As I thought about fear this week, I came to one conclusion. Fear arises from that which is unknown. Think about it. When you were afraid of the dark…what were you really afraid of?
You were afraid of what you didn’t know to be in the dark. How about now?
Do some of you fear death?
Why, because you are unsure about what happens after you die?
Do you fear rejection?

What you really fear is not knowing how people will respond to you.

Fear is that which is unknown.

I am a people person, and therefore, I am totally afraid of disappointing people. When I thought about it though, I realized that what I feared is not knowing how people felt about me.

You see, the only way to really drive out fear is knowledge. When you know something, the fear begins to go away.

Take for example the dark…what do you do when you get freaked out in the dark? You turn on the lights. Once you KNOW the truth that there is nothing there, you become less afraid.

Or take me as an example, what could I do to get over my fear of disappointing people? If I know where I really stand with people and know that they love me for me then that fear begins to disappear.

For me, I know some things to be true no matter what and its these things that help me battle against fear. I know that I am loved no matter what by God. I know that because of my relationship with him that when I die I will go to heaven. I know that with his help I can do more than I ever imagined because the fear is gone. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am still very much afraid at times, but fear does not dominate my life.

Where do you need to find the truth this week about your fears? What fear is holding you captive?