Fear and Purpose

Let’s define fear.  According to the dictionary, this is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous. It is accompanied by an agitation of the feelings of fright or panic.

Now, let’s define purpose. Purpose is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.  It can guide your life decisions, influence your behavior, shape your goals, offer a sense of direction, and create meaning for your life.

Fear obscures reason and intensifies emotions

I have personally discovered that fear comes out of the attitude that we know better than God.  That simple attitude which brings so much heartache. Do you know that feeling?  Zbigniew Brzezinski said that ‘fear obscures reason and intensifies emotions.’  How very true? You can’t think when you’re afraid, you can’t make rational decisions in a state of fear so how does fear begin?

Fear begins with a thought

Simply, with a thought! I’m afraid that I won’t be any good at this. I hate feeling like I’m losing control of what happens from here. What if this business doesn’t work? I don’t want to fail again. I’d like to go back to school, but I don’t want to be the oldest person in the class. I don’t even want to look for a house to buy now because I’ve been in foreclosure before.

Let me tell you a story.  In 2004, I was newly pregnant and decided because most of our friends were buying houses, it was time we also bought one. So, what did I do?  I let my emotions get the best of me because with being newly pregnant, I tired easily and was not in the best position to look at houses. This is not the best time to be making life decisions by the way.

And yes, we were sold a house we had no business buying.  It was so poorly built that we were paying over $600 a month on electricity bill.  At a point, we couldn’t even afford the mortgage.  That has to be one of the toughest times in my life.  It was bad!

What are you most afraid of?

One day, I’m sitting in church listening to my pastor preach and he used a line my husband always uses ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ That was my wake-up call!.  I left church and came home with a realization – I maybe failing at this but I know why I’m failing and I cannot continue down this road.

What was I mostly afraid of? That my credit would be ruined?  At that point, it already was. But, what I also discovered was it could be repaired and fully recovered anywhere from three to seven years.

Fear thrives where there is ignorance.

Even the bible tells us and I am paraphrasing here that we perish for a lack of knowledge.  You see, there were all these resources available that I didn’t see because the fear of my credit being ruined so paralyzed me to the point that even when what I was afraid of had already happened, I couldn’t see my way to make the rational decision of ‘ok, credit is ruined but you have 3 to 7 years to rebuild it.  I feel like speaking in tongues here!!!

When the boldness came back, I was able to pray again. I regained my senses and took back my life, it was amazing the kind of resources that was at my fingertips!!!

The testimony here was that after a year or so after we moved out, my husband got a call. It was these 2 gentlemen who had seen that the house was in foreclosure and wanted to get a sense of what we wanted to do with it.  Long story short, these guys did all the leg work and at the end of the day, we got a letter from the bank that showed we owed nothing. Nada!

I will never forget it – the bank document actually said ‘paid in full!’ Looking back now, I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t made that leap from being afraid to see past the failure and look into what could be done to salvage the situation?  I probably would still have that almost half a million dollar debt or at best be paying some portion of it.

Fear will paralyze you

Fear will paralyze you to the point where you don’t even see solutions even when they are right in front of you. You are in survival mode.  You think one wrong move and you could go from being on top to starting all over. So you stay in one spot on the steps of your destiny too afraid to climb further but too exposed to go back. Stagnancy!!!  Let me add that there is absolutely nothing wrong with starting over.

Don’t cage your mind.  Do not silence your voice

Don’t cage your mind or silence your voice; and please don’t waste value time holding onto things that you are supposed to let go of.  Did you know that you expend more energy being afraid. stagnant and unable to move than you do taking a step in the direction you need to be going in?

Knowing your purpose pushes you into territories you’re afraid of.  I never thought that I would go into business.  It didn’t cross my mind at all.  I am an IT professional and that’s what I thought until this year.  Now, I have a blog, a CBD business and I’m researching other businesses.  You know we have to secure this paper, common now!  I am also preparing for my first concert in June, this is exciting!!!

Purpose works with persistence because fear will try to rear its ugly head when you decide to become unstoppable.  Persistence works hand in hand with purpose.  It is the fuel that keeps your pathway lit when fear comes with its darkness and it will try.

Purpose is what you gives you the strength to get clarity when confusion sets in.  It will make you stay on course in the face of disillusionment. Without persistence, you lose focus.  I don’t know why I keep writing about this but I feel somebody needs to hear it.  Regaining my boldness was the handrail that I was able to hold on to climb the stairs to taking back my peace.

So, what’s your biggest fear today? 

Identify it and face it.  I talk to myself constantly as I have now conditioned myself so that when I hear anything negative in my thoughts, I return it to the liar and I speak the positive.  When I hear you can’t do it, you don’t have what it takes.  I send it back fast and I declare over myself, I can and I do have what it takes.  Now, watch me do it and do it big!

All around me I see lives crippled by fear.  And that fear causes us to give less than we have to and then complain when we don’t receive what we deserve. I don’t want you to be that person anymore. The only thing that can hold you back from your purpose is you.

Fear will make you allow the opinions of others to keep you down.  Sarah Jakes Roberts said it best this way – ‘the only reason we can hear the whispers of our critics is because we don’t live loud enough. We become content to stifle our best so that we can feel like the rest.’

Let that stop today, don’t let anyone project their ‘failures on you’.  Just because they failed doesn’t mean you will.  Don’t live a life that requires you to lose a piece of yourself to gain a good opinion from them.

The song that comes to mind this week is ‘Brave’ by Bethel Music.  The chorus has been the anchor for my life since the last quarter of 2018.   I have come from a place of fear and timidity to a place where I just don’t think I can do all things through Christ but I know it and I own it!

My favorite line and I am paraphrasing says you(God) make me brave; you call me out beyond the shores into the waves and no fear can hinder now the promises you made!  I am begging you today to walk fearlessly in your purpose and you will find that it is very liberating.  All you need to do is put one foot in front of the other!  BE FEARLESS!!!