UnstuckSample

Getting Unstuck from Fear 

We can all relate to fear in one form or another. It’s a primal emotion, instinctive to our human nature just like grief or anger. You don’t ever say to yourself, I think I need to get afraid. You don’t have to plan it; fear just happens to you. 

Of course, the problem isn’t when fear stops by for a visit. The sudden, unexpected sounds or scenes that trigger the flight-or-fight instinct usually last for only as long as it takes to realize that the cause wasn’t a real threat. Our heart rate soon returns to normal. 

The real problem is when you open the front door and invite fear in. “Fear! Welcome back! I’ve been waiting for you. Your room is ready down the hall! No, I insist; take the master bedroom! Mi casa es su casa!” When you let fear take up residence in your mind, heart, and life and nourish it like a friend, that’s a problem. 

Although you can’t keep fear from visiting, you can usher it out and slam the door in its face. And according to God’s promises, that’s exactly what you’re able to do. The sad reality is that too many Christians are victims of a pattern of thinking known as fear. Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by the anticipation of pain, harm, or loss.

God has endowed our spirit with three traits—power, love, and self-control—that are His chosen antidotes for our spirit of fear, our negative disposition, and our defeatist way of thinking.