Day 9: Moving out of fear….

I’ll admit it.   Fear is a huge battle for me.  It looms large in the middle of the night, seizing me just before the dawn.   My stomach clenches and at times I can feel the panic rising up.   I am learning however, that I do not have to be a victim to fear and each time I find myself a bit stronger a little more able to take away it’s power…
My road map away from fear….

• First and foremost I seek God.  I ask Him for His comfort, peace and wisdom.
• Second, I tell myself the the truth.   It won’t always be this way and things are rarely as bad as they seem in the middle of the night.   I speak affirmation to myself, sometimes I even say it out loud.   For instance last night I woke up to feed our 2 week old foster son and was gripped with a common fear: what if I have cancer, and I don’t even know it….(the scars from losing a son and then an uncle to cancer are still very close to the surface).   The truth is that even if I did have cancer, God is my refuge and keeper.  He has numbered my days.  I do not need to fear death because I know the author of life.   Another common fear that attacks me: what if the economy crashes again??   The truth is that God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory, and He has never allowed the righteous to be forsaken.   Chances are if you are trapped by fear you will find a carefully crafted lie hiding behind the door.  The truth really does set you free.
• Finally I focus on hope.   Hope is a vacuum that sucks out all the fear.   I give my energy to those things that lift me up, to my hopes and my dreams and I focus on the wonderful faithfulness God has already shown.

*sorry guys, I am bit behind, holding babies takes up a lot of my time these days….