Fear Factor

The Effects of Fear:

Fear is the great paralyzer.  It keeps us from living life to the fullest extent.  (And it keeps us OUT of the will of God!!!)  Consider the following effects that fear has on our lives, if we allow it, and the biblical answers on how to break free from the grip of the spirit of fear.

  1. Fear persuades you to set easier goals and do less than you are capable of.
  2. Fear triggers internal defense systems and fools you into thinking that you have perfectly good reasons not to change.
  3. Fear, especially fear of failure or disappointment, reduces the number of available alternatives or keeps you from pursuing them.
  4. Fear, particularly fear of making mistakes, causes indecisiveness and confusion. It stops you from knowing what you really want.
  5. Fear warps your perception of life and what you can do to make it better.
  6. Fear keeps you from asking for help when you need it or benefiting from the emotional support offered to you.
  7. Fear keeps you from asserting yourself and persuades you to settle for what you must settle for instead of going after what you want.
  8. To calm your fears, you develop (and get stuck with) unhealthy habits and behavior problems.
  9. Fear often makes you give up just one step short of your goal.
  10. Fear keeps you from taking risks.

—Sidney B. Simon, “Getting Unstuck: Breaking Through Your Barriers To Change,” 1988

 

Additional Effects of Fear:

11.   Fear will cause you to NOT trust God.

12.   Fear will cause you to MISS your calling and your destiny!!!

 

Fighting Fear

1. Know the word of God.
                - 2 Timothy 1:6-7 – God did not give fear to us.
                - Galatians 5:16-23 – Fear will produce fruits of the flesh!!!
                - I John 4:16-20 – God is love, and love casts out fear!!!

2. Realize what “fear” is.
                - Paul called fear a spirit in 2 Timothy 1:7
                - a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain,
                 etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; - Dictionary
                - Secular writers refer to fear as an entity that speaks to our
                 minds.

3. Keep your mind focused on God in fearful situations.
                - Philippians 4:8-9 – Think on the things of God
                - Isaiah 26:3 – Perfect Peace
                - Matthew 17:14-21 – Prayer and fasting

--submitted by Deacon Ken Humphrey