Fear not little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). “Fear ye not, for ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).
Fear is a feeling induced by perceived danger or threat that occurs in certain types of organisms, which causes a change in metabolic and organ functions and ultimately a change in behavior, such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing from perceived traumatic events.(wikipedia)
Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid
Let's hear what other people have to say about fear
1. “Fears are nothing more than states of mind.” –Napoleon Hill (Author of Think And Grow Rich)
2. “It’s OK to get butterfly in your stomach; the key is to learn how to make them fly in formation.” –Georges St-Pierre (UFC Welterweight Champion
3. “There was never any fear for me, no fear of failure. If i miss a shot, so what? I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career, I’ve lost more than 300 games, 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over in my life, and that’s why I succeed.” –Michael Jordan (Retired NBA player- in case you didn’t know!
4. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” –Dale Carnegie (Author of How To Make Friends & Win Influence
“5.What developed in my early days was the attitude to start attacking the thing I was scared of”. –Will Smith (Actor & Singer)
Read: How to crush your goals
Write down 5 of your top fears in the following areas
TWO KINDS OF FEAR
-Rational: Protects you e.g fear of a lion
-Irrational:Prevents you e.g fear of intimacy with others
Look at the fears you wrote out in activity 1. Classify them into rational and irrational
HOW TO DEAL WITH FEAR
Two main ways
1.Fear mastery : refers to control or superiority over fear.
2. Fear Exstinguishment: refers to completely snuffing out fear from your heart.
Example of an area where you need fear mastery is public speaking. (Fear of public speaking)
Example of an area where you need fear exstinguishment is the future. (Fear of the future)
HOW TO MASTER FEAR
1.IDENTIFY your fear
Selling to people
The future etc
2. DETACH yourself
By this I mean you should seperate yourself from the picture of the fear in your heart.
Think about it like a movie
I cry profusely when seeing a movie that appeals to my emotions. The only time I am able to stop crying when I see movies like that, is to remind myself that it is just a movie.
You are not your emotions/feelings. Feelings are products of thoughts and beliefs. This consciousness will help you control your thoughts and consequently expel fear off your heart.
Read: Turning anxiety to answered prayers
3. DECOLOUR the fear
Take the aliveness in your negative imagination away by imagining that the opposite of your fear happened.
4. DECORATE your hope
Imagine the good happening by adding realistic features like a date, time and place, colour. Dwell on it and enjoy the liveliness of your hope.
5. ENGAGE your hope
Start doing what you need to do to create your dream/hope.
Afraid of poverty, learn and start a business and move towards a financially flourishing life.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH FEAR
1. IDENTIFY the fear
2. CONNECT with Christ
3. ENGAGE the power at work within you. 2 peter 1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
How much of your Jesus do you know??
Once you do that, FEAR tuuuuf goes off!!
Read: 6 heart conditions to guard against