The Battle Within | Facing Fear

As I sit tonight to write this I find myself in my own battle with fear. Fear has taken over so many different aspects of my life that I sometime wonder how I will ever fully get rid of the fear that resides inside my soul. Anxiety itself is an enormous outcome of fear. I fear therefore anxiety looms. It seems to be a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. Tonight I wonder how to break it and is it even possible. The answer is yes, but only if I am willing to fully give it to the Lord.

The key word here is “give”. For over 20 years I was smoker. In the beginning I loved smoking. Smoking and I had a great relationship. If I felt anxious smoking eased my mind. Smoking was my friend. Everywhere I went I made sure my cigarettes were with me. Then I became ill and I did not like smoking as much as I used to. I asked the Lord to help me quit. I would put them down and within a week I was smoking again. I would ask for help again and the outcome was always the same. I didn’t understand why God was not answering my prayers. One day I asked Him to help me quit again, but this time was different. This time I was ready to “give” Him my addiction. I didn’t want it anymore. I despised it and truly wanted nothing to do with it, yet I did not know how to quit it. I prayed and was honest with the Lord. I told Him how I wanted nothing to do with this addiction anymore but was helpless to give it up. Why did I fail every time I tried? Why aren’t you helping me Lord? In that moment of openness He answered me “ Because you wouldn’t give it to me.” I never picked up another cigarette again and to this day have not desired one or thought of one. I gave it to Him and I was free.

Fear is also a constant companion. I do not want it. I despise it. I am helpless against it. Just as I did with the cigarettes, I have to give this to Him. This is harder than giving Him my addiction. It is deep seeded in the hurts of my past. It has a tight hold on me but the Lord is holding on tighter. This battle will be won, when I face fear and tell it to leave and give it to Him.   In order to do so I have to face my past and leave it where it belongs.

The past has no place in my present just as my present will have no place in my future. Matthew 6:34 reminds us that today is enough to deal with so deal with today and let yesterday go. This will be difficult but I am willing to go there and find freedom. Before I get there I have to prepare and preparation looks like this:

1. Pray – I will honestly and openly talk to the Lord about my fears. There is no sense in hiding it because He already knows. He is already at the battleground waiting patiently for me to give Him the go ahead to fight for me. I will spend time with Him. I will cry with Him. I will allow myself to feel emotion and I will not be afraid to talk to Him like the parent He is. He is my heavenly daddy and I can talk to Him as such!
2. Find battle buddies – I will not go into this battle alone. I will seek the guidance of someone who is farther along in their walk with the Lord than I am. Someone who follows the Lord’s guidance and will know how to help me reach the battleground safely. Someone who will support me in the battle and keep my mind focused on the Lord instead of the fight. When we focus on the fight at hand we tend to try and win it, but when we focus on the Lord we allow Him to fight the battle for us.
3. I will have faith – If I do not believe. If I do not have faith. I have nothing. The battle will be lost before it even began. No one can face their fears without faith that the Lord will protect them and guide them and relieve them from these fears. We have to trust the Lord in everything, including overcoming our fears. Without that trust and that faith we will find ourselves lost in a sea of overwhelming doubt and fear that will consume us. Faith in God is the key to overcoming anything in our lives!

I pray that you will meet the Lord on your own battlefield, whether it be anxiety or depression or any other affliction. Meet Him there, prepared to give Him the battle. When you truly give Him the battle you will find a peace that surpasses any understanding. To explain it will be impossible because the beauty of it is indescribable. All you will be able to say is “The Lord freed me and I am blessed.”

Jane Reed is the author and creator of The Green Tomato Experience blog and the owner of Jane Reed Photography. She spends the majority of her time in the kitchen where she finds peace and harmony in her life. She is known to enjoy Starbucks Frappucinos even though she knows she shouldn’t. Her favorite woman in the Bible is Ruth because she loves her perseverance and integrity. She is currently working on an amazing cookbook that she hopes will bring peace and joy to your kitchens as well!! All photographs are property of Jane Reed Photography and come from Jane’s personal Stele Collection.