He Restores My Soul: Part 4
Fear can be divided into three categories: neutral fear, healthy fear, and unhealthy fear.
Neutral Fear — The innate, God-given fears that are hardwired into each of us.
Healthy Fear — The fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…
Proverbs 14:27 (NKJV) The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life…
Deuteronomy 10:12 (NKJV) And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul…
Matthew 10:28 (NKJV) And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Psalm 100:4 (NKJV) Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psalm 95:2 (NKJV) Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
1 John 4:18 (NKJV) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.
Unhealthy Fear — the irrational and misplaced fears that stir up anxiety and unnecessary worry.
-Fear of being alone -Fear of not measuring up
-Fear of being abandoned -Fear of looking incompetent
-Fear of losing control -Fear of failure
-Fear of being controlled -Fear of being a bad spouse or parent
-Fear of surrender -Fear of growing old
-Fear of commitment -Fear of sickness or death
-Fear of not having enough -Fear of losing someone we love
-Fear of change -Fear of not knowing our purpose
-Fear of not being loved or heard -Fear of missing out
-Fear of rejection -Fear of missing God
What are the signs that an unhealthy fear is influencing the way I live?
When I feel powerless…
-Do I withdraw, shut down, or avoid difficult situations?
-Do I engage in passive-aggressive behavior?
-Do I become defensive, angry, or overly sensitive?
-Do I start to feel anxious, worried, or insecure?
-Do I try to control or manipulate situations?
-Do I escalate conflicts by lashing out or attacking others?
-Do I have imaginary conversations or arguments in my head?
-Do I tell myself, “If it can go wrong, it will”?
-Do I respond in disproportionate ways to trying situations?
Genesis 3:9-10 (NKJV) “Where are you?” …10 “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
“One of the primary ways the enemy gains access into our lives is through fear.”
“Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
1. Ask God the right questions
Psalm 139:23 (NLT) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
-What am I afraid of?
-How did that fear enter my life?
-What is causing me to feel uneasy or anxious right now?
-What situations or outcomes am I dreading?
-What am I afraid would be lost if this situation doesn’t go my way?
-What am I really afraid of beneath the surface of this situation?
-Is there an underlying belief or lie I’m holding onto that’s fueling my fear?
-How does this fear connect with my past?
-Is this fear based on something real or imagined?
2. Be honest about our fears
Psalm 56:3 (ESV) When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
3. Choose faith over fear
“We can either act on fear or we can act on faith, but we cannot act on both. We must choose.” —Rob Reimer
4. Change our language
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” —Henry David Thoreau
5. Receive His love
Romans 8:15 (NKJV) For you do not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
1 John 4:18-19 (NKJV) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.
6. Embrace the process
Philippians 1:6 (NLT) And I am certain that God, who began the good within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.