Our writing today, "FACING FEAR," talks about fear, and the ways we deal with it. It goes on to describe the difference between earthly fears and fear of the Lord. May you be blessed by God this week as you face your fears.
Blessings,
Jan and Corinne
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Today's Devotional:
"FACING FEAR"
by
Jan Andersen
I love to work with horses. They are big majestic animals, beautiful in many ways. But because of their power and size, I am careful when moving around or near them. Even if a horse is well known to me and generally behaves well around people, the unexpected can still occur. Since horses are prey animals by nature, hunted in the wild by predators, they have a strong response to perceived danger. Most of the time this means they startle easily and can move and change directions very quickly. If it is a small startle, they will turn and face the disturbance to look at it and decide whether to relax or run. A more intense scare turns into a dash for safety.
Most of us have experienced our own startle response, like when someone comes up behind us without our knowledge and makes a noise or touches us. It can make us jump! Our heart also feels like it jumps, and then it might start racing as if we are running away already. It might even take our breath away. At the same time our pupils dilate to improve our vision, and we often quickly turn and look in the direction of what scared us. That is all part of the fight or flight response, controlled by a cascade of brain chemicals and reflexes designed to trigger a boost of energy for either fighting against an attack or for fleeing the perceived danger. We turn and look at what startled us, and can then make a conscious determination about our next course of action by facing the fear.
Facing our fears in life is important to keep them from controlling us. If we have an exaggerated fear of something, it is called a phobia and can prevent us from doing the things we fear. The treatment for phobias is often done by changing how we think about what we fear, and then gradually be exposed to it in controlled circumstances. One acronym for fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. As long as we remember that this acronym is talking about exaggerated fears, this can be true. I’ve decided to make my own acronym as Fright Exaggerated, Anxiety Rules. When we are overly focused on the fear, anxiety sets in and crowds out other possible responses.
But another definition of fear is used when we speak of fearing God. This fear is an awe-inspired respect and reverence. As believers in Christ, we have an awesome God who helps us face all our earthly fears. He helps us through our trials, walking alongside us, carrying us if needed to the other side. God helps us to rise to every occasion. An acronym for this kind of fear could be Face Everything And Rise! We can face our unreasonable earthly fears with our fear of the Lord giving us heavenly confidence.
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
We pray to you, oh God, our loving Father. In spite of our earthly fears, we approach you with confidence, knowing that you hold us in your hand and give us strength to carry on and rise up to anything this world can throw at us. We thank you for your loving forgiveness of our sins and our unreasonable fears that lead us to worry instead of trusting in you. Help us to continue to fear you with reverent awe as we Face Everything And Rise! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Song:
FEAR IS A LIAR
by
Zach Williams
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The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
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Prayers are lifted up daily for
you by the Devotional Writers
and the Monthly Writing Staff
of Women's Focus Ministries.
Blog Writers:
Jan Andersen, Sandy Billingham, Carol Steficek,
Brother Thomas Ukwute, Jody Ward, Karen Bennett,
Collette Phillips, Cathy Friberg, and Corinne Mustafa
Occasional Contributors:
Kathy Bireley, Lynda Kinnard, Mary M. Wilkins,
Terri Baker, Beverley Napier, Kelly Dobyns
Glenna Williamson, Shelly Keith, Amie Spruiell,
Lisabeth Lipp, and Nandita Bhatnagar
A very good writing on facing our fears. We have them and it is always best to face them head on, and if we can't do it ourselves seek someone who can ask the right questions and guide us through it.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Betty, that sometimes we need to seek counseling to face fears! Thank you for bringing that out. Blessings to you!
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