Why Am I Afraid?

I am procrastinating on doing something very important today.  I have run out of excuses so I turned to social media to help me put it off a little longer.  While I was scrolling Instagram, I came across one of my favorite quotes from Craig Groeschel.  "Show me the very places I fear the most because that shows me where I trust you the least."

I did not connect this with my procrastination, but I often use this as a check-up for myself.  I asked God, "What am I fearing today and where do I need to trust you?"  Immediately this item on my to-do list popped into my head.  What about this makes me afraid?  It centers around my fear of rejection and people not liking me.  So I asked God, "Where am I not trusting you?"  His response was, "You are not secure in your identity with me."  

God calls us to thrive; not just survive.  It is not survival of the finest with God.  If that were the case, I would have died a long time ago.  Jesus said, "I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10 NASB).  

So often we let fear steal the excitement and joy of life.  We end up being like animals just trying to survive; just trying to make it through the day.  We are like the squirrel in the middle of the road just running back in forth afraid to make a decision; just trying to survive.  

What car are you trying to avoid?  What are you afraid of?  Is it the opinions of other people?  Is it the fear of failure?  Is it the fear of losing something important to you?  Ask God to show you where you need to trust Him, make a decision, and stop hanging out in the middle of the street.  

By the way, it all worked out.  I wrote the first part of this a while ago.  That thing is off my to-do list, and I am still here  I don't even remember what it was.  Whatever I was worried about must have never materialized. Most worries never do materialize.  

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"Faith Not Fear".

My church has been in a sermon series on Nehemiah.  One of the phrases that keeps coming up is "faith not fear."  This, along with other things in my life, has caused me to really start thinking through what is faith? 

I know it is not blindly moving through something hoping for the best.  I know it is not believing that things are just going to be okay.  In fact, it is not a thing at all.  Faith is believing in a person.  We put our faith in people all the time.  When we are driving a car we have faith that the driver of the car coming in the other lane is going to stay in that lane and not hit us.  The question is not what is faith, but who is your faith in?

When you put your faith in Jesus, you are saying that no matter what happens, I know Jesus loves me.  He cares about me and wants the best for me.  Faith is believing that inspite of the circumstances, God's character is good.  When the circumstances were bad for Nehemiah, he did not call the people to believe more, pray more, or hope that everything turns out.  He called the people to remember.

Nehemiah 4:14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

Whatever you are facing, whatever news story you are reading, whatever is happening around you "Don't be afraid . . . Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome."

What is a time you remember God showing His goodness to you that you can think on when circumstances are tough?

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Biggest Fear

As I have been sharing with you about my journey of courage I continue to discover all the ways that I respond in fear.  When I am angry, withholding the truth, or avoiding the uncomfortable conversation, it is all rooted in some fear.  Go ahead, take time to reflect.  When was the last time you lost your temper?  Why were you angry?  Someone once told me "if you want to get to the real reason, ask yourself why seven times?  I was angry because my kids did not do what I told them.  Why was I angry?  They know better.  Why was I angry? I am a good parent.  Why was I angry?  I am afraid of what people will think.  Why was I angry?  I am supposed to be the one in control.  Why was I angry?  I am afraid that I might not have as much control as I thought.  What if there are other areas that I don't have as much control as I think I do? The opposite of every virtue is fear.

So what is our biggest fear?

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us” (Timothy Keller).

Why do we not tell anyone we are having marriage trouble until it is too late?  Why do we put on masks as we go to work, school, or worse, church?  Why do we suffer addiction in silence and isolation?  Why do we not sit across the table from people, make eye contact and have a real conversation?  We are afraid someone might get to know us and then reject us.

There is a God who not only knows you and everything about you but he also loves you.  He promised to never reject you.  He gave up everything in reckless pursuit of you.  Before you reject him get to know him.  Want to know more about how to get to know God?  Click Here and send me a message.  Want to chat with someone now? Click Here.  Someone is available to chat 24/7.  It is free and anonymous. 

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Fear In Tight Spaces

I was walking through the cavern and I could not believe what happened next.  As I said in my post, Courage For 2018, I am sharing my vulnerable journey towards courage in this series of posts.  My son was turning 13 and I had taken him to Glenwood Springs, Colorado for a kick off to his journey into manhood.  He had little information of what the weekend had in store.  A big part of the weekend was taking a spelunking trip into Glenwood Caverns.  It just so happened that we were the only two signed up for this trip.  That meant it was our guide, our guide’s friend, and us.

We started walking through the cavern just like the other tourists, except we were wearing cool mining helmets with lights and coveralls.  Suddenly and without warning, our guide dives into a small hole in the wall.  This thing is so small that you would likely not notice it and walk by.  My son is next.  He goes in without a second thought.  I am standing there with our guide’s friend and she is says, “You’re up!”  There is only one problem.  I struggle with claustrophobia (the fear of tight spaces and confinement).   You are probably wondering why I picked spelunking if I knew I had this fear.   You see, part of bringing into manhood is let them see what a real man looks like.  The trip in to the cave was not just about my son having an opportunity to face a potentially scary situation, but to also see his dad face fear.

We live in a dangerous world.  We are going to face things that make us afraid.  When we face these things we only have two options.  We can shut down and do nothing or we can persevere regardless of our fear.  Both could result in us getting wounded.  However, only one has the potential of success and victory.

 

I crawled into the hole.  We had a great time.  There were some scary moments, but we did it together.  We both came out dirty and more courageous. 

In the next post I am going to share with you my biggest fear.  It very well could be yours too.  In the meantime, what are you afraid of?  What do you do to face these fears? 

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Courage to be . . .

To Be Or Not To Be was one of the most popular posts from 2017.  I thought I would share it again because it is a great lead in for the next couple of posts that are coming soon on fear and courage.

What would I say when I got to their house?  Is there a right thing to say to a mom and dad that just lost their little boy? Not knowing the answers to these questions I called a pastor friend on the way.

"I don't know what to do.  I don't know what to say." I told him.

He encouraged me to Click Here to continue reading and thank you for sharing it with others.