Facing Your Fear
Fear has two faces. Certain fears are normal and even helpful. To experience fear in dangerous situations serves a protective purpose by activating the automatic “fight-or-flight” response. With our bodies and minds alert and ready for action, we are able to respond quickly and protect ourselves.
However, there are irrational fears that result in anxiety becoming phobias. With phobias the threat is nonexistent or greatly exaggerated. One of the most common current phobias is nomophobia, the fear of not having mobile phone access. Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia is fear of the number 666. With all the complicated long names for phobias it was inevitable there would be a name for the fear of long words called: hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.
Irrational paralyzing fear poisons the mind and erodes the character. The only adequate shield for fear is found in a plaque hanging above the mantel of Hinds’ Head Hotel in England:
“Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there.”
Faith disinfects the mind of fear. It serves as a distillate to fear. Following is a way to deal with fear.
Admit your fear
Identify your fear
Analyze your fear
Isolate your fear
Address your fear. Sit in a quiet place with your eyes closed. Reflect on the first time you remember having the fear. See it. Think faith thoughts. Reflect on God’s kindness to you and His shield over you. Realize in that light it wasn’t so bad.
Now you can begin to put pressure on your fear rather than it putting pressure on you. You do so by —
- Talking with a mature, understanding, responsible person about it.
- Saturating your mind with Bible promises.
- Making direct application of Scripture to the situation.
- Resolve to demonstrate faith in fighting your fear.
Don’t be like a window shopper who appreciates, but never appropriates what is seen. Apply what Jesus said to His disciples on the storm tossed Sea of Galilee: “Fear not….” Resolve, “What time I am afraid I will trust in the Lord.”
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)