Fear Factor

For GOD has not given us a

 SPIRIT of FEAR

but of Power

 Love  and of

a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

"Lord, I am just thinking about how grateful I am that You have not given us control of anything except ourselves, our choices and our thoughts.  Our understanding is finite, limited and for good reason.  Our minds cannot even begin to fathom or contain Your level of knowledge.  This should keep us humble because not one person on this earth knows it all.  I'm so glad that I don't because I believe it could destroy me to know too much."

When I was a child, I had no fear of most of the things that I fear now.  My brother and I used to spend hours in the desert hunting lizards and horned toads.  We would climb barbed wire fences and everything.  In the middle of summer days with no sunblock or water, the only thing we were equipped with was my brother's BB gun.  He would shoot a lizard and we would be so fascinated.  Talk about rough and tumble.

Now, you couldn't pay me to spend more than 20 minutes in the sun and my deficient vitamin D levels can attest to that.  I do not like to spend a lot of time outside, especially if there isn't any shade nearby.  My lack of sunlight may have caused me to be more susceptible to Multiple Sclerosis and now too much sun can cause me to have a relapse.  You can see details about my MS on my MS blog Did I Mention My MS???

Some fear is healthy and alerts us when danger is nearby.  I call that our animal instincts and we need to have animal responses.  Don't try to rationalize your God given instincts when something is amiss.  When most animals sense danger, they don't mind confronting it right away and nipping it in the bud.  Whether they flee or fight, they are quick to take action.  For most humans, our ability to rationalize causes us to hesitate.  Sometimes that hesitation can be the difference between life and death.  So trust your own instincts.  They are there for a reason.  I'm not saying fight every time you feel danger, instead get yourself to safety and in a safe position as soon as you feel the first hint that something is off.  You could be wrong, but you will at least be alive.

Most of my fears are unrealistic.  I am afraid to swim in the ocean because I just know a shark is out there waiting for me.  That's a true story.  Well that and the fact that I am not the greatest swimmer.  It's the things that don't scare me that have caused me more harm.  Thanks to T.V., I know just enough to be paranoid and irritating.  Getting connected with God on a regular basis is the only thing that helps me maintain a sound mind.  He teaches me how to combat my fears w/o worrying because I know He will always have my back.  He teaches me that even though I am not exempt from problems in this world, He will guide me through every single trial until the day He calls me to come home.

Yes, at times I worry.  Yes, at times I am afraid.  And in those times, the Holy Spirit ministers to me and helps me to keep my focus on Him.  To focus on what is true and how I can manage my fears.

Fear is not be a Factor for me, as long as I keep my mind stayed on Him.