Shackled by Fear
April 14, 2021
April 14, 2021
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Fear is something we all face at least once in our lives. No matter what age, what race, what country we live in fear is universal. We all have different way of dealing with fear as well. Today I want to talk about the fears that paralyze us and keep us stuck.
If you have been watching my blog, you will have noticed an ongoing theme this week… FEAR. I believe this is an important topic especially NOW because we have been facing a lot of scary things lately. In the last year we have seen huge changes in our world, our communities, our day to day lives. For many people, this uncertainty has brought with it an increased level of fear and has some of us have become stuck, paralyzed by the overwhelming uncertainty the future holds.
The good news is that this fear does not have to keep you captive. Freedom is just one step away. 2 Timothy says that this fear is not from God, God gives us His power, His love, His self-discipline so that we can be free. His power to overcome the fears we face. His love which reminds us that we are not alone, that He is there to support us and care for us as we move forward. His self-discipline which can help us stay free and not continue stopping us in our tracks when fear seeps its way in again.
We just need to release the fear to God and trust Him to bring us through. Trust is not easy, but it is necessary to be free and stay that way. How do we go from fear to trust? First thing to remember is that we are on a journey, each step forward is gaining ground. So do not despise the small steps. The place to start is trust. Do you really trust God? I do not want you to answer that right away. I want you to take a few moments and think about the things you are struggling with or worried about. If God said he would take these things do you trust that He will do what needs to be done even if it doesn’t look the way you want it to? Can you trust him to handle the circumstances that seem impossible? Can you trust him even when he won’t tell you why?
Walter (my husband) and I were trying to adopt his niece when we moved to Kelowna. It was a very long and exhausting process, and extremely complicated because she was from another province. Inter-provincial adoption is harder than any other type of adoption. It is easier to adopt a child from another country than a child from another province. Due to different provincial laws the adoption was approved in BC and not approved in the other province. We appealed and the appeal was unsuccessful. I was devastated! I was certain that God had called us adopt her and now it was over. I asked God, “Why? Why would you have us go through all of this to lose her anyway?”. God said that he would not tell me why, and then asked me, “Do you trust me?”. I have been a Christian all my life but, in that moment, I really struggled with whether I really did. If God would not tell me why, could I still trust him? Knowing that he had directed us to go through this incredibly painful process, with no understanding of the purpose could I trust that he still had plans for my good, plans to prosper me and not to harm me. After about ten minutes of wrestling it out in my heart and mind, I finally released it to God and told him I trusted him no matter what. A few weeks later we were notified that laws regarding inter-provincial adoption were changing in BC as a result due to what happened in our case. I have wondered if this was the why, but it really is not important because God’s ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts are higher than mine, meaning that God sees everything, I only see what is happening directly to me in my life.
There are times in my life when I need reminding of the things I learned that day, but the truth remains to this day that he is worthy of my trust, but it will always be my choice. When facing the fears you have, do you trust God? Do you trust that he knows far more about what is best for you and your life? I can tell you from experience that you can trust him. He loves you and wants to give you the strength to overcome every obstacle, every fear, every single thing that holds you from living a life of freedom. Do not let fear shackle you any more, take the first step and put your trust in God, the one who loves you, the one who calls you precious!
Personal Note: If you are still unsure if you can trust God, or you just want someone to journey with you as you walk toward freedom from fear, feel free to contact me using the contact form I would love to walk with you!
Fear is something we all face at least once in our lives. No matter what age, what race, what country we live in fear is universal. We all have different way of dealing with fear as well. Today I want to talk about the fears that paralyze us and keep us stuck.
If you have been watching my blog, you will have noticed an ongoing theme this week… FEAR. I believe this is an important topic especially NOW because we have been facing a lot of scary things lately. In the last year we have seen huge changes in our world, our communities, our day to day lives. For many people, this uncertainty has brought with it an increased level of fear and has some of us have become stuck, paralyzed by the overwhelming uncertainty the future holds.
The good news is that this fear does not have to keep you captive. Freedom is just one step away. 2 Timothy says that this fear is not from God, God gives us His power, His love, His self-discipline so that we can be free. His power to overcome the fears we face. His love which reminds us that we are not alone, that He is there to support us and care for us as we move forward. His self-discipline which can help us stay free and not continue stopping us in our tracks when fear seeps its way in again.
We just need to release the fear to God and trust Him to bring us through. Trust is not easy, but it is necessary to be free and stay that way. How do we go from fear to trust? First thing to remember is that we are on a journey, each step forward is gaining ground. So do not despise the small steps. The place to start is trust. Do you really trust God? I do not want you to answer that right away. I want you to take a few moments and think about the things you are struggling with or worried about. If God said he would take these things do you trust that He will do what needs to be done even if it doesn’t look the way you want it to? Can you trust him to handle the circumstances that seem impossible? Can you trust him even when he won’t tell you why?
Walter (my husband) and I were trying to adopt his niece when we moved to Kelowna. It was a very long and exhausting process, and extremely complicated because she was from another province. Inter-provincial adoption is harder than any other type of adoption. It is easier to adopt a child from another country than a child from another province. Due to different provincial laws the adoption was approved in BC and not approved in the other province. We appealed and the appeal was unsuccessful. I was devastated! I was certain that God had called us adopt her and now it was over. I asked God, “Why? Why would you have us go through all of this to lose her anyway?”. God said that he would not tell me why, and then asked me, “Do you trust me?”. I have been a Christian all my life but, in that moment, I really struggled with whether I really did. If God would not tell me why, could I still trust him? Knowing that he had directed us to go through this incredibly painful process, with no understanding of the purpose could I trust that he still had plans for my good, plans to prosper me and not to harm me. After about ten minutes of wrestling it out in my heart and mind, I finally released it to God and told him I trusted him no matter what. A few weeks later we were notified that laws regarding inter-provincial adoption were changing in BC as a result due to what happened in our case. I have wondered if this was the why, but it really is not important because God’s ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts are higher than mine, meaning that God sees everything, I only see what is happening directly to me in my life.
There are times in my life when I need reminding of the things I learned that day, but the truth remains to this day that he is worthy of my trust, but it will always be my choice. When facing the fears you have, do you trust God? Do you trust that he knows far more about what is best for you and your life? I can tell you from experience that you can trust him. He loves you and wants to give you the strength to overcome every obstacle, every fear, every single thing that holds you from living a life of freedom. Do not let fear shackle you any more, take the first step and put your trust in God, the one who loves you, the one who calls you precious!
Personal Note: If you are still unsure if you can trust God, or you just want someone to journey with you as you walk toward freedom from fear, feel free to contact me using the contact form I would love to walk with you!