Hey, guys! It’s me, Alejandra, again.  So last time I covered the blogs, it was about love, this month we will be talking about FEAR! … … …Yay!

A Relationship with “Fear”

I decided to cover this topic because, like many others, I thought “fear” was a normal part of life.  Fear and I were best friends.  We took walks in the park together, it would follow me to work, school, and then back home again.  I woke up and said “hi” to fear in the morning and made an extra plate for it when I cooked dinner at night.  What I’m trying to say is that I had a peculiar relationship with fear.  In fact, as I write this blog I would say that I have some kind of courtship with fear.  But today I’m serving fear a notice!  It’s time we break up.

I was raised under circumstances that allowed fear to be constantly instilled into me.  I believe that when you are raised in fear, it can become the only thing you know and the only way you know how to respond.  I can pinpoint the exact times in which fear took over different circumstances of my life.  See I know it starts small but unchecked, it can spread like a wildfire and, in time, wound up EVERYWHERE.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, fear is defined as, “An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is trying to hurt you.”  In other words, when we fear, something has caused us to feel that we have lost control.  It has caused a sense of vulnerability and/or inadequacy.  So when we “fear” something, we first have had to believe that there is a reason to be alarmed.  You may ask, “What are those reasons?   Well, that depends on the person.  For some, we fear what we do not understand and/or choose not to learn more about.  Others fears are caused by past experiences that we do not want to experience again.   Genesis 3:9 introduces to us the first mention of fear:

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

Fear first entered the scene when Adam and Eve sinned against God.  It’s my belief that Adam and Eve hid because, like every child and parental relationship, we hide when we feel we’ve done something wrong.  We weren’t suppose to even know what fear was.  Their act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden caused fear, depression, broken families, betrayal, and every other type of negative effect.  Thankfully, because of Jesus’ act of love on the cross and the resurrection, a new path was forged for us.  It is one that gives us the chance to walk in courage and not fear.

Let me tell you about a conversation I had with Marsha not too long ago.  As I had expressed to you before in previous blogs, because of my past it is hard for me to let people in and become part of my life.  It is all out of “fear” that I believe that if I allow them to get close they will hurt me like others have in my past.  So, one day I texted Marsha and told her that I was having a problem because the new people in my church kept inviting me to cover over their house.  Don’t get me wrong, they are nice but I just didn’t want to go.  After texting Marsha she responded sarcastically, “You mean they are being Christians?”  I was still drowning in the old me.  Out of the fear of being hurt by others, I convinced myself that I needed to “stay away,” even though I knew that God’s Word tells me to “love people.”  A change needed to take place, fear was spreading and it was spreading fast!

When Fear Raises You

How do I walk away from something that I’ve lived with for years? This is a question that I’m sure Alana from our “Survivor series” would have asked herself.  What do you do when you’ve known fear longer than you’ve known love?  Alana said that her mother gave her lecture after lecture to be fearful of this and afraid of that.  In time that was the only way she knew how to think and it was what the enemy used to introduce fear into Alana’s life.  This was planted into her way of thinking from a young age and, in essence, “fear” raised her. Likewise, in ways my mother thought it would protect me, she taught me how to be afraid of things.  I allowed fear to be my “go to” emotion in life.  Our mothers were trying to keep us safe and alert physically, but emotionally we became naïve and paranoid, opening doors for the enemy to have his way. What better way for the enemy to convince us that fear is a positive thing, than to introduce it through people we trust and love the most?

Changing My Thoughts

Before I could stop my fears I needed to be honest about the things I was afraid of.  There were areas in which I need to step out of my comfort zone.  Writing these blogs is truly one of those ways that I stepped out.  I’m also learning to be vulnerable in this ministry.  In writing to you, I realized that there is no way to overcome fear without making changes.  We have to slooooooooooowly “renew our minds” (Romans 12:2).  I heard of the term “renewing your mind” and thought that God was going to remove my mind and give me a new one.  Unfortunately that’s not it.  After the world beats us up and throws us away, our mind becomes warped into thinking that what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong.  We think that good is bad and bad is good.  In Christ however, when He renews us, we find comfort in His Word, guidance by His Spirit and peace in His presence.

It sounds so simple to renew your mind right?  I’ll tell you, it isn’t simple!  It’s ugly, painful, annoying, and sickening at times. Why?  Because in order to remove your fears, God will make you face them.  2 Timothy 1:7 talks about how He didn’t give us a spirit of fear.  Instead, He provides us with the tools needed to confront those things that would normally make us afraid.  Have you ever gone on a rollercoaster that you really didn’t want to go on because you dreaded the ride? That’s what facing my fears is like, dreadful, paralyzing, shocking unexpected turns of life.  I cannot explain the pain of going up those stairs, thinking I’m making progress just for me to experience an extreme free fall. There is a lot of clenched-fist-grasping on to those bars and screaming “please no!” But when the ride is over I realize I can do it, and the more I do, the easier it is for me to move forward.

There were many things that I feared and yet here I am.  He is changing my fears, and turning them into prayers, faith stories and testimonies that I can share with others.  God has totally, because I have allowed Him to, changed the way I think.

One of the bible verses that gave me peace was Zephaniah 3:17…

“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Notice that God “calms” our fears, he doesn’t take them away.  How does he do that?  He does it with his love.  We have blogs that talk about the different kinds of love that God gives that may be uncomfortable for us at times.  Know this, though: with His love, if we allow Him to, He is able to calm all our fears.

Join me next week as we speak on, “Fear, the Opposite of Love”.

Let’s pray,

My God you are so amazing. Thank you, Jesus, for dealing with us in every area of our lives. There isn’t a better place to be than in your hands, as you mold us and shape us into the new us you long for us to be. You change our thoughts and give us new ones to hold on to.  My God, this month we want to give you all of our fears, our worries and Lord turn them into faith.  Guide us through this journey and show us how to be more life you. Help us face and conquer our deepest fears. Help us to be completely guided by you as we work this week on renewing the way we think and see things. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Weekly Challenge

This week I challenge you to seek the areas in which you feel fear is paralyzing you and not letting you walk in the perfect peace of God. Seek to identify where fear is creeping in, and where it’s dwelt for years. Afterward, let’s meditate on God’s truth and search for it with passion. Let’s focus on these scriptures which tell us more about love and less about fear! Learning how to walk in that perfect love God speaks to us on.

I would like you to read Philippians 4:8, challenge yourself on the things that are consuming your thoughts.  Replace them with these things.  Then read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.  This scripture is to challenge you to see what are you fixing your eyes on.  Are you looking at what is temporary or what is eternal?

If you need help, please email us or start a conversation by commenting below.  Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook @throughthewinters.com