Living in fear is…not fun.
We all know this. Deep down, we all know this. We all know that fear isn’t fun or helpful or productive. Perhaps you’re reading this right now and saying “yes. I know I have all these fears, but I don’t know what to do about them!”
I've been there.
My favorite saying about fear comes from a song by Hillsong, called “Not Today”. The lyric goes “Fear is just a liar running out of breath”. Fear gets you to stop moving – and usually, fear starts speaking really really quickly when there’s something really big coming up. Something good.
Just picture that – fear is just a liar running out of breath. Fears are lies – most of the things you fear aren’t going to happen. It’s just trying to get you to stop moving forward. To stop pursuing your dreams. To stop reaching for your destiny.
Another saying I’ve heard about fear is from Joyce Meyer – she says, “Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real.” Because it does feel very real, doesn’t it? But fears are false evidence. What does that mean? Lies. Fears are lies.
For months I’ve wanted to begin blogging – but fear held me back. I made the excuse “oh, maybe this isn’t the right time. I’ll wait to see.” Here’s another good excuse – “I’ll wait for God to say something.” It sounds holy, doesn’t it? “God, I’ll wait right here so I don’t make a mistake.” Beloved, don’t let the fear of making mistakes keep you from moving forward (and I’m talking to myself here). We all make mistakes – and I’m learning that mistakes are okay. We’re human! Perfection for humans is overrated. It’s hard. Only Jesus was perfect – and He was perfect for you! Do you know what that means? I don’t have to try to be perfect. That frees me to just go on! Keep moving! And when I make a mistake, pick yourself up – no. Let Jesus help you up, dust you off, and then keep going. Imagine Jesus smiling and telling you to “keep going. Keep moving forward”. Beloved, whatever dream you have – write that book, make that movie, be a chef, be a Mom, be a Dad – it’s there for a reason. To bring good into the world.
Fear is just a liar running out of breath. Start blogging. Start writing. Start making that screenplay. Start cooking or enrolling in cooking classes. Start moving. And if you trip, remember that you have a loving God reaching out to you saying, “It’s alright. All is well. Just keep going.” And imagine Him smiling. I like imagining God smiling because He’s always smiling at His children. And when God is smiling on you, approving you, there can’t be room for fear. When God Himself is smiling on you…uh…where’s fear? What was that fear again? When God is in the picture, fear must leave because God is love, and there is no fear in love.
I’m still learning this. Just today, I was reminded that the answer to fear is love (hence the title). Whatever fear you have, remind yourself that God loves you. That you are His favorite. That if there was nobody else on the earth, Jesus would have still come down and died for you. That you are His favorite. You are the one that Jesus loves. Nobody else! Just you. Believe that. Make it personal. Because God’s personal love drives all those personal fears away.
You are deeply loved. Let your fears go and receive God’s love instead.
Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash
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