Where Is Your Fear Coming From?

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7

Yesterday, we began talking about what it looks like to have a posture of fear in hopes that if we can identify this posture, we can replace it with a posture of strength and victory in Christ. We discussed how the first sign of a posture of fear is a focus on your weaknesses. Today, let’s discuss a second sign.

Another statement that describes a posture of fear is when you consider your thoughts of fear as a statement of fact. So often, we make assumptions about ourselves, our circumstances, or our odds of overcoming our fears, and we dwell on those assumptions so much that we begin to see them as facts. What started as an opinion based on our own perception turned into an undeniable truth that we can’t seem to get over.

Many times, we talk ourselves into why we won't do something because we are full of fear. We are afraid to fail. We are afraid to put God to the test. We are afraid to take God at His word, and we stagnate. We allow our mentality, our insecurities, and our misconceptions to take over our minds and our hearts, and we hold back from doing what we know God has called us to do.

Have you ever hesitated to follow God’s direction in your life because of a fear rooted in your own assumptions? Did you stop and really think about whether your hesitations were based on truth or misconception? That last question is one we need to be asking ourselves on a consistent basis. Fear can easily paralyze us from obeying God. So when that fear arises, it’s our job to identify where it’s coming from and what it’s based on so that we can walk the path of faithfulness and obedience to the Lord rather than shrink back because we’re afraid.