We’ve all met people who seem fearless. They don’t seem afraid of anything. Then there are those of us who are afraid of certain things more than others and those who are afraid of everything. God doesn’t want us to be afraid. He didn’t create us to be afraid because fear keeps us from God’s best. He has a cure for fear.
Fear is said to be an “unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.” Fear can be good in that it will cause us to run away or do everything in our power to not be put in a potentially
There are many common fears such as: fear of spiders, snakes, mice, dogs, germs, dirt, contaminants, injections, flying in an airplane, elevators, heights, enclosed rooms or spaces, caves, crowded public places, social interaction, embarrassment, death, disasters, abuse, and many others. We call these phobias, like claustrophobia and agoraphobia. There are also fears like fear of not having enough which causes us to hoard items like toilet paper!
Spirit of Fear
The things we are afraid is usually because we have had an encounter of some kind with the various things we are afraid of. In other words, they are learned behaviors, but we think they are just a part of our personalities so we don’t really try to get rid of them. This was definitely true of my fear of heights.
God helped me to understand my very irrational fear of heights was actually caused by a spirit of fear, passed from my m other to me when I was 12. For more about that listen to Sweet Grace for Your Journey podcast episode 162, Why Am I Afraid?
II Timothy 1:7 AMP tells us that fear is a spirit but it does not come from God. “God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline, abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control.”
We need every part of this verse to overcome what is holding us back. FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. It’s one of the devil’s most powerful tools and spirits. If he can get us to be afraid of even trying to lose weight, he has us stuck. We will stay stuck until we understand what God wants for us.
Fear of Failure
For years I just assumed this was a fear I had to live with. After I began my weight loss transformation journey, I began to address areas of my life that had me stuck. One big fear I had in regard to losing weight was the fear of failure. I’d been on many different diets and lost weight, only to gain it back again and feel like a total failure. I had done that so many times that even though I was super morbidly obese, I didn’t want to try and fail again.
When I realized that diets were short-term fix for a long-term problem, I realized I needed to change my habits for the rest of my life. I had to give up sugar and flour, but I was sure I couldn’t do that. I learned the truth that Paul expressed in 2 Cor. 12:10 AMP. “When I am weak in my human strength, then I am strong, truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength.”
The weakness I felt was that I am human. It was because I had tried many times in my own strength and failed. I needed to let God lead me. I needed to embrace the spirit of power that God wanted to give me and discard the spirit of fear.
Fear God
Fear definitely comes from somewhere. It comes from the evil one because God does not lay claim to it. However, He does let us know that when we fear Him, it is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 9:10 AMP explains it this way. “The reverent fear of the Lord, that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome, is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom, its starting point and its essence. And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.”
This is a different kind of fear. It’s not one that makes us want to run away, it’s one that draws us closer to God. It’s being reverent before Him and giving Him the esteem due the Creator and Master of the Universe.
God’s Love
The love of God is another weapon against fear. When we love God, we don’t have to be afraid of anything else. We must take our fears to God, and He will help us. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed” (Psalms 34: 4-5 NIV).
It is God’s perfect love that casts out fear. We never have to be afraid that we will be separated from His love. It is with us for all eternity. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).
For more on this subject, including how I got delivered me from my fear of heights, listen to episode 162—Why Am I Afraid?” Go here: Https://TeresaShieldsParker.com/podcast/.
Teresa Shields Parker is a Christian weight loss author, coach, podcaster and speaker, who has lost more than 250 pounds and kept it off since 2013.
Her books include: “Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor”; “Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds”; “Sweet Journey to Transformation: Practical Steps to Lose Weight and Live Healthy”; “Sweet Freedom: Losing Weight and Keeping It Off With God’s Help”: “Sweet Change: True Stories of Transformation”; “Sweet Hunger: Developing an Appetite for God”, and her most recent book, “Sweet Excuses: Stop Lying to Yourself & Start Losing Weight”.
She also offers Overcomers Christian Weight Loss Academy and VIP one-on-one coaching program, more information on both is available under the weight loss tab. Don’t miss her weekly podcast, Sweet Grace for Your Journey, where she shares tips from her personal journey of losing weight and discovering healthy living. Find that under the podcast tab and anywhere you find podcasts.