Hello there!

I hope all is well.  Last week we started talking about fear and I shared how it affected me.  This week we are going to ask the question, “how does fear hold us back?”  I meditated on how fear had been stopping me, I don’t know about you, but I am about ready to nip this thing in the butt! I don’t enjoy fear having a hold on me, how it controls how I move forward in life and in God.  What if I told you that fear is the opposite of… LOVE.  Would you agree?  If you don’t then you and I have way more in common than you think.  Let’s get started!

In blog one of this Fear Series we spoke about the Garden of Eden, which was where fear first entered the equation.   When God came looking for Adam and Eve, they hid in fear. Why?  Because they had disobeyed God and in doing so they were ashamed and scared.  Now, this is not how fear occurs for you and I all the time.  Disobedience can bring upon someone fear, but fear can creep up on us in other ways as well.  For some, the unknown causes fear as does doubt and the feeling of inadequacy.  I give credit to Adam and Eve because at least they admitted that they were afraid.  For me, it took years to realize that fear was ruling my heart in an abnormal way and that wasn’t of God.

Love the opposite of Fear?

Before I tell you about the secret of getting rid of fear or how to at least not let it rule your life, allow me the opportunity to tell you about how I came to terms with my battle with fear.  As I stated before, I struggled with fear for years as I did with receiving God’s love.  One day I got into a deep conversation with Marsha where she further explained to me that fear is the opposite of love.  I was baffled by that statement and said NO!  (In my super duper spiritual voice) Fear is the opposite of faith, and love is the opposite of hate!  Marsha explained it to me by using my relationship with my husband David and asked me the following.  In my conversation she randomly asked me I trusted my husband David.  She then asked if I ever feared if he would cheat.  My answer was a firm “Yes, I trust him.”  I never question David’s faithfulness.  She then went on to ask if feared that David would kill me.  What a ridiculous question, of course not.  She then asked me why?  I’m not to sure why she would ask me something like that?  I know David wouldn’t do anything like because he loves me.  That’s when Marsha said, “That’s why love is the opposite of fear.”

I must confess I was a bit mad at her for saying this but she was right.  I love my husband and I am undoubtedly sure he loves me so he wouldn’t hurt me on purpose.  In fact the bible tells us in 1 John 4:18, “Perfect love cast out fear…He who fears is not made in perfect love.”   Why does the Bible choose love and fear in the same sentence?  It is in the same sentence because fear is the opposite of love.  If I trust and do not fear David or his actions because I know that he loves me, then why do why do I fear if God will protect me?  The answer is because I struggle with knowing that God loves me.

Can I trust a God I don’t believe loves me?

I’ve learned about how God loves me and I knew what I had to accept as a believer in Him, but I never truly accepted that in my heart of hearts.  But it makes sense.   I have seen God as my father figure for years but I saw Him as I did my earthly father, which wasn’t in a good way.  Marsha wrote in “The Father’s Love” blog, “How can I trust God when He compares himself to something we have found over the years to be unstable, inconsistent, flaky and faithless?”

I met my dad when I was eight years old, and since I grew up in a broken home, I thought families were meant to be broken.  I thought that dads and moms were suppose to be apart.  I thought that seeing your dad maybe once or twice a month with conversations here and there was normal.  So when I became a Christian I would say, “Well God I’ve spoken to you enough this week.  I don’t want you to get tired of me.  So maybe we can talk next week.” Actually about a couple of months ago I remember thinking this very thought, “God could get sick and tired of me.”  With tears in my eyes I confess that today I had this conversation with God just about an hour ago.  I started asking,” What if I don’t trust you God?”  He answered so lovingly, “That’s o.k. I can handle it.”

“But what if I am too scared, and believe again that you’ll let me down?”  God went on to tell me that he would show me that side of him.  I just didn’t think I could do it because it was hard.  He went on to say, “My power is made perfect in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I mirrored my relationship with God against the relationship I had with my father from when I was a little girl.  Though my relationship with my dad isn’t nearly as good as it is with God, I still believed that somehow my Heavenly Father would let me down like my dad did.  After we had the above conversation, I remembered that not too long ago I cried about the hold fear had on me and I opened up my bible without any specific scripture in mind and this is where God brought me to Zephaniah 3:17 again.

 I have used this scripture before in my previous blogs, and it is the scripture that confirms my conversation with God over and over again. The Bible tells us in this passage that with love He is calming our fears.  Though many have failed me in the past, I now understand that He won’t.  With His great love He rebuilds our broken hearts and any severed relationships with Him.  He never says that He is going to give me all that I want or that all of my fears will be taken away.  It’s not promised that I won’t ever be hurt again or that nothing bad will ever happen to me.  He does say that He will comfort and delight in us, meaning that though things may get tough, there will be a sense of calmness and peace where there should be worry and concern.  His love covers us like a security blanket and as long as we are wrapped up in it we are safe and nothing outside of that blanket can harm us.

Turn Everything To Work For My Good

Romans 8:28 says,“God will turn everything to work for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

I know that in many cases this is hard to believe, but yes this especially includes even the bad.  The cancers, deaths, miscarriages, financial ruts, sickness, lost children, war, politics, unjust laws, brokenness, abandonment, rape, abuse, molestation, barren hood, depression, and on and on.  The truth is, that whether you follow Christ or not we all fall victim to this fallen and destructive world.  There is no escaping it.  The difference is in “…those who love Him…”  All these things that we fear, yes somehow, He will turn out for our good, be it in this world or the next.  Without Him I have no hope with what this world has to offer, but with Him I realize there is so much more (John 16:33).

I come from a past of abuse, hurt, brokenness and sickness, through it all God has seen me through each and every step of the way.  He has allowed me to go through my hard and painful times but because I have learned to truly love Him and have found my purpose in Him I am a vessel being used for His Kingdom.  Because of all that I have gone through yesterday and the days before, today I am able to be used by God as an official member of this ministry, “Through the Winters”.   I stand as proof that He can turn our “pain into purpose”.

This Weeks Challenge:

Romans 8:37-39

The above bible verse talks to us about His love for us, and reminds us that nothing can separate us from His love; not even our fears.   This means that God isn’t done showing His love to us. If you haven’t made Jesus Christ the king of your heart, meaning that you have let Him in and let Him be your God, then I urge you to do that now with us. Or if you are today in need of reconciliation with Jesus then don’t worry I have reconciled with God about 1,000 times. Simply pray this simple and yet powerful prayer,

“Father, I recognize my need for you. I’ve lived in fear for long enough and I am ready to make you king of my heart.  I want you to come into my heart and ask you to take control of my life and turn all my hurts, pain, and past to work for my good. Today I choose to believe that Jesus Christ died for me and my sins on the cross and that He rose again on the third day. I pray this in Jesus name Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer for the first time the Bible tells us in Luke 15:10 that TODAY! RIGHT NOW! Angels rejoice in heaven for you!  Take sometime this week and meditate on these verses, John 3:16, Romans 5:8.

If you need additional help or support contact us through email or commenting below.  Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at throughthewinters.com.