Pure Magazine

Is Fear Controlling You?

Isaiah 41:13

For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you,Do not fear; I will help you.

Rosanne Cash said, “The key to change…is to let go of fear.”These are simple words with a profound meaning. I don’t know about you, but I find this statement completely true in my own life. Sad to say, the fear of failure can control whether we do or do not do something. It can control how we feel about ourselves, the motivation we possess to make steps toward progress,and how we live our day to day lives. In some cases, this can mean the decision to work out and eat healthy, or to grab the junk food in front of you. If you won’t succeed in losing weight, why even try, right? It can mean the decision to pass along a great job opportunity. If you can’t be perfect at it, why even try, right? Wrong.

Borrowed from http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u45/failure_text.jpg

Fear has the power to control us. When we fear something, it becomes our God.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, forI am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with myrighteous right hand.

Often, I run across women that walk with cement filled boots due to their fear of failure. They cover this up with words like, “Oh, that’snot my kind of thing. Why don’t you have her do it. She would be much better”or “Why would I even try that? I know I wouldn’t do it right.” To be honest, I am sometimes that woman. The very fact that I am writing this article and this magazine is still up and running shows me that it is possible to fight your fears when you have God on your side.

Isaiah 35:4

say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

I can’t tell you how many times I thought of quitting this Magazine, shutting it down, and moving on. I told myself, “I am not qualified.No one wants to read my articles. What do I know? I am too young, too inexperienced, etc.” I thought of a thousand reasons why I shouldn’t be the one writing these articles. However, there was one important reason why I should. God said so. Right now, this is what God wants me to do, so I am here…but that took a decision. It made me take one step closer to God and one step further from fear.

Psalm 91:5

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

There is a song from JJ Heller called, “Keep You Safe.” It’sone of my favorites and has helped me through countless sleepless nights. Someof the lyrics include: “You’ll have your own battles to fight when you are older. You’ll find yourself frozen inside but always remember if you feel alone, facing the giants and you don’t know what to do….My love is a light driving away all of your fear. So, don’t be afraid. Remember I made a promise to keep you safe.”

Now, of course this is not suggesting that you will have a care-free life. However, it is stating that God’s love can drive out fear.

Borrowed from http://www.landofmysojourn.net/sitebuilder/images/believe2-373x259.jpg

1 John 4:18

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.

My God is a God of love and joy; not of fear. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Our God is a God that helps us move mountains, heals the broken, binds up wounds, and strengthens the weak. He is a God of courageous strength, and He has created us in His image. We were not created to fear the world, but to save it through Jesus Christ.  Ladies, let’s all stand up and make decisions that are led by Christ and not by fear. Let’s examine our thoughts and motives before we take action and fight the enemy with a strong stance of courageous strength.