Let God guide when facing your fears
"I will praise the Lord and exalt his name for I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me of all my fears."
- Psalm 34:3,4 (TLB)
One thing this past year has done is show us what we are made of and the need to learn how to face our fears.
A few years ago, I did a presentation on becoming more confident. I discussed several Bible principles that help us develop more confidence and overcome our fears. I knew fear was an emotional issue we all struggle with from time to time, and decided it would be good topic to discuss.
I was blessed when one of the women who attended was someone I knew from back in my teenage years. As we talked, she shared that one of her adult children had a huge fear of flying, and it was something their job required. She mentioned she couldn't wait to share some of the points I had covered with them.
A few years later, I was walking down the aisle at a local grocery store when I heard someone calling my name. I turned around to find my friend walking toward me.
As we talked, she mentioned my presentation. She told me she shared my points on fear with her loved one and that they not only conquered their fear, but were taking flying lessons.
I was amazed to see what God had done in this young person's life. I'm not suggesting that we easily overcome our fears. But I believe, with this example, God was showing proof that it is possible.
There isn't a person alive who doesn't have some kind of fear. Some are realistic or founded by substantial evidence - with these, we need to use caution. But many are unfounded, deceptive thoughts. The scene it projects on our mind stirs an emotion of fear and paralyzes us from moving forward.
Others can tell us it's unfounded, but we have to get to that revelation ourselves. These are the fears that hold us back and diminish our confidence.
Sometimes fear is good or healthy. For example, the fear that protects us from doing a harmful activity.
When striving to move forward, our feelings of fear don't always go away. When this happens we need to remind ourselves to do what we know is right, even though we feel fearful to do it. Most times, like when a baby learns to walk, we will start to build our confidence with each new step we take.
Prayer is another giant step in overcoming unfounded fears. We need to share our fears with God and ask for his help to overcome them.
When fear comes knocking on the door of our heart, reminding ourselves God has a good plan for us can give us peace of mind.
Fear is a realistic thing, and it comes in all areas of our lives. That's why we need to understand what we're feeling and take steps to confront the problem. Overcoming unfounded fear is one aspect in helping ourselves to become more calm, confident and fulfill our dreams.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.