Fear Is A Liar
Happy Friday everyone!
About two months ago, I received a journal as a gift. The cover of the journal says “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” Inside of the journal are blank pages. It’s symbolic of writing your own story. Your own story should be the greatest story ever told. You have the creativity and space to write, dream, or draw your future life story the way you want to.
When I received the journal, I stared at it for a few minutes and thought of all the wonderful things I would write. I thought about all the hidden dreams and goals in my heart. Dreams and goals I strongly believe the Holy Spirit has dropped in there. However, every time I went to write inside of my new journal, I would stop, stare at the empty pages and then close it. I would get overwhelmed and then discouraged. This happened every single day for at least a month. On a Saturday morning, I sat on my couch with my Bible, journal and worship music playing which seemed like the perfect set up to write but instead, I just cried. I cried, cried and cried some more. I cried out of frustration and defeat. I cried because I was upset with myself for physically feeling like I couldn’t write down my dreams. I asked the Lord, what was wrong with me and why couldn’t I write down the hidden dreams and desires of my heart? I knew what they were but I couldn’t put the pen to paper. As I sat there, praying and crying, I thought of the life I wanted, it actually started to get a little overwhelming. What if I never accomplished them? What if I was wrong? What if I actually made it? As I sat there thinking of all the “what ifs”, I realized the two things keeping me stuck: fear and myself.
Fear is a liar. Let’s just call it what it is. Fear is a straight liar. Fear will keep you bound and stuck. Fear’s main goal is to cripple. Fear will keep you from moving forward when you know your next step is to move forward. Fear will keep you in a place that you don’t want to be in. Fear will whisper in your ear that you are not capable, called or able to receive good things. Fear will tell you that you can’t write the greatest story ever told and that maybe having more isn’t worth it. It will have you second guessing God too.
1 John 4:18 says, “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.”
1 Timothy 1:7 says, “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
If I’m being honest, after I stopped crying, I still didn’t write in my journal lol, but I did have different insight. I knew I was going to have to squash my fears and that meant digging deep into why I let fear win. It meant I was going to have to acknowledge that the fear of failure overwhelms me and for whatever reason, I don’t always think good things are supposed to happen to me. After I acknowledged those things and still am, I thought to myself, wait, do I not know Who I belong to? My Father in Heaven is a loving and good Father, so why wouldn’t I trust His plan for my life? Remember what I said earlier about fear being a liar? Well it is! Fear will have you believing things that are not true.
Psalm 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Blameless here doesn’t mean perfect, but it does mean made righteous. We have only been made righteous in Christ!
Finally, after a few days, I began to write down the hidden dreams in my heart in my new journal. They poured out, some big and some small.
Guys, don’t let fear win. Fear is a liar and should be treated as such. Know Whose you are and that His plans, promises and plans for you are greater than you could ever imagine. You don’t have to stay stuck. Get out of your own way. Trust Him, He’s faithful.
We love you, Jesus and me.
