Fear is safety!
Psalms 29:10-11 - The Lord sits enthroned over the floodwaters. The Lord sits enthroned – King forever! Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his people with peace!
I think we sometimes forget fear is a gift from God. Fear is safety. Fear is what tells us not to walk down a dark alley at night. Fear is why we instruct our children not to play in traffic. Fear is a gift to help us and those around us to survive and thrive. But like any of God’s gifts, when it is used outside of God’s design and purpose, they quickly become destructive.
Take water for example. It is vital that we have water daily. From hydrating ourselves to watering our plants, to cleaning; water is a precious gift, one we can’t live without!
But, perhaps like me, you have returned home from an evening out during Christmas to discover your dishwasher has leaked all over your kitchen hardwood floors!
That essential water, needed inside the dishwasher in order to clean and sanitize my dishes, became frustratingly destructive the moment it went outside of its purpose. The longer the water leaked onto my floor, the more it spread, and the more damaging it became as it warped my floors and insidiously seeped into other areas of the sacred space that is my home.
Fear can do the same for us women. We must ask ourselves, how long do I let fear stay in my life? How far will I allow it to spread and derail God’s perfect plan for me?
I have experienced fear and its deep hold on me almost my entire life. Early memories included being terrified of the dark, and of the speed with which some adults in my life would emotionally detonate. As I grew older, fear continued its grip but presented as anxiety and insecurity. I battled with dark thoughts; not being wanted, never being good or smart enough, and no matter how hard I tried, my best efforts fell short. I believed every part of me was wrong. Adults, peers, and later my spouse drove these messages home again. Once that ‘truth’ seeped into my soul like the water from the dishwasher invaded my kitchen floor, I accepted that I was a disappointment to many. I incorrectly believed that was God’s view of me. I lived in a crippling cycle of “what if”, “I can’t”, and “they might”, drowning in fear, it warped everything from my thinking to my actions.
The day God began the process of breaking the chains of my fear was perhaps one of my worst days. After suspecting a problem for months, it was confirmed. My marriage covenant had been irrevocably destroyed by two people in my inner sanctum, and the enemy had me right where he wanted me. This child of the king believed she was so warped, so wrong, so worthless, she was ready to be crushed and thrown out. But God had other plans. As the floodwaters of my reality rushed in to consume me, I had just enough left in me to cry out to my Father in heaven. And he was there.
He was with me in my sorrow and offering comfort through His word and the Godly people He put in my life. As I fought to save my marriage, God was building my strength and integrity. When my husband filed for divorce and tried to move 300 miles away with our children, God breathed life into me and gave me peace that can only come from him.
During the two and half years it took to process my divorce God did a massive overhaul on me. Bit by bit, every lie, every accusation, and all the fear I had embraced my entire life, was removed and replaced with His truth. God wants to trade my fears and insecurities, for His truth, love, and peace. It wasn’t easy but because of what God has done for me, and revealed to me, I count it all joy!
Now when I start to feel fear seep outside of its purpose it signals to me there’s something I need to bring to the Father in prayer. If you’ve been dealing with fear and anxiety for a lifetime or a season would you come join me and hear how God broke the chains of fear in the lives of other ladies for “Fear Has No Hold On Me” on April 28th?
Don’t let fear creep outside its proper place in your life, God is ready to help you break free!
Meghan Burton - Social Media Coordinator
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