall of Faith: "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith." (Heb. 11:7)
That is what faith does - it puts you on the map of doing great things - with God. It inherits you his goodness.
Is fear holding you?
Be not discouraged, for God's mercy is new everyday (La. 3:22). What you haven't done is not stuck on you. What you wish you'd done is of no consequence to you. What God will do is still available to you.
But, you must Fear Fight. You must get into God's ring, rip off the leash of fear and be unafraid to declare who you are. This is what I learned to do. I wrote the book, Fear Fighting, as a personal desperation call to God. I needed him to lead me from fearful to faithful. And He is doing just that. He is awakening my heart to his goodness. He will do the same for you. I welcome you to join the fight!
About the book, Fear Fighting, Awakening the Courage to Overcome Your Fears:
Author and Speaker, Kelly Balarie didn’t always fight fear – for a large part of her life, she was controlled by it. Yet, in her book, Fear Fighting: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fears, with God, Kelly charts a new course. Join Kelly, on the journey to go and grow with Christ’s bravery, the Spirit’s counsel and God’s unending love that squelches fear. This book reads like a love letter from God, while offering practical heart-calming prayers, anxiety-reducing tips, and courage-building decrees that will transform your day. www.fearfightingbook.com.
Kelly Balarie shares an important message for those struggling with fear:
