Have you ever been paralyzed by fear? Fear that renders you immobile, speechless, or to tears? I know I have -several times. Sometimes fear can be a knee-jerk reaction to someone coming up behind you and saying, “Boo!” Someone breaking into your house or just walking into a dark parking lot, not knowing what to expect, can cause paralyzing fear. When things are out of our control, the unexpected can make us fearful.
In 2013, I became very sick. It took doctors 14 months to come up with a diagnosis. I went to the hospital for a procedure, which made me worse. The pain was unbearable, like nothing I had ever experienced. One evening while lying in bed, I asked the Lord, “Is this as good as it’s going to get? Will I ever feel good again?” I was in a fearful place in my life—fear of the unknown. My health was out of my hands, but I was in God’s hands. He gave me a very peaceful dream that night. It removed all fear and doubt from my heart. That dream made me remember that God is in control, and He is the only hope and peace that is certain in this world.
Our faith is put to the test through various trials that we encounter. These trials remind us to turn to God when our fear starts to feel bigger than our faith. There’s a lot of scripture on fear, but one of my favorites is 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Trials grow and stretch our faith. They show us how big our God is in comparison to our fear. It also shows us that God truly wants what’s best for us, and He will take care of us. Our part is to let him. To turn to him and say, “Okay, God, this one is yours! I can’t do this without you.” It’s not easy at first, to let go of our fears, to take her hands off the problem, and give it to God. But as we are brought to our knees, and we see that He is always beside us, it becomes easier. When He says He will never leave us or forsake us, He means it.
I love to pray! That quiet time with the Lord is priceless. I joined Intercessors for America to pray for our nation. They send emails with lists suggesting different prayer points for intercession. One day, I opened an email; all my eyes could see on there was disappointment, chaos, and evil. We certainly live in trying times, so I began to feel overwhelmed and fearful. I sat my phone down. With fear and discouragement, I said, “God, I can’t do this. I can’t continue to pray and never see or hear good news or see things changing for the better.” I instantly felt in my heart. I knew I must keep my eyes fixed on God and not the world. He tells us we are to be in the world but not of it.
When we accept Jesus into our heart, we are made new! We are to be in relationship with Him daily, to receive all the goodness He has for us. Salvation is such a gift, but it’s a gift that came with a price we can never repay. Jesus died for us so that we will have eternal life with him. He gives us so much here on earth, and we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to enjoy all the benefits of walking with the Lord. We just have to turn our hearts to Him and tell Him, “Father, I can’t do this alone. I need you to help me!” And He will because He is a good, good Father.
Faith is like a muscle. It has to be exercised. We have to use it, or it becomes weak and eventually inactive. But if we activate our faith in God, He strengthens our faith, and it then becomes the strongest most powerful weapon against the enemy.
Fear is like a gate; once you open it and walkthrough, you enter into all kinds of uncertainties. You can enter into darkness instead of God’s light. You can then meet up with anxiety, anger, depression, sickness, and the list can go on. So all of these terrible, scary, fearful places are directly connected to, you guessed it, the enemy. Fear is his easiest, biggest tool to use against us.
As you can see, it takes only one act of fear to put you into a tailspin. The next time fear leads you to the gate, turn from it, and let the Father lead you to everlasting peace and joy. Fear will no longer paralyze you or immobilize you. God will be right beside you always and forever.
I’d like to leave you with a couple of my favorite scriptures on fear, and pray it brings you comfort when you need it most.
Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 – “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Beth Nahkala
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#bethnahkalablogs
