FEAR NOT

For many of us, fear has become a regular piece of the fabric in our everyday existence.

There are some obvious reasons why we fear, and then some reasons not as obvious.

It’s a high probability that we have all feared something in our lifetime.

Fear is a psychological battle. Which means the opponent is us, Me vs. Me.

What I think, versus what I feel, or what I believe, versus what is being said to me.

Some of us might be fearful of being apart, others of us might be fearful of being close.

 There are those who fear dying, while others fear living. 

 Some fear the inside, some the outside.

 Some fear God, some fear the news. Some, the past, others, the future.

 There are those who have rare and uncommon fears.

 Like the fear of bathing, or the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth, the fear of math,

the fear of hands, and the fear of newspapers, just to name a few.

 Almost anything can bring about fear in us. We are all susceptible.

 There are thousands of types of fear from which we suffer. 

 Studies show that more than 19 million of us suffer from some type of fear or phobia.

 It is possible that many of us, share some of the same types of fears.

 It’s said that we’re all born with 2 innate fears, a fear of falling and a fear of loud noises.

 Then as we age, we develop learned fears.

 Those same studies go on to say that the learned fears can be developed in us as early as 7 years old,

and that females are twice as likely as males to develop a phobia.

7 years old is very early on to develop a fear, especially considering that by the time you graduate

from high school you will have been dealing with it for more than a decade.

I can understand how females could be twice as likely to have phobias than males,

because women encounter more things, more frequently, and earlier than men do.

For most of us, fear and anxiety can be powerful factors in our lives.

Fear has been an important part of how we have evolved as human beings.

Fear has been used to help us develop precautions against dangerous things and situations.

However, there are times when our fear or anxiety can become a greater threat than the

actual person, place, or thing, that we are confronting.

This occurs, when we accept the possibility of something happening, as the inevitable.

I, myself have been guilty of doing this very thing on numerous occasions.

It’s said, there are 4 common responses that we have, when we are afraid.

1.      Fight - When we engage in combat with that which we are afraid of.

2.      Flight - When we run or try to escape from what we are afraid of.

3.      Freeze – When we are paralyzed and overwhelmed to the point we can’t move.

4.      Fawn – When we try to pretend things are well to avoid further damage.

But what is Fear? Glad you asked.

Fear is a thought, or family of thoughts, that tell us the worst thing that could happen

is going to happen or has happened.

Fear is not a person. Fear is not an event. Fear is not a situation or circumstance.

Fear can embody these things, but that is not what fear is.

Fear is a thought, that when left to its own devices can and will cripple us. 

Fear is a thought of the fruition, of your worst nightmare, coming to pass.

With that understanding, I have a 5th response to fear, that is not as common.

Since fear is a thought, why not change your thought pattern!

5.      Change - Change how we are thinking.

God tells us to think on things that are good, lovely, wonderful, and that have a good report.

Some might wonder, how can I change/control my thought patterns?

In our Faith Manuals it speaks of how not, to accept a fearful thought.

It reads this way, Therefore, take no thought by saying, what shall I do about this?

Or what shall I do about that?

We take, or accept a thought, by repeating it, or sharing it with others as truth. 

It goes on to say that we should trust that God will take care of us.

So, in conclusion, Fear Not, means to Think Not about the worst happening to you.

And when a thought like that comes to mind, don’t accept it by repeating it.

Fear Not simply means don’t let your imagination get the best of you.

Change your thought pattern to something good, wonderful, lovely, and trust God to take care of you.

This is a Thompson Truth