FEAR.
Have you ever struggled with fear?
Fear:
1. To feel fear in oneself.
2. To have a reverential awe of God.
3. To be afraid of; to expect with alarm.
Fear is a weird thing. When I am fearful, I get a funny feeling in my stomach, and I start getting a little lightheaded. But fear does not just cause a physical reaction, it is also a mental and emotional issue. Fear can screw up your perception of right and wrong. Let's break down these definitions of fear.
1. To feel fear in yourself.
I am not good enough.
My hair is not straight enough.
I am not smart enough.
I am not enough.
Your confidence and identity in Christ takes a huge hit when you let fear decide your thoughts. You begin to question your ability to do what you set out to do. The fear checklist starts to swim before your eyes and before you know it, you've given up because you realize you can never accomplish anything because you're not good enough. Out of your own human effort, no, you will never be enough. But through the power of the blood of Jesus, He is enough in you.
"Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
Without God, we can do nothing. When you start to doubt yourself and fear, trust in Him. He will deliver you.
2. To have a reverential awe of God.
Have you ever been to the ocean? To the mountains? Creation does a great job of reminding us how small and miniscule we really are. We should never forget how BIG and AWESOME God is, and how small and seemingly unsignificant we are. But we should also remember that despite being small and somewhat useless, God still chooses to use US to further His Kingdom.
"He is your praise; He is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes." Deuteronomy 10:21
His glory has always and will always far surpass anything we are capable of doing.
3. To be afraid of; to expect with alarm.
This is everyone's favorite kind of fear. Kidding. This type of fear is both very real and very irrational. This fear says "don't get on that airplane, you could crash and die". Why are we afraid? We can't possible predict the future, so why are we afraid of the outcomes?
GOD IS IN CONTROL.
Seriously. You are invincible until the day that the Lord has prepared for you to join Him in heaven.
"To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
God is the ultimate provider and caretaker...if we were supposed to know everything that was going to happen He would have revealed it to us. Instead we are to wait and trust because we know He has us in His hand.