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Chapter Four How Do We Handle Fear?
Recognize it.
Know the fear and acknowledge it. Let it know you see it and know its there. When you recognize it, you are standing up and looking at it, rather than shying away and running from it. This is important. Fear gets stronger when it is left in the shadows of uncertainty. Be certain of what it is. Search it out and expose it.
Confront it.
Once you found it and see it, confront it. Come face to face with it in total defiance to what it wants to hold you back from doing. Let it know you are here to stay and fight against its lies and attacks. Fearlessly face your fears!
Defeat it.
In other words, do not let fear win; you win over fear. Beat it and frustrate the fear so it will have no power to come back and stay in your life again. Kill it. Disable it and destroy it. Talk about it, and make it stay down by speaking to it as it is. A defeated, powerless wimp that can not come back into your life again! You are the victor, not the victim!
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
- 2 Timothy 1:7 (King James Version)
Face your fears in the power of faith. Believe that God loves you, will help you and bring you through this fear factor. The more you realize He loves you, fights for you, helps you and protects you, the more confident you will be and the more fearless you will be to go forward in life.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
- 1 John 4:18 (King James Version)
When my daughter is afraid of someone or something, she runs to me and either holds onto my leg or reaches up for me to hold her. She does this because she knows that I love her so much that I will not let anything happen to her. She believes that so much that while she is with me, she will then allow that person she was afraid of to come close to her. Why is this? Because her daddy loves her so much that he will not allow anything bad to happen to her. As long as she is in her daddys arms, she knows I will protect her from harm, pain and danger. How much more should we be like this with our Heavenly Father? When we are in fear or afraid, we should run over to Him, hold onto His leg and know that He loves us so much that he will not allow anyone or anything to harm us, cause us pain or any danger! His perfect love for and to us casts out any fear and gives us confidence and courage to move forward in this life!
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.
- Ambrose Redmoon
Although fear will try to hold you back and paralyze you from taking action towards your dreams, goals and purposes in life, be courageous and confident knowing that you will defeat your fears and walk through them in the power of faith. Realize that on the other side of any fear is the prize of strength, confidence, rewards, growth and success!
Do not waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hours duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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