SLAYING DRAGONS

 Fear is a very real enemy and comes at us in many forms and sizes. This monster makes us his prisoner locked behind bars of "what-ifs".
What- if my test results are bad, my book doesn't sell, my speech is boring, I make a fool of myself, I lose my job. All these negative scenarios slaughter our dreams and cripple our growth. This dragon is no respecter of gender, race or creed and attacks us causing physical illness, emotional turmoil and spiritual decay. These scrimmages infect our minds with feelings of inadequacy, failure and insecurity rendering many of us victims locked within prison cells of our own design.

Statistics say Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) runs the gamut from fleeting feelings of shyness to a mental illness that can disrupt the regular flow of life. Fear is a formidable opponent and speaking from personal experience this Nasty Beast needs to be cast down as soon as it attacks our mind.

So how do we slay this monster? Our Basic Training Manuel, the Bible, weighs in on this very serious topic."Fear not," is written 365 times in the Bible. For those of us who struggle in this area God wanted us to remember..."God did not gives us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 This verse was written by the apostle Paul to encourage Timothy, a young leader in the church of Ephesus, to get his game face on. Like many of us, he struggled with feelings of timidity, insecurity and outright fear. Like you and me it was paramount to his life and ministry to learn to rise above his feelings.

• First of all fear is a spirit, a powerful force that is not from God. That's good news! We have authority over fear but we need to take a leap of faith and move the intimidating 'what-if's' out of our heads. Whatever we are afraid of we need to FACE IT AFRAID, trusting the promise of Deuteronomy 31:6  "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified of them, for the Lord your God goes with you ; he will never leave you or forsake you."
• Second... God gave us His power and strength so we are not walking into the scary situation alone. The Creator of the universe supports us. We can trust him to help us be courageous in the situation that has the power to make us feel unglued. Instead of letting negative self talk infiltrate our thoughts deliberately see the occasion as an unexpected blessing, an opportunity to grow and become the champion God intends for you to be. When fear has nothing to feed on it disappears.
• Third... replace fear with faith by keeping some scriptures verses on the tip of your tongue to use when this dragon rears its ugly head and tries to fill our minds with lies. Memory verses are powerful weapons we should use against the onslaught of this enemy.

When we decide to fight back we will need to cultivate an attitude of boldness. Without this powerhouse incentive fear will continuously try to keep us from the abundant life God has given us. God gave us sound minds, brave hearts and a powerful testimony and fear will try to take it from us. Fight back. You have what it takes and you are not alone. People who learn to conquer fear will always accomplish more than those who succumb to it.

FEAR IS NOT FROM GOD

Video Joyce Myers Ministries

Statistics provided by National Social Anxiety Center
Larry Cohen