What are you afraid of?

[archangel]

 
   My little seven year old grandson is being teased and tormented at school because he is afraid of butterflies.  Butterflies you say?  Yes, he is afraid of God's beautiful flying flowers!  When he was very small, a butterfly suddenly flew into his face and he was so startled by it that he fell down and skinned his elbows and knees.  This is where that seed of fear was planted.  No matter how many times and how many ways we have tried to teach him that these beautiful creatures are harmless, he will not be convinced.  Silly to us maybe, but not to this child.  The fear is real.  Behaving in much the same way as these school children we often laugh at the fears of others or misunderstand them to the point of ridicule when the fear is very real to them.  Let's face it we are all afraid of something whether we want to admit it or not.  
   In the same way the seed of fear was planted in my grandson's heart and mind, Satan creates seeds of fear in our hearts and minds and uses those fears as weapons against us.  
The bible says that fear involves torment, and Satan knows fear takes away our strength and leaves us powerless.  Overcoming our fears becomes too much for us.  We need God's help to put these fears behind us.
    God's word says, " You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you receive the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."  Romans 8:15    So how do we cry out to God for help?  Through the Spirit in prayer, and patience and perserverence we can overcome our worst fears.

   In prayer we must ask God to help to make us feel and be aware of His presence in our  day to day lives.  In prayer we must let God know that we are trusting Him and leaning on Him and expecting Him to cover our fears with His love.  
   "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."  1 John 4:18    and "My strength is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9.     Where we are weak, He is strong.  In prayer we must thank God for the right and opportunity He gave to us to come to Him for help through His Son, Jesus Christ. And in prayer we must ask for patience.
    "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield." Psalm 33:20.      We should not try to face Satan on his battlefield of fear on our own.  Instead we must put on the armor of God and yet be patient and accept God's help and love in His time.  It will come if we ask for it through the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.  
   And most importantly we must perservere.  We must stand in obedience to God's will and stay in His word.  When we are afraid, He gives us hope and courage and comfort in His word.  We must exercise our faith in Him by rebuking Satan's hold over us, surrenduring our pride and acknowledging our need for God's direction in our lives.  Faith is stronger than fear.
   "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith."  1 John 5:4.   In prayer and patience and persevering in faith, we take the weapon of  fear out of Satan's hands and give it over to God.  When we do this, God can then expose the lie of  fear for what it is and we will see it clearly and we can then overcome that fear.
   Our Lord Jesus has promised, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give it to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."    John 14:27.
   



   

[Jesusinme]

Your story reminds me of this particular incident. I was visiting my friend in California. I was drawn for no reason to this cup on the table, when I looked inside, there was a butterfly on it's last breath. I took it out of the cup and waited for it to dry off. As The butterfly sat on my finger it got stronger and stronger increasing the grip. Well all of a sudden I was so fear filled that I had to get it off my finger, I shook it off my hand. I have a love for animals and nature that is unusual, and I know I was praying for the butterfly. I remember thinking, that was the enemy It felt like he just blew fear through me.

[archangel]

Isn't it amazing how fear can rear it's ugly head at the most unexpected times and make us behave in a way that we never dreamed we would.  Have you ever done or said something to hurt someone else only to be ashamed of it and realize too late that your own fears caused you to act that way?  I know I have, even though I have believed in Jesus since childhood, I still have let Satan plant stupid fears in my mind from time to time and allowed him to make me feel inadequate and foolish.  Now that I am more centered in Christ this happens far less frequently and not at all when I am walking in the Spirit the way I should.  The hardest part of being a Christian is practicing what you preach and there is no room for fear if we are confident in God's love.  I just have to keep reminding myself of that all the time.  It helps to know fellow Christians struggle in the same way.  Thank God for His grace or I'd probably spend life hiding under a rock!

[JudgeNot]

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give it to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."    John 14:27.

On of the most beautiful pieces of scripture written.  

I'm afraid of wasps (wanna see me screech to a halt on the shoulder of the freeway and abandon my vehicle at a dead run?  Put a wasp in my truck with me!)  What do they call that particular phobia???  

What I'm most afraid of is failing the Lord.  Sometimes in my mind, I am being led to a horrible death - and I can get a reprieve if I deny Jesus and (for instance) convert to Islam.  In my mind I always bravely (though not necessarily cheerfully) accept martyrdom in Christ’s name.  But it mortifies me to think I may someday actually be put in that situation.  In the end, I have to depend on self-preservation for eternity rather than a lifetime.  I pray for strength, and I pray that God will silence Satan’s whispers in my ear; ‘...save yourself – deny God’.

[DovesWings]

I share that same fear JN....

I, though, feel as though I am not worthy at times...that I'm not good enough, even though I KNOW that the Lord knows that we are sinful in nature and that I do try my best to live to please the Lord.  

I am trying to overcome my other fears...such as snakes....terrified(but bad experience) and clausterphobia is another....being choked(I was choked by my stepdad when I was younger and an ex boyfriend when I was in my late teens).

[archangel]

Dear DoveWings, I am so sad that you have experienced things like this that have made you afraid.  As you and JN both have expressed I think my main fear is that I will not stand up and be counted for Christ if I am ever really put to the test.  I have recently finished reading the "Left Behind" series and I have asked myself over and over..would I go to the guillotine without fear in the name of Jesus.  I tell myself that I would gladly and then I wonder about the reality of my courage for Christ.  Like you said JN if that day ever comes, I'll have to rely on the Holy Spirit to cover my backside!

[DovesWings]

I wondered the same thing after I read the series Threadbear...I know I would face the guillotine...I mean a second of pain, minute, whatever it takes, is nothing compared to the eternity of happiness and love we will feel.