Have you ever been so afraid to step out of your comfort zone? A comfort zone of not pursuing a dream you know has been given to you to make a reality! The only reason for not pursuing that dream is fear! Paralysis is what I call fear. It makes you not move an inch in accomplishing that very thing you are so passionate about. Can you imagine butterflies in your stomach, anxiety on your mind, and passion in your heart at the same time?
It took me 20 years to debut my first book. I have to admit I felt mighty good when I turned my dream into a reality. Now, I am working on my second Christian fiction book. But why did it have to take me so long, though? I’m telling you, it was fear! Fear of the unknown and failure. I was paralyzed from my hands to my feet.
One thing I realized, it didn’t paralyze my mind. No matter how much I avoided writing, I was still dreaming about it in my sleep. I would wake up with ideas on my mind. I would be watching television, and my mind would be on writing that book. I would be driving, and I would get a revelation. Sometimes I would pull over to write those thoughts on paper or I would wait until I got to my destination to write down that revelation. I knew it was God telling me those thoughts.
Writing is a gift. It is in my veins flowing from my heart to my mouth then to my hands. I am like Jeremiah in the 20th chapter, 9th verse, when he said, “His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”
I can no longer contain the gift God has given me. To be truthful, I may have been afraid, but I was walking in disobedience. I knew God was calling me to write and I didn’t do it because of fear.
So, what is the antidote for fear? For in His Word, 2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Actually, there are three antidotes for fear!
(1) You have the power. You have the power to choose to cast down strongholds that are blocking your opportunities to stir up your gifts. Strongholds can be procrastination, negativity, thinking it won’t be good enough, fear of success, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, and etc. You have the power to do anything through the strength of Jesus Christ. You have the power because God who has the utmost power will be with you. He will never leave or forsake you. He will give you the words to speak. He will guide your fingers and thoughts. He will lead the pathway for you to walk in at the right and with the right people. Stay connected to the source while stirring up those gifts!
(2) You have love. Love for God’s people. Love for building up others. Love for building up yourself. Love for that very gift you can’t contain. His Word states in First John, fourth chapter, and 18th verse, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Love will cast out fear every time because God first loved you. He cares for you and He wants the best for you. God is not an author of confusion and neither does He cripple you. Satan wants to cripple you and have you confused about who you are and whether or not you were called to do that very thing God has called you to do. Fear is not of God and it shouldn’t reside in us. When you become afraid, think of God’s love for you and for His people. Think about the service you would be doing for God’s people by completing that assignment. Whether that service is to inspire, restore, or heal. You could be hindering God’s people from restoration and healing by sitting on your God-given gifts and talents. That is not love. That is fear. Love drives out fear every time.
(3) You have a sound mind. A mind that is not troubled or damaged, because it is secured in the mind of Christ. Secured in the thoughts of God. Secured in the Word of God. Believing everything that proceeds out of the mouth of God instead of man! Your thoughts shouldn’t wander here and there about what man think of you or what man may do to you if you stir up the gifts God has given to you. Be fearless! Be bold! Be in sound mind when it comes to doing the work of the Lord! Jesus had a sound mind when he started his ministry before the crucifixion. His mind was on being about His Father’s business. That was it, nothing else, and nothing more. You are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses from the Bible who had a sound mind when it came to doing what the Lord asked of them. Let those witnesses be an example and a light for you. God was with them and He never left them. Guess what? God is with you and He will never leave you. So, go ahead and stir up those gifts while casting down fear!
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